September 4, 2018 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

From September 26 to 30, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will have an unprecedented presence at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), with no fewer than nine films and virtual reality projects showcased, including six works in international competition and four premieres. The OIAF is North America’s largest animated film event, attracting an audience of some 28,000 people every year, among them artists, producers, students and fans of the genre from around the world. Following awards and acclaim for its animated films at major festivals in Canada and abroad, the NFB is pleased and proud to be so well-represented in three prestigious categories at this year’s OIAF.

Among the major premieres to be presented at the festival is the world premiere of an eagerly anticipated short by Montreal filmmaker Alex Boya: Turbine is a daring, surrealist soap opera about the intricacies of technology seen through a love triangle. The OIAF will also host the North American premiere screening of Caterpillarplasty, Ottawa native David Barlow-Krelina’s science-fiction satire of plastic surgery, which received a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury at the Oberhausen Festival in Germany.

These two works are screening in the International Competition in the Narrative Short Animation category, alongside I’M OK, directed by UK filmmaker Elizabeth Hobbs (North American premiere), and The Subject (Le Sujet), directed by Patrick Bouchard. In addition to these four short films in competition, two other NFB works have been selected in the Virtual Reality category: Museum of Symmetry by Paloma Dawkins and Dream (Rêve) by Philippe Lambert.

Lastly, the NFB is presenting a trio of films in the Canadian Panorama: Embraced (Étreintes) by Justine Vuylsteker, Animal Behaviour by Alison Snowden and David Fine, and Deyzangeroo by Ehsan Gharib.

“Five films, plus an interactive VR project, is the largest slate of projects the NFB’s English Animation Studio has ever showcased at the Ottawa International Animation festival. Our veteran and emerging creators are thrilled at the chance to share and discuss their projects with creators from Canada and the rest of the world, and this highlights the value of the festival as a platform for artistic exchange with peers and animation lovers.” – Michael Fukushima, Executive Producer for the NFB’s Animation Studio in Montreal

Official Competition: Narrative Short Animation
Turbine by Alex Boya (8 min) – World premiere
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/turbine/

• Bulgarian-born Montreal filmmaker Alex Boya studied animation at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.
• His film Focus was made as part of the 10th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship program.  Turbine is Alex’s first professional film.
• Produced at the NFB by Jelena Popović.

Caterpillarplasty by David Barlow-Krelina (5 min) – North American premiere
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/caterpillarplasty/

• Bless You (2013), the previous film by this Ottawa-born Montreal-based filmmaker, was widely acclaimed online, at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and at the Animation Show of Shows.
• Caterpillarplasty screened at the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in Germany, where it was awarded a Special Mention by the Ecumenical Jury.
• Produced at the NFB by Jelena Popović.

I’M OK by Elizabeth Hobbs (6 min) – North American premiere
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/im-ok/

• Ink and paint on paper, inspired by the life and work of painter Oskar Kokoschka.
• Elizabeth Hobbs (The Emperor, The Old, Old, Very Old Man, G-AAAH) is from East London.
• She previously worked with the NFB on The True Story of Sawney Beane, a 2005 co-production with Red Kite Animations.
• Co-produced by Elizabeth Hobbs, Abigail Addison (Animate Projects) and Jelena Popović (NFB). Executive producers: Michael Fukushima (NFB) and Gary Thomas (Animate Projects).

The Subject (Le Sujet) by Patrick Bouchard (10 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/thesubject/

• Shown at the Cannes, Annecy and Toronto festivals.
• The most personal work yet by director Patrick Bouchard (Bydlo), the film features a clay puppet of the animator’s own body.
• Produced at the NFB by Julie Roy.

Official Competition: Virtual Reality

Museum of Symmetry by Paloma Dawkins
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/museumofsymmetry/

• In this virtual-reality trip, the viewer experiences 2D animation in a room-scale 3D playground.
• Created by cartoonist and animator Dawkins in collaboration with Casa Rara studio.
• Produced at the NFB by Maral Mohammadian.

Dream by Philippe Lambert
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/dream/

• A VR experience that received its world premiere at Montreal’s MUTEK_IMG Forum.
• Created by experimental musician Philippe Lambert, this work also has a Web component.
• Dream was created by Lambert, with Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit, Vincent Lambert and Caroline Robert. An NFB production by Marie-Pier Gauthier, executive-produced by Hugues Sweeney.

Canadian Panorama

Embraced, by Justine Vuylsteker (6 min) – North American premiere
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/embraced/

• The first film made entirely on the “Épinette,” the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen in France.
• Made in Paris and Montreal as part of three creative residencies.
• Co-produced by Rafael Andrea Soatto, Fabrice Préel-Cléach and Emmanuelle Latourrette for Offshore, and Julie Roy for the NFB.

Animal Behaviour by Alison Snowden and David Fine (14 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/animal-behaviour/

• Alison Snowden and David Fine’s Bob’s Birthday won the 1994 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
• They created the animated TV series Bob and Margaret, a huge hit in Canada and the U.S.
• Animal Behaviour is produced at the NFB by Michael Fukushima.

Deyzangeroo by Ehsan Gharib (4 min)
Synopsis, biographies, images: http://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/deyzangeroo/

• This short had its world premiere at the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) in Montreal.
• Winner of the Golden Dove for best animated short film at the DOK Leipzig festival.
• Produced at the NFB by Maral Mohammadian.

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopsis: Animal Behaviour | Caterpillarplasty | Deyzangeroo | Dream | Embraced | I’M OK | Museum of Symmetry | The Subject | Turbine

Associated Links

Ottawa International Animation Festival
Animate Projects
Casa Rara
Offshore