Montreal – The National Film Board of Canada will take part in this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 9–15) with a strong, diverse lineup of 11 productions and co-productions, screening across a wide range of sections at the event. Four films have been selected for various competitions, including Torill Kove’s Maybe Elephants (Mikrofilm/NFB), which will be having its world premiere. In addition, Michèle Lemieux, a virtuoso with the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, will present her latest short, Le tableau (The Painting).
The festival will also be presenting an Honorary Cristal award to filmmaker Pierre Hébert to mark his 60-year career.
The NFB at the 2024 Annecy Festival
- Official Competition: Maybe Elephants (Mikrofilm/NFB) by Torill Kove, Le tableau (The Painting) by Michèle Lemieux and Miserable Miracle (Miyu Productions/NFB/New Deer) by Ryo Orikasa.
- Off-Limits Competition: Corpus and the Wandering by Jo Roy.
- Annecy Classics: Loïc Darses’ documentary Graver l’homme: arrêt sur Pierre Hébert (Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert), and an Honorary Cristal presented to filmmaker Pierre Hébert.
- Choreographies: Animation and Dance 3: LOCA by Véronique Paquette.
- NFB Collection: three co-productions directed by Regina Pessoa (A Tribute to Portuguese Animation) and two films in the Choreographies: Animation and Dance section, directed by Norman McLaren and Claude Cloutier.
SHORT FILMS – OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Maybe Elephants by Torill Kove (Mikrofilm/NFB, 16 min 43 s) – WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/maybe-elephants
- A playful and loving autobiographical film created by Oscar-winning animator Torill Kove.
Le tableau (The Painting) by Michèle Lemieux (NFB, 11 min 56 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-painting
- Animated on the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, this film revisits the tragic fate of Queen Mariana of Austria and her 1652 portrait by painter Velázquez.
Miserable Miracle by Ryo Orikasa (Miyu Productions/NFB/New Deer, 8 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/miserable-miracle
- A breathtaking film, inspired by Henri Michaux’s book of poetry and drawings of the same name.
SHORT FILMS – OFF-LIMITS COMPETITION
Corpus and the Wandering by Jo Roy (NFB, 7 min 13 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/corpusandthewandering
- One dancer, one body, one phone… a short experimental self-portrait composed of 100 video screens.
ANNECY CLASSICS SECTION
Graver l’homme: arrêt sur Pierre Hébert (Scratches of Life: The Art of Pierre Hébert) by Loïc Darses (NFB, 75 min)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/scratchesoflife
- This feature-length documentary guides us through the inspiring labyrinth of the celebrated animator’s life and work.
The Annecy Festival will present an Honorary Cristal to Pierre Hébert in recognition of the innovative nature of his work, which has spanned 60 years, including 35 at the NFB.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Choreographies: Animation and Dance 3
LOCA by Véronique Paquette (NFB, 5 min 19 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/loca
- A woman finds a path to freedom through the energy of tango.
NFB COLLECTION
A Tribute to Portuguese Animation
Regina Pessoa
- Tragic Story with Happy Ending (Folimage/Ciclope Filmes/NFB, 7 min, 2005)
Winner of the 2006 Annecy Cristal award - Kali the Little Vampire (Folimage/Ciclope Filmes/NFB, 9 min, 2012)
- Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (Ciclope Filmes/NFB/Les Armateurs, 13 min, 2019)
Jury Award for a Short Film and Best Original Music Award for a Short Film (Normand Roger) – Annecy 2019
Choreographies: Animation and Dance
- Pas de deux by Norman McLaren (NFB, 13 min, 1968)
- Carface by Claude Cloutier (NFB, 4 min, 2015)