Normand Roger

A long-lost childhood passion may return one day.

From Regina's personal and visual memories, a tribute to her uncle Thomas, who was an artistic inspiration and played a key role in her becoming a filmmaker. A moving tribute to a poet of the everyday.

From Regina's personal and visual memories, a tribute to her uncle Thomas, who was an artistic inspiration and played a key role in her becoming a filmmaker. A moving tribute to a poet of the everyday.

Tayra and I grew up on a beach in the north east of Brazil. We were inseparable. The sea breeze brings me back happy memories.

In this evocative film about the eternal human search for home, Berta and Solomon arrive in a land that promises respite from their many journeys. But have they found utopia... or just another stop on their long journey?

In the vestibule of a hospital room, a young boy waits to see his dying mother. The clamor and spiralling movements of bodies around him intensify, forming a grotesque circus—a cacophonous circle that pushes the child back, depriving him of one final touch of his mother's hand. Using rotoscoped drawings suggestive of charcoal sketches, as well as 3D and object animation techniques, The Circus compels viewing with its unsettling realism. Colour is employed metaphorically to subtly express the promise and the memory of maternal affection. Nicolas Brault's highly personal film, suffused with poetic modesty, casts a poignantly sincere gaze on the heartbreak of a child facing the fearful, mysterious experience of his mother's death.

A poignant story of redemption that takes us into the relationship between a man and a woman trapped in a spiral of mutual destruction after 26 years of marriage, the Spine continues Landreth's pursuit of a twisted, beautiful and highly original visual aesthetic, using digital imagery to create characters whose physical appearances are metaphors for their unique souls.

Emile is an unhappy little vampire, doing a job he detests, in a world plunged into perpetual gloom. He serves a despotic mistress who loathes wrinkles, in the most extreme way.

Emile is an unhappy little vampire, doing a job he detests, in a world plunged into perpetual gloom. He serves a despotic mistress who loathes wrinkles, in the most extreme way.

One winter, a ravenous ogre terrorizes the land of King Balthasar. Meanwhile, a blizzard is brewing in Léon’s heart. Braving the cold, this adopted bear cub runs away from home. Léon has many an adventure during his travels. He befriends a hedgehog and an elephant, confronts an ogre, and sets Princess Molly Gingerbread free. His courage and integrity eventually lead him back to his family. In the end, the cub earns everybody’s respect.

Who hasn't felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school? This is the central theme of this short animated film. Playing on imagination and humour, the director offers viewers a thought provoking piece dealing with the transition that young people between the ages of 10 and 13 experience. Inspired by the work of Escher and Magritte, Catherine Arcand has created a graphically rich film through optical illusions and trompe-l'oeil effects. Her style aptly illustra tes the theme of perceptions and is perfectly suited to conveying the dream world into which the film takes us.

Who hasn't felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school? This is the central theme of this short animated film. Playing on imagination and humour, the director offers viewers a thought provoking piece dealing with the transition that young people between the ages of 10 and 13 experience. Inspired by the work of Escher and Magritte, Catherine Arcand has created a graphically rich film through optical illusions and trompe-l'oeil effects. Her style aptly illustra tes the theme of perceptions and is perfectly suited to conveying the dream world into which the film takes us.

This animated short by Theodore Ushev combines warmth, humour and magic in a story about a young girl who misses her grandmother. When Lili finds a tzaritza (magic shell) along the seashore, she hatches a plan to bring her Grandma from Bulgaria to Montreal to make her father happy.

Uncle Bob is getting up in years, but manages quite well, thank you. Then an unexpected illness changes everything. Suddenly he's scooped out of his safe and familiar surroundings and deposited inside the foreign and chaotic world of the hospital. Here the once self-reliant Uncle Bob becomes vulnerable and dependent.

In winter some people go ice-fishing. Excitement intensified by freezing temperatures and strong drinks lead to unpredictable consequences.

In winter some people go ice-fishing. Excitement intensified by freezing temperatures and strong drinks lead to unpredictable consequences.

A girl whose heart beats faster than normal and so loudly that it bothers the neighbors seeks both acceptance and escape.

In 16th-century Scotland, young Sawney Beane yearns to itch and scratch and buccaneer. So he bids farewell to his parents and their life of honest toil. Forty years on, Mr. Beane croaks his dying wish to Betty, his wife. "Go and find our lost son." And so Betty strikes off on her quest across the land, with the family savings in a hankie and a secret suspicion in her heart.

In 16th-century Scotland, young Sawney Beane yearns to itch and scratch and buccaneer. So he bids farewell to his parents and their life of honest toil. Forty years on, Mr. Beane croaks his dying wish to Betty, his wife. "Go and find our lost son." And so Betty strikes off on her quest across the land, with the family savings in a hankie and a secret suspicion in her heart.

An elderly man tells his granddaughter his personal story of the Second World War. His life as a child and all the strange characters he populates it with takes the little girl to a bizarre world she doesn't understand.

An elderly man tells his granddaughter his personal story of the Second World War. His life as a child and all the strange characters he populates it with takes the little girl to a bizarre world she doesn't understand.

Get lost in this slightly surreal animated short composed of exquisite black-and-white illustrations. As we move through the landscape, we pass elaborate topiaries, dust-devil ballets, horses traversing the horizon, and wild reflections in the water. It's a lyrical film that carries you through a visually-rich tapestry of incredible hand-drawn images.

Get lost in this slightly surreal animated short composed of exquisite black-and-white illustrations. As we move through the landscape, we pass elaborate topiaries, dust-devil ballets, horses traversing the horizon, and wild reflections in the water. It's a lyrical film that carries you through a visually-rich tapestry of incredible hand-drawn images.

Short animation transports you to the heart of the imagination of a child. In the storm that threatens a little girl thinking at night aloud.

The film is an abstract allegory, showing two penguins with different ideas abot sea creatures that are their food or their shadows, depending on the perspective. Basically, sense-twisting animation.

The film is an abstract allegory, showing two penguins with different ideas abot sea creatures that are their food or their shadows, depending on the perspective. Basically, sense-twisting animation.

Short animated film by Roberto Catani

A father says goodbye to his young daughter. In time the daughter grows old, but within her there is always a deep longing for her father.

This animated short, based on the book by Rachna Gilmore, is the story of Gita, an 8-year-old girl who can't wait to celebrate Divali - the Hindu festival of lights - in her new home in Canada. But it's nothing like New Delhi, where she comes from. The weather is cold and grey and a terrible ice storm cuts off the power, ruining her plans for a party. Obviously, a Divali celebration now is impossible. Or is it? As Gita experiences the glittering beauty of the icy streets outside, the traditional festival of lights comes alive in a sparkling new way.

A short animation about a boy who sees an iceberg coming. Will he be in time to warn the captain?

A short animation about a boy who sees an iceberg coming. Will he be in time to warn the captain?

This short animation tells the story of Saoussan, a young girl struggling to adjust to life in Canada after being uprooted from her wartorn homeland. She has come to seek a quieter and safer life, although memories of war and death linger, memories that are awakened when the children at her new school prepare for a scary Halloween. From Far Away speaks to the power within us all to adapt like Saoussan and to welcome a newcomer.

This short animation tells the story of Saoussan, a young girl struggling to adjust to life in Canada after being uprooted from her wartorn homeland. She has come to seek a quieter and safer life, although memories of war and death linger, memories that are awakened when the children at her new school prepare for a scary Halloween. From Far Away speaks to the power within us all to adapt like Saoussan and to welcome a newcomer.

An old fisherman goes out on his fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life.

A grandmother tells her young grandchild the moving tale of a lonely girl and an unforgettable magical cat in this animated short narrated by Oscar®, Emmy and Tony award winner Maureen Stapleton. The film is based on a short story written by Dayal Kaur Khalsa and adapted by two-time Governor General's award recipient Tim Wynne-Jones.

Black and white drawings blended with photographic images depict an old man, with various tiny gadgets, trying to find the anatomy of the wings of an angel.

An abstract animated film, using computer and experimental techniques in choreographing quilt motifs and designs to music. A tribute to the unique and long-established art form of patchwork quilting. A film without words.

Black and white drawings blended with photographic images depict an old man, with various tiny gadgets, trying to find the anatomy of the wings of an angel.

Animation showing the trivialization of violence on TV.

Just as he does every morning, a man is preparing to jump into his car and head off to work when the remote control gizmo refuses to cooperate.

Just as he does every morning, a man is preparing to jump into his car and head off to work when the remote control gizmo refuses to cooperate.

An environmental morality tale. A divine gate gives one all that one desires, on the condition that one takes only what one needs and one gives something good in return.

An everyman who lives alone desires female companionship. The trouble is, he's got two extra personalities who pop out and ruin things: an id, who's usually naked and has no inhibitions, and a super ego, who's a prude and a scold. Our hero goes through his little black book calling woman after woman: Natalie agrees to a date, but the warring three-headed personalities sink that outing before he gets through her apartment door. Soon, he's down to the last name in his book: Zolga. Is there any hope? Can he just be one self?

A stranger comes to a peaceful village bearing gifts that bear a terrible price.

A stranger comes to a peaceful village bearing gifts that bear a terrible price.

The story of one shepherd's single-handed quest to re-forest a desolate valley in the foothills of the French Alps throughout the first half of the 20th century.

In an animated film sprinkled with magic and stardust, an impish little girl from Hades turns common assumptions topsy turvy. Lucretia is very curious about Christmas, a subject she has never heard spoken of above a whisper. One Christmas Eve she sneaks away and, after searching the galaxy, discovers Christmas on Earth in the company of a new-found friend. Based on the poem Lucretia by author-journalist Peter Desbarats.

A vignette using animation and live action to depict mussel farmers digging in the mud through the ice on bays and estuaries in Prince Edward Island.

In this film, which takes place to the rhythm of Schubert's Military March, the point, this first form, by its multiplication and the chosen orientations, allows us to see how it can be chained to form lines, shapes, surfaces, to form ensembles that ultimately occupy the entire surface of the screen.

This is a didactic film in disguise. A progression of brilliant geometric shapes bombard the screen to the insistent beat of drums. The filmmaker programmed a computer to coordinate a highly complex operation involving an electronic beam of light, colour filters and a camera. This animation film, without words, is designed to expose the power of the cinematic medium, and to illustrate the abstract nature of time.

This haunting animation film, rich with symbolism, is the filmmaker's plea for a peaceful world in which to raise his newborn son. Using the menacing imagery of the howling wind, the artist provokes viewers to reflect on the insanity of war. While the film is symbolic, its message is unmistakably clear: unless there is an end to conflict, we will continue to see our children swept away like leaves in the wind.

This vignette illustrates the variety of professions, people and technical procedures required by the filmmaking process.

In this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, the boy was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton's. Unable to convince his mother to send it back, he must face his friends wearing the colours of the opposing team. This short film, based on the book The Hockey Sweater, is an NFB classic that appeals to hockey lovers of all ages.

In this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, the boy was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton's. Unable to convince his mother to send it back, he must face his friends wearing the colours of the opposing team. This short film, based on the book The Hockey Sweater, is an NFB classic that appeals to hockey lovers of all ages.

This short animation takes as its protagonist a wooden rocking chair that serves as a tool to delve in no more than 15 minutes on a journey through the history of Quebec in the last century.

The inhabitants of a village learn to overcome their fears of the unknown.

This animated film illustrates the terrible journey, the back-breaking work, the exotic and gaudy city of Dawson, and the turmoil and triumphs of the 1898 Klondike gold rush.

This animated film illustrates the terrible journey, the back-breaking work, the exotic and gaudy city of Dawson, and the turmoil and triumphs of the 1898 Klondike gold rush.

An illustration of beings in a world where countless plant and animal species rapidly become extinct, and resources run dry due to greed. However, it is possible to avoid disaster by conserving and sharing what we have.

Short animation from Pierre Veilleux. Honoured as best Canadian short animation in the Canadian Film Awards (precursor to the Genies). Here the animator gives vivid expression to his own memories of a child's first encounter with elementary school--at that tender age when grown-ups seem ten feet tall, a monster lurks in every corridor, and the very walls have eyes. Feeling, but not understanding, the regimentation imposed on him, the child seeks, in spite of it all, to be himself.

This short children's film by Co Hodeman tells the story of 2 children and their encounter with an angry dragon, all represented by colourful building blocks.