The National Film Board of Canada has three short films at this year’s Annecy Film Festival (June 13th to 18th) )competition. They are The Flying Sailor by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby; Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics by Terril Calder and Magical Caresses: Sweet Jesus by Lori Malépart-Traversy. The first of the three is making its world premiere and the other two have been available for at least a year. In what’s offered is a highlight reel of what women producers/content creators can express concerning reflections on existence, identity and sexuality.
The National Film Board of Canada has humour and serious drama in store with two pieces now in its online Comic Strip Chronicles Collection. This series of shorts looks at the strong connection that exists with comic strips–in its traditional Sunday funnies format–with animation. When considering the latter, it also delves deep into thoughtful experiences too.
There’s also a terrific retrospective written by Marc St-Pierre on The NFB’s blog to get readers up to speed on what the Animation Studio of the French Program has been up to in the past several years. The article is written in French, and it can be parsed through Google Translate.
Anyone who wants to take Matt DesLauriers’ Wayfinder art game on the go can now play it on iOS! This game is something I’m sure Hayao Miyazaki would endorse, as it’s rich world is filled with serene wonder and beauty. You’re wandering through a forest, and encountering everything a natural world can offer. The objects you’re supposed to find don’t pop up right away, but when you do and use them, areas will come alive and you’ll feel like you are experiencing the ‘sound of music.’
This program blurs the line between video game, animated short and interactive poem and lets the player create the experience “from the ground up.”
From the press release:
Symbolizing the give-and-take relationship humans have with nature, players move a mystical character through forest, grasslands and tundra in search of poetic tokens dotting the landscape. When activated, they reveal words hidden in the wind, breathing new life into the nearby flora and fauna. Leaves stir and flowers spring up in the character’s footsteps. Birds and butterflies emerge. As the player continues on their journey, these uncovered words combine into verse, expressing our eternal need to capture nature’s fleeting moments in poetry.
This program originally launched June 16th, on NFB.ca and Wayfinder captures nature’s fading memories before they’re gone forever.
The NFB Ho Ho Holidays channel is back with more goodies than ever: seasonal classics, recent works and family favourites. It’s a good mix of live-action and animated material. There’s 53 films in all that you can watch for free!
This year, this company is offering up a few pieces of line art for anyone to colour up! I encourage folks to to print out the drawings and once painted up with your favourite markers, take a quick picture on a smartphone and post it online on Facebook or Twitter to share (with the hashtag #NFB.)
Anyone who has followed the media reports about the discovery of a mass grave on the grounds of a residential school in Kamloops, BC, may find Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics disturbing. Children from local tribes were plucked away from their families because someone thought it was best to teach them a different way of life. These places were operated by the Catholic Church, and it didn’t change hands until much later. The Canadian Government never knew what went on, and was left holding the bag.
This stop motion animated work by Terril Calder is evocative, powerful and moving. The story she constructed is an eerie look at what may have happened back then. Thankfully, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel in this tale.
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Available on 
The 
From TIFF to OIAF to ImagineNATIVE. TheNFB’s The Hidden Island of Ethics
16 Sep(The Vintage Tempest)
Official Selection at
Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 9-18)
Ottawa International Animation Festival (Sept 22-Oct 3)
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (Oct 19-24)
Please check links for showtimes
Anyone who has followed the media reports about the discovery of a mass grave on the grounds of a residential school in Kamloops, BC, may find Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics disturbing. Children from local tribes were plucked away from their families because someone thought it was best to teach them a different way of life. These places were operated by the Catholic Church, and it didn’t change hands until much later. The Canadian Government never knew what went on, and was left holding the bag.
This stop motion animated work by Terril Calder is evocative, powerful and moving. The story she constructed is an eerie look at what may have happened back then. Thankfully, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel in this tale.
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Tags: Analysis, History, National Film Board of Canada, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Religion, Social Commentary, Stop-Motion Animation, Terril Calder, TIFF