The NFB at the 2015 Sommets du cinéma d’animation
Skwigly
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is one of the official partners of the 2015 Sommets du cinéma d’animation, which will feature a selection of four NFB films: Autos Portraits (Carface) by Claude Cloutier is in international and Canadian competition, while My Heart Attack (Ma crise cardiaque) by Sheldon Cohen, BAM by Howie Shia and All the Rage (Dernier cri) by Alexandra Lemay are in Canadian competition in the Panorama Québec/Canada category. The festival takes place November 25 to 29 in Montreal.
Selected films
Autos Portraits, the most recent film from award-winning director and cartoonist Claude Cloutier (Sleeping Betty) returns to Montreal after a US tour with filmmaker Cordell Barker that included screenings at leading animation studios Pixar and Disney, as well as at Apple. Autos Portraits has also been in official competition at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF).
Montreal-based animator Sheldon Cohen’s newest and most personal film, My Heart Attack—the English version of which is narrated by Cohen himself—enjoys its Montreal premiere at the festival. The film, which had its world premiere at the OIAF, features a version of Anna McGarrigle’s song “Heartbeats Accelerating” sung by her children, Lily and Sylvan Lanken.
Toronto-based filmmaker Howie Shia (Flutter) drew on events in the life of his Taiwanese grandfather to create the animated short BAM, a modern adaptation of the myth of Hercules. The film has its Quebec premiere at the Sommets following a world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
All the Rage, directed by Alexandra Lemay and produced as part of the 10th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse program for emerging animators, is a cautionary tale about what happens when we don’t think enough about what we buy. The film had its world premiere at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Two master classes co-presented by the NFB and the Sommets
The celebrated filmmaking duo of Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis are the Sommets’ guests of honour this year and will be giving a master class. The festival will also screen a retrospective of their works, including the acclaimed When the Day Breaks, winner of the 1999 Cannes Palme d’Or for best short film, and Wild Life, which garnered an Oscar nomination in 2012.
In addition, animator Patrick Bouchard, winner of three Jutra awards (for Bydlo, Dehors novembre and The Brainwashers), will offer an outstanding four-hour master class.
René-Jodoin Award
The inaugural René-Jodoin Award, named in honour of the renowned filmmaker, producer and founder of the NFB’s French Animation Studio, recognizes exemplary work by a leading figure in Canadian animation. This year, the award will be presented at the Sommets to Marcy Page (Ryan, The Danish Poet), producer at the NFB English Animation Studio from 1990 to 2014.
See the full Sommets line-up at sommetsanimation.com