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This site contains promotional material for NFB productions that is intended for use by authorized media representatives only. This material can be used solely for the purposes of publicity, promotion, critical review and other journalistic purposes. Use of this material for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. All content available on the site is owned by the NFB, its licensors or the party accredited as the provider of the content and is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. The NFB makes no representations or warranties regarding the content.

Media Space
Press Kit

Springrise

L'éveil du printemps

Mitchell Keys
2025 | 1 min
2D animation
Without words

The sun rises over a planet deep in winter, bringing light, life and togetherness. It is a reminder, even in the darkest moments, that there will eventually be light.

Produced as part of the 15^th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse mentorship.

Watch the films with behind-the-scenes extras on NFB.ca

Logline

Spring is always coming.

Director's Statement

This project was inspired by our planet and all the ways it holds us, takes care of us and keeps us together. I’ve always been inspired by the beauty of our world, and I remain optimistic that, despite all the turmoil and terror, there is a brilliant sunrise ahead.

Contact NFB publicist for broadcast-quality excerpts.

Contact NFB publicist for high-resolution images for print.

Credits

Written, Directed and Animated by
Scénario, réalisation et animation
Mitchell Keys

Editor
Montage
Jesse Riviere

Sound and Music
Conception sonore et musique
Vid Cousins

Mentoring Director
Mentorat de réalisation
Lillian Chan

Associate Producer
Production déléguée
Fred Casia

Technical Director
Direction technique
Mathieu Tremblay

Technical Support – Animation
Soutien technique à l’animation
Alexandre Roy

Animation Assistant
Assistance à l’animation
Karolina Ficek

Technical Coordinator
Coordination technique
Luc Binette

Titles
Titres
Cynthia Ouellet

Online Edit
Montage en ligne
Luca Di Gioacchino

Musicians
Musique, interprétation
Kate Bevan-Baker
Sarah Pagé
Vid Cousins

Foley
Bruitage
Karla Baumgardner

Recording
Enregistrement
Geoffrey Mitchell

Mix
Mixage
Isabelle Lussier

Administration
Karine Desmeules

Senior Production Coordinator
Coordination de la production
Dominique Forget

Marketing
Mise en marché
Judith Lessard-Bérubé
Marion Duhaime-Morissette
Emilie Ryan

Publicist
Attachée de presse
Nadine Viau

Consultation
Donald McWilliams

Producer
Production
Maral Mohammadian

Executive Producer
Production exécutive
Christine Noël

Thanks
Remerciements
Kevin Riley
Chanda Chevannes
Josiane Bernadin
Nellie Carrier

© 2025 National Film Board of Canada
© Office national du film du Canada, 2025

Media Relations

Nadine Viau
NFB Publicist – Montreal
C.: 514-458-9745
n.viau@nfb.ca

About the Hothouse program

Hothouse is a mentorship program for emerging Canadian animation filmmakers. It was created in 2003 by NFB Animation Studio Producer Michael Fukushima and Executive Producer David Verrall to nurture new talent. Participants work alongside industry leaders, gaining real-world experience.

They have only 12 weeks to craft an original one-minute film. But it’s not just about speed. It’s about helping the next generation of storytellers find inventive ways of using animation while maintaining the creative and technical hallmarks of NFB animation.

Hothouse is not a funding program, nor is it a school. It is a mentorship in real-world animation filmmaking, with the NFB serving as both producer and distributor.

About the NFB

Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 7,000 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.

Biography

Christine Noël has been Executive Producer of the French Program Animation Studio since January 2021. She has nearly 25 years of experience in producing and marketing animated films. Her career highlights include leading promotional strategies for NFB animated films that were subsequently nominated for Oscars® and marketing more than 150 titles. She recently produced the series Magical Caresses (Lori Malépart-Traversy), The Painting (Michèle Lemieux), Loca (Véronique Paquette) and Society of Clothes (Dahee Jeong), drawing on her keen understanding of audiences and the NFB’s acclaimed animation tradition to support creators from diverse backgrounds.

Biography (long)

Christine Noël has nearly 25 years of experience in producing and marketing animated films. She began her NFB career at the French Program Animation Studio where, as a development officer, she made a key contribution to the production of major DVD box sets, including Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition, and The Science of Moving Images, which focused on the work of Pierre Hébert. In addition, in 2006 she organized workshops given by Jacques Drouin on the pinscreen technique, which led filmmaker Michèle Lemieux to use this unique tool in her work. From 2007 to 2015, Christine oversaw the launch and promotional campaigns of more than 150 animated films in her capacity as Marketing Manager, while developing a close relationship with the community of creators and honing her expertise in animation. As Head of Marketing from 2015 to 2020, she led a cross-Canada team that annually promoted approximately 80 productions. She was also in charge of a number of promotional strategies for Oscar®-nominated NFB animated films, including Patrick Doyon’s Sunday and Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis’s Wild Life (both nominated in 2012), Torill Kove’s Me and My Moulton (2015), Theodore Ushev’s Blind Vaysha (2017), and Alison Snowden and David Fine’s Animal Behaviour (2019). As Executive Producer, Christine supports an approach to production that values creators from all walks of life and their diverse methods, continuing the NFB’s internationally recognized tradition of creation while drawing on her knowledge and understanding of audiences. She recently produced Lori Malépart-Traversy’s Magical Caresses, a series of five animated documentary shorts that has won five awards to date, including Best Short Form Non-Fiction Series at the Banff World Media Festival, Best Short From a Series at the Los Angeles Animation Festival and Best Show (Docu-Show Section) at the Seriesland Web Festival in Bilbao, Spain. Michèle Lemieux’s The Painting, made using the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, Véronique Paquette’s LOCA and Korean filmmaker Dahee Jeong’s Society of Clothes are Christine’s latest production credits.