October 26, 2017 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The National Film Board of Canada and the Sommets du cinéma d’animation are joining forces to present a series of Artists’ Talks at the Cinémathèque québécoise, beginning Friday, October 27, with Éléonore Goldberg and her film Mon yiddish papi (My Yiddish Papi). In the months to come, animation filmmakers Matthew Rankin, Dominic Etienne Simard, Alex Boya and Torill Kove will take turns giving the public behind-the-scenes glimpses into their latest productions. Audiences will have a rare opportunity to explore these artists’ creative processes and talk to them about their approach, inspiration and techniques.

The talks will be given in French unless otherwise indicated.

Artists’ Talks program lineup:

Éléonore Goldberg, Friday, October 27, 4 p.m. – free admission

• In My Yiddish Papi, Éléonore Goldberg keeps a promise to her late grandfather to tell the harrowing story of his experiences in World War II and celebrate his life. Produced by Karine Dubois (Picbois Productions) and Julie Roy (NFB), and executive produced by Roy. This short will screen as part of the international competition at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation, taking place at the Cinémathèque québécoise from November 22 to 26, 2017.
• Éléonore Goldberg is a Franco-Canadian filmmaker, animator and cartoonist. Her screenplay for My Yiddish Papi won the SODEC/SARTEC Award and the Special Jury Prize at the “Cours écrire ton court” contest. Her animated short Wandering was nominated for a Jutra and received awards at the Breakthroughs festival and Cinema on the Bayou. She has worked on Dominic Goyer’s L’origine des espèces (2016) and Cam Christiansen’s Wall (2017) and illustrated the graphic novel The Young Lady in White (2016).

Matthew Rankin, Thursday, November 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (as part of the Sommets du cinéma d’animation) – paid admission

• Inspired by real events, Tesla: Lumière mondiale (THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT) is an experimental animated film in which visionary inventor Nikola Tesla writes to financier J.P. Morgan. This electrifying short is a spectacular burst of image and sound that has received many awards. Produced at the NFB by Julie Roy, the film had its world premiere at the 56th Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week, where it screened in competition. THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT received an honourable mention for the IWC Short Cuts Award at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) along with a special jury mention in the 2017 Festival du nouveau cinéma International Short Film Competition.
• A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Montreal-based Rankin studied Quebec history at McGill University and Université Laval before turning to film. His work features a mixture of genres, the use of historical or documentary elements and a referential, lyrical aesthetic. This is his second NFB film, following The Radical Expeditions of Walter Boudreau (2015).

Dominic Etienne Simard, Friday, January 26, 4 p.m. – free admission

• The title character in Charles is a little boy who knows he’s not like other kids. At school, his classmates regularly remind him of just how different he is. To weather the daily ridicule and injustices, Charles invents a fantasy world inhabited by good-hearted little frogs. A Canada/France co-production by Dominic Etienne Simard (DES animations), Dora Benousilio (Les Films de l’Arlequin) and Julie Roy (NFB). On the heels of its world premiere at TIFF, the film has been selected to screen in the international competition at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation in November.
• Dominic Etienne Simard has been directing art films and animation for more than 15 years. Known for his elegant scripts and visual skills, Simard is passionate about drawing, painting, photography, engraving, and illustration, and he found fertile ground for creative exploration at the NFB. Paula (2011) won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short and the Berlin-Brandenburg Award for Best Film at the Interfilm Berlin Festival. He has received many awards and fellowships and is becoming increasingly renowned in the world of animation.

Alex Boya, Friday, February 16, 4 p.m. – free admission (in English)

• Turbine is a surreal, romantic tragicomedy about a man who fuses his body with his fighter jet and can no longer connect with his wife. Produced at the NFB by Jelena Popovic.
• Alex Boya is a Bulgarian-born, Montreal-based animator who studied animation at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Using medical illustration and the copper plate “eau forte” technique as inspirations, his first project with the NFB—Focus, a synaptic journey through attention deficit disorder—earned him an honourable mention for Best Canadian Animation at the 2015 OIAF.

Torill Kove, Friday, March 23, 4 p.m. – free admission (in English)

• In her latest animated short, Threads, Academy Award-winning director Torill Kove explores the beauty and complexity of parental love, the bonds that we form over time, and the ways in which they stretch and shape us. Co-produced by Lise Fearnley and Tonje Skar Reiersen (Mikrofilm AS) and Michael Fukushima (NFB), Threads was screened in competition at TIFF 2017, and will also be in international competition at the Sommets du cinéma d’animation in November.
• Norwegian-born Torill Kove moved to Canada in 1982. After earning her master’s degree in Urban Planning at McGill University, Kove pursued a lifelong passion for drawing and sketching, studying animation at Concordia University. In addition to her film work, she is an accomplished author and illustrator of children’s books. Her 2006 short film The Danish Poet (NFB/Mikrofilm AS) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. She also received Oscar nominations for her 1999 directorial debut, My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts (NFB/Studio Magica), and her 2014 animated short, Me and My Moulton (NFB/Mikrofilm AS).

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis:
Charles
My Yiddish Papi
THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT
Threads

Associated Links

Sommets du cinéma d’animation
Cinémathèque québécoise
Picbois Productions
Les Films de l’Arlequin
Mikrofilm AS

For the Cinémathèque québécoise
Sol Millan
Head of Communications and Marketing
514-842-9768 poste 255
smillan@cinematheque.qc.ca

 

About the Sommets du cinéma d’animation

The Sommets du cinéma d’animation is an international festival dedicated to animation in all its forms, from heritage films to new media by way of current production. Over five days, Montreal moves to the rhythms of animation! A unique event in Quebec, the festival celebrates an art form that has long brought international recognition to Quebec and to Canada.

 

For the Cinémathèque québécoise
Sol Millan
Head of Communications and Marketing
514-842-9768 poste 255
smillan@cinematheque.qc.ca