Animation Festival of Halifax shines light on NFB animation excellence with 12 selected shorts.  Chris Landreth, director of the Oscar-winning Ryan , at festival for a special retrospective, live conversation and in-person master class.    

May 5, 2022 – Halifax – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Twelve new and classic animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be featured at the 11th annual Animation Festival of Halifax (AFX), with screenings presented live in-person from May 5 to 7 and online from May 5 to 15.

Presented in AFX’s “Adult Portion,” Friday, May 6, at 9:30 p.m. ADT:

Online and in-person at the Carbon Arc Cinema

• Flowing Home (Như một dòng song) by Sandra Desmazières | Les Films de l’Arlequin/NFB, 15 min, 2021
  The child of a Vietnamese mother and French father, Sandra Desmazières crafts an animated short about the intertwined destinies of two sisters separated by the Vietnam War.
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/flowing-home-nhu-mot-dong-song

• June Night by Mike Maryniuk | 4 min, 2020
  Working in sublime self-isolation during the pandemic spring of 2020, avant-garde Manitoba filmmaker Mike Maryniuk composes a surreal ode to rebirth and reinvention.
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/june-night

Presented in AFX’s “Vegan Delights,” Saturday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. ADT:

Online and in-person at the Carbon Arc Cinema

• Bad Seeds by Claude Cloutier | L’Unité centrale/NFB | 6 min 22 s, 2020
  Montreal animator Claude Cloutier takes us to a bizarre world populated by carnivorous plants that can change shapes the way a chameleon changes colours.
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bad-seeds

• The Storm by Monica Kidd/Duncan Major | 4 min, 2021
  Making her NFB directorial debut, physician/filmmaker Monica Kidd divided her time between St. John’s and Calgary while creating The Storm with Newfoundland animator Duncan Major, to reflect on what it means to bring a baby into a world under a pandemic lockdown.
  Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-storm

Chris Landreth retrospective, Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m. ADT:

Online and in-person at the Carbon Arc Cinema

Renowned for his pioneering “psychorealist” animation style, Chris Landreth will be at AFX for this special retrospective on his work, including four NFB shorts.

• Ryan (Copper Heart Entertainment/NFB, 2004)
  This Oscar-winning short is based on the life of Montreal animator Ryan Larkin, who created some of the most influential animated films of his time. 

• The Spine (2009)
  A poignant animated short taking us into the relationship between a man and a woman trapped in a spiral of destruction after 26 years. 

• Subconscious Password (2013)
  Inspired by the classic TV game show Password, celebrity guests try to help our beleaguered protagonist remember an old pal’s name.

• Be Cool (2017)
  A poke at self-consumed selfie culture, produced as part of Naked Island, a series of 14 super-short and incisive films that expose the dark underbelly of modern society.

The Work We Do, Thursday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. ADT:

Online and in-person at The Bus Stop Theatre Coop

Four classic NFB animated shorts focussing on work-related themes will also be shown, as part of The Work We Do: An Animation Retrospective, presented by AFX in partnership with Mayworks Kjipuktuk-Halifax.

NFB titles:

• Cathy Bennett’s The Housewife (1975)
• Brad Caslor’s Get a Job (1985)
• Martine Chartrand’s MacPherson (2012)
• The NFB WWII short Curtailment of Civilian Industries (1943)

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