Short Films

CHEZ MADAME POULE

By Tali, Canada, 07 minutes 52

Poor Mrs. Hen! Her oldest chick is a temperamental tyke. He even turns up his beak at the meals she serves. One day, she decides to teach him a lesson.

HISTOIRE TRAGIQUE AVEC FIN HEUREUSE (TRAGIC STORY WITH HAPPY ENDING)

By Regina Pessoa, 2005, 07 minutes 39

A little girl finds acceptance in embracing her own difference. This whimsically lyrical film has the timeless charm of an old fable –  one whose subject is difference and self-affirmation. Through images evoking the rich texture of a woodblock print, the filmmaker has created a world of contrasts complemented by a lively soundtrack with a rhythmic beat.

HUNGU

By Nicolas Brault, 2008, 09 minutes 09

Under the African sun, a mother’s soul resurrected by music will return strength and life to her child. The hungu is an African musical instrument that provides Nicolas Brault with a timeless story told in graceful animation. A film without words.

ICI PAR ICI 
(HERE AND THERE)

By OBOM, 2006, 09 minutes

Childhood can be a chaotic time, especially if you’re bouncing back and forth between two continents. With engaging candour and gentle humour, the director offers up images from her family album. In drawing on the bewildering events of her rootless early years, she fleshes out an uncertain identity and takes control of her life.

ISABELLE AU BOIS DORMANT (SLEEPING BETTY)

By Claude Cloutier, 2007, 09 minutes 13

Princess Betty sleeps in a narcoleptic stupor. The king appeals to his subjects to wake her, and several respond: Uncle Henry VIII, Aunt Victoria, an emotional alien, a cool witch and a handsome prince. This worthy Prince Charles lookalike has to leave his royal suburb to save the princess, but will Betty be awakened with just a kiss?

JEU

By Georges Schwizgebel, 2006, 03 minutes 51

In Jeu, the filmmaker sets the viewer down in a landscape whose scenery constantly morphs and mutates. This helter-skelter world evokes the chaos of modern life. A film without words.

L’HOMME QUI ATTENDAIT (THE MAN WHO WAITED)

By Théodore Ushev, 2006, 07 minutes 24

For his entire life, a man has waited outside a closed door. What lies behind? The truth he seeks or another door? Featuring stark animation and a powerful expressionist line, the film illustrates a fruitless and absurd quest for truth. Based on a parable by Kafka, this timeless story is enriched with the mesmerizing music of Arvo Pärt and the sober narration by Tony Robinson.

RÉVÉRENCE (SUBSERVIENCE)

By Patrick Bouchard, 2007, 08 minutes 09

The selfishness of the bourgeoisie and the dull passivity of its servants are the theme of this puppet animation presenting the tragicomedy of a society in its death throes, taking refuge in absurd behaviour. A film without words.