May 21, 2015 – Montreal, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) French Animation Studio has announced the winner of the 22nd edition of its Cinéaste recherché(e) competition: Patrick Lapierre. To create his short film Nuna, which will be distributed by the NFB, Lapierre will benefit from the expertise, facilities, material and support of the Animation Studio team throughout every stage of the film’s production. The Cinéaste recherché(e) selection committee was composed of Marc Bertrand, French Animation Studio producer; Claude Cloutier, animation filmmaker at the NFB; Marco de Blois, animation programmer/curator, film, television and new media at the Cinémathèque québécoise; and Karine Sévigny, NFB marketing manager. The winning film project was chosen from 43 submissions and, for the first time, interactive games consisting mainly of animation, as well as other types of interactive projects, were also considered.
Nuna—meaning “land” or “country” in Inuktitut—is loosely based on Franklin’s Passage by Montreal poet David Solway. The book explores the failure of the Franklin expedition to discover the Northwest Passage through the Arctic, a journey that remains shrouded in mystery despite the recent discovery of one of the vessels. The short film will combine live action and animation in charcoal and chalk to evoke the tragedy that befell the crew, who were trapped in the ice surrounded by unfamiliar terrain in the world of the Inuit.
• About Patrick Lapierre
Patrick Lapierre holds a BA in animated film from Concordia University and a diploma in screenwriting from the Université du Québec à Montréal. He has worked on the postproduction of several short and feature films, notably Torill Kove’s Me and My Moulton (Mikrofilm AS/NFB), nominated for the best animated short Oscar this year. He has also directed a number of short films, including Le cosmos sauvera le peuple (2012), his first entirely animated film, which was selected for screenings at national and international festivals.
• About the Cinéaste recherché(e) competition
Launched in 1980, the Cinéaste recherché(e) competition is held every two years and gives winners the chance to make their first professional animated film at the NFB’s French Animation Studio. The competition has discovered many emerging animation filmmakers, including previous winners Michèle Cournoyer, two-time Jutra Award winner for Le chapeau (The Hat) and Robe de guerre (Robes of War); Nicolas Brault, nominated for a César Award in 2012 in Paris for Le cirque (The Circus); Jean-François Lévesque, winner of a Jutra and Grand Prize in the short film category at Montreal’s World Film Festival for the Le nœud cravate (The Necktie); and Dominic Etienne Simard, award winner at the International Short Film Festival in Berlin and winner of a Canadian Screen Award for Paula.
For information about the competition and to watch a selection of films directed by the winners of recent years, visit https://www.onf.ca/selection/cineaste-recherche/ (in French only).
• About the winner of the 21st edition of the competition, Keyu Chen
Keyu Chen is completing her film, Un printemps, which tells the story of a little girl whose innate curiosity prompts her to leave the haven of her grandmother’s love and protection. Over the past two years, Chen has worked with NFB production teams on the animated films Nul poisson où aller (No Fish Where to Go) by Nicola Lemay and Janice Nadeau, which won an award at Annecy, and Jutra by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, winner of the Jutra for Best Animated Short Film in 2015.
“The 22nd edition of Cinéaste recherché(e) turned out to be an exceptional year: the jury deliberated at length before choosing the shortlist of five projects and finally deciding on Patrick Lapierre’s Nuna. Both in his source of inspiration—the Franklin expedition, still a little-known adventure in our history—and his daring technique, this young filmmaker stands out as an original. We at the French Animation Studio are delighted to welcome him aboard.”
– Marc Bertrand, Producer, French Animation Studio, NFB
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Nadine Viau
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The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creates groundbreaking interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 14 Canadian Screen Awards, 11 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
