The NFB at the NFC 2016
Skwigly
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) returns to Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) with the world premiere of the virtual reality experience Invisible World (CFC Media Lab/NFB) by Tyler Enfield and Galen Scorer, in competition in the festival’s VR section. And three brilliant animated shorts will have their Quebec premieres, also in competition: Vaysha l’aveugle (Blind Vaysha) by Theodore Ushev (NFB), Une tête disparaît (The Head Vanishes) by Franck Dion (Papy3D/NFB/ARTE France), and I Am Here (Je suis ici) by Eoin Duffy (NFB). The 45th edition of the FNC takes place October 5 to 16 in Montreal.
World premiere of VR experience – In competition
Invisible World, a unique VR experience, will have its world premiere at the FNC. The project was created by Tyler Enfield and Galen Scorer and co-produced by the CFC Media Lab and the NFB. Available in English, French and Khmer versions, this 22-minute work allows audiences to explore the layered points of view of three people whose lives intersect after a shared trauma: a dramatic event involving a young boy in Cambodia. Enabling us to move within, between and around cinema as a physical object, Invisible World treats VR as a medium of expression, offering a conceptual story space where our bodies create new meaning through new juxtapositions.
Three animated shorts in competition
Blind Vaysha (Dir. Theodore Ushev)
Theodore Ushev, a regular at the FNC (his NFB short Blood Manifesto won the Prix Créativité last year), is back with Blind Vaysha. The film is coming off a triumphant European festival run, which began with its world premiere at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival and continued with the film winning the Jury Award and Junior Jury Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, in addition to garnering other honours. It was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and recently received the awards for Best Narrative Short Animation and Best Canadian Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
The Head Vanishes (Dir. Franck Dion)
Franck Dion returns to Quebec to show The Head Vanishes, which won the prestigious Cristal Award for the best short film at Annecy this year. This is the fourth animated short by this French filmmaker, much loved by audiences in Quebec and the rest of Canada, and the second to be co-produced by Papy3D, the NFB and ARTE France, following 2012’s Edmond Was a Donkey. The latter film received 30 international honours, including the 2012 Annecy Special Jury Prize and several awards from Canadian festivals such as the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival and Regard sur le court métrage au Saguenay, as well as a Gémeaux for Best Animated Show or Series.
I Am Here (Dir. Eoin Duffy)
I Am Here, Eoin Duffy’s first project with the NFB, recently had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Born in Ireland and currently living in Vancouver, Duffy employs a signature style that blends clean lines and colourful graphics with a humorous approach to dark and complex themes. His films have received international accolades, including a shortlisting for Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards for The Missing Scarf (2014).
For more on this year’s FNC visit nouveaucinema.ca