The NFB at Annecy 2019
The National Film Board of Canada will make a strong showing at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival with three short films and one VR work, all in official competition.
Annecy 2019 will see the return of three world-renowned filmmakers: Regina Pessoa, with her short film Oncle Thomas – La comptabilité des jours (Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days, Ciclope Filmes/NFB/Les Armateurs); and Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions), with the European premiere of their VR experience GYMNASIA (NFB/Felix & Paul Studios). Le cortège (The Procession, NFB), the first collaboration by Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais, will screen in the official competition and Bone Mother (NFB), by Sylvie Trouvé and Dale Hayward (See Creature), will screen in the Young Audiences competition. The NFB will also be featured in other festival sections, in addition to attending Mifa, Annecy’s international market component. Taking place from June 10 to 15 this year, the Annecy Festival is the world’s largest event devoted to animation, annually hosting leading industry creators and professionals.
Short Films in Competition
UNCLE THOMAS: ACCOUNTING FOR THE DAYS
2019 | 13 min

PRESS KIT
Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days is about the special relationship between Regina Pessoa and
her uncle. The film is a testament to her love for this eccentric, who was an artistic inspiration and
played a key role in her becoming a filmmaker. A moving tribute to a poet of the everyday.
A film by Regina Pessoa
Producers Abi Feijó (Ciclope Filmes), Julie Roy (NFB), Reginald de Guillebon (Les Armateurs)
SCREENING TIMES AND LOCATIONS HERE
CINEMA NOVEL 10/06/2019 | 18 H 30
LA TURBINE 11/06/2019 | 16 H 30
PATHÉ 1 12/06/2019 | 10 H 30
PATHÉ 1 12/06/2019 | 21 H 00
GRANDE SALLE 12/06/2019 | 14 H 00
PATHÉ 1 13/06/2019 | 16 H 00
PATHÉ 5 15/06/2019 | 17 H 00
THE PROCESSION
2019 | 11 min 23 s

PRESS KIT
I surprised you, didn’t I? I died… After Catherine’s fatal car accident, she speaks from the beyond
to her grieving husband, Philippe, who must endure the inevitable family ritual of the funeral.
The Procession is an elegant poem in black, white, and pink that shows us how, despite the
pressure to keep up appearances, love finds a way.
A film by Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe Saint-Gelais
Executive Producer Julie Roy
SCREENING TIMES AND LOCATIONS HERE
PATHÉ 1 10/06/2019 | 10 H 30
GRANDE SALLE 10/06/2019 | 14 H 00
PATHÉ 1 10/06/2019 | 21 H 00
PATHÉ 1 12/06/2019 | 16 H 00
CINEMA NOVEL 13/06/2019 | 18 H 30
LA TURBINE 14/06/2019 | 16 H 30
PATHÉ 5 15/06/2019 | 10 H 00
Young Audiences Short Films in Competition
BONE MOTHER
2018 | 8 min

PRESS KIT
Who dares to disturb the devil’s grandmother and enter her slumbering house of bones? Who is foolish enough to betray this immortal nature-spirit? Baba Yaga holds the answers you need, but are they the answers you seek? Tread carefully, for your ambitious schemes could come back to haunt you…
A film by Sylvie Trouvé and Dale Hayward
Producer Jelena Popović
Executive Producer Michael Fukushima
SCREENING TIMES AND LOCATIONS HERE
PATHÉ 6 10/06/2019| 13 H 30
PETITE SALLE 11/06/2019 | 18 H 30
CINEMA NOVEL 12/06/2019 | 14 H 30
LA TURBINE 15/06/2019 | 14 H 30
PATHÉ 3 15/06/2019 | 17 H 00
VR Works in Competition
GYMNASIA
2019 | 6 min

PRESS KIT
Step into the stillness of an abandoned school and enter GYMNASIA, a place where the ghostly
ephemera of a lost childhood await you. Recall the particular sights and sounds of a child’s world
through the echoes of ball games, school lessons and choir recitals. GYMNASIA reanimates the
memories of those forgotten days.
GYMNASIA was supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Niepodległa program of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Created by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions)
Producers Stéphane Rituit (Felix & Paul Studios), Dana Dansereau (NFB)
Executive Producers Stéphane Rituit (Felix & Paul Studios), Rob McLaughlin and Loc Dao (NFB)
Music composed by Patrick Watson
SCREENING TIMES AND LOCATIONS HERE
(BONLIEU) SALLE DE CRÉATION FROM MONDAY, JUNE 10 TO FRIDAY, JUNE 14 | 10 AM TO 5 PM
(MIFA) ESPACE VR CANADA IN THE ZONE MULTIMEDIA OF THE MARKET STAND 6.010 | 11/06/2019 | FROM 2 PM TO 7 PM
Other festival sections
Lynn Smith’s Soup of the Day (NFB, 2013, 3 min) will screen in the Gastronomy: Soul Food special program. Chris Lavis (GYMNASIA) will be on the panel of Through the Looking Glass: Diverse Perspectives on the VR Competition in the Meetings – Making of section.
The NFB at Mifa
• Michael Fukushima, Executive Producer of the NFB’s English Animation Studio, will take part in the discussion Women in Animation (WIA) and Les femmes s’animent (LFA): Creating an Environment of Belonging (in English).
• Julie Roy, Executive Producer of the NFB’s French Animation Studio, will share her expertise with Mifa Pitches participants at a training workshop entitled Market Preparation: Identify and Target to Convince Potential Partners.
• Two works, Paloma Dawkins’ Museum of Symmetry (NFB, 2018, 20 min) and GYMNASIA by Clyde Henry Productions, will be showcased in the Canadian VR space (stand 6.010) in Mifa’s multimedia zone.
Press Relations
-
About the NFB
The NFB is Canada’s public producer and distributor of award-winning documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences, working with talented creators across the country. The NFB is taking action to combat systemic racism and become a more open and diverse organization, while working to strengthen Indigenous-led production and gender equity in film and digital media. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.