Discover Movies

An Indigenous series of animated short films that explore personal stories of loss. How to cope with the loss of your leg, your children, your marriage, your voice... and everything.

An experimental short film of images and music made by Norman McLaren.

Made as part of the One Minute Mistake series.

Hand-drawn charcoal drawings movingly depict the loneliness and bewilderment of a child seeking safety in a war zone, in this timely very short animation that uses found sound to explore the powerlessness of the refugee experience. Produced as part of the 11th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

An animated Raeside cartoon from 1990. The depletion of the earth's ozone layer.

1960s. A test using circles. Silent film.

In the quiet corners of the globe, four strangers – a cynical American programmer, an aging Japanese priest, a troubled Arabic mercenary and a mysterious Fijian girl – receive a series of chilling apocalyptic visions. Desperate to understand their frightening visions of the future, these four troubled souls are simultaneously drawn to a dark city in the West where their fates – and the fate of the world – are revealed to be linked together and somehow part of a global conspiracy. Amidst an epic struggle of man, machine and otherworldly fear, these reluctant heroes must be willing to sacrifice everything…in order to know the truth and save us all!

A neon glimpse into a personal world within an urban landscape. From FOMO to JOMO, The Fake Calendar is an artist’s expression of how people come up with interesting and creative ways to avoid social functions in favour of their own private space. Produced as part of the 12th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

Tennessee Valley is a place committed to being your helping hand.

Music video for "Innergaze."

In a detailed voicemail, a man explains how to use the old lawn tractor to mow the grass on his land without unbalancing the garden.

A pithy critique of society's commercialization of water, abetted by an utter disregard for the future. The film is a mixed media whirlwind of hyperactive animated collage. This film was made as part of the first edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

In the shadow of Jerusalem's walls, a man confronts the ghost of a past he tried to erase.

The third thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren.

A stunning display of a stop-motion animation, Dancers of the Grass vividly depicts the majesty of the hoop dance, a tradition symbolizing the unity of all nations.

An adventure through the cosmic unveiling of the beautiful and strange macro/micro structures that unite us with the Universe. This film was made as part of the 9th edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

An ogre loves sacred music. Inspired by a dream, this short animation is something of an urban fable. In the free-associative dream state, the words orgue (organ) and ogre (ogre) are fused both visually and aurally.

Deep into the small hours of the night, drenched in black coffee and paperwork, a lonely man's sanity starts to slip away.

New Yorkers watch as Norman McLaren's animated promotional film for Canadian tourism plays on the giant pixelboard overlooking Times Square. The caption below the board reads: "Canada... Wonderful World At Your Doorstep". McLaren himself is a member of the crowd.

Extravagantly gowned marionettes pantomime this old French folksong, sung by the Trio Lyrique. The song describes the traffic over the bridge at Avignon--the beautiful ladies and gallant gentlemen, the musicians and singers, learned professors, uniformed soldiers, comedians, acrobats, and village pranksters.

A depiction of various anxious states of mind during isolation. Fragmented anxiety and existential thinking. Hand-processed Super8 reversal and black & white film. Based on an interesting discussion with my son about the possibility of being haunted.

The tale of a tragic love story set in Newfoundland. When illness takes the woman he loves, a simple man raises his voice in melancholy song as a last farewell. The film, based on a song by local musician Emile Benoit, is anchored in a beautiful, remote corner of the province, and pays homage to its land, sea and the harsh lives of the local fishermen.

A hot day on the well-known beach frequented mostly be Québecers. Throngs of vacationers, beach towels, sand pails, suntan oil. In the midst of the crowd, a pretty blond drifts off into a world of fantasy that becomes increasingly strange.

A short film about a girl named Dhanvi , who spends years looking for a Great Treasure, only to find that it was right under her nose all along.

This film, aimed at children of primary school age, presents the principles of good dental care. A narrator explains the basic steps to be followed in order to keep the teeth healthy as, in animation, a family of mother, father, sister, brother, and baby illustrates those steps.

In this delightfully playful animation, two thieves' crafty skills are put to the test when the unassuming homeowner unexpectedly returns.

This short animation of linear symbols made from paper cutouts was created as a Canadian tourism publicity clip. Projected in New York's Times Square, the large signboard was made up of thousands of light bulbs activated by the film images. The film promotes the attractions of the country: the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Calgary Stampede, winter sports, the Canadian Rockies and more, all in McLaren's signature irreverent and playful style.

Video Painting Series

Bill Miner was a train robber in British Columbia at the turn of the century. This animated film depicts a disastrous episode in his career.

An ancient king takes so long to build his palace it becomes his mausoleum. He recalls days of his life both cold and hot – unquenchable longing for power, insatiable desire tout court.

Roads fall into the sea and a travelogue breaks against the landscape.

Two sisters who had been adopted internationally explore and compare their respective pasts for the first time. Their candid discussion reveals both an ambivalence toward their abandonment and the strength of their sisterly bond. By transforming their personal archives into a collage inspired by origami, Fanny Lord-Bourcier fills in the blurry areas of their shared history.

Six directors independently imagine the Department of Perpetual Exhaustion. The participating directors are Chris Hinton, Jim Blashfield, Marv Newland, Martin Cooper, Chel White, and myself as producer/director. The film was inspired by my internet service provider who has such a department. It is a place of last resort when there is no hope and never a solution.

Toybox combines creepiness and playfulness in a series of animations that manipulate the most misused toy of all - the penis. Stripped of eros and emotion, The scenarios of sex-gone-mad play with the absurd qualities of an appendage and a desire that has a mind of its own, and a drive so strong that it leads to self-destruction.

"In '(ab)NORMAL' the relationship spectrum, from paranoid avoidance to smothering and overwhelming attention, is traced through four pixilated sketches." - Toronto International Film Festival

Tormented forms struggle to break free of their bonds in this abstract animated short. This film was made as part of the 9th edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

A poetic and deeply personal glimpse into motherhood in the form of a gorgeous, glimmering two-headed monster.

The second year of a project to draw graffiti of light that looks like lightning. We left Japan and extended the circle of the project to Los Angeles and Ottawa.

This short film brings together animated interpretations of 4 poems by great Canadian wordsmiths: “From the Hazel Bough” by Earle Birney, “Travellers Palm” by P.K. Page, “Death by Streetcar” by Raymond Souster, and “A Said Poem” by John Robert Colombo.

An exploration of the relationship between sound and picture inspired by the two lights (twi-light) found inside film projectors.

Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying is a short meditation on love, grief, and imagination. The hand-drawn animated documentary was created through a collaboration between mother, elder and narrator Edith Almadi and filmmakers Natalie Baird and Toby Gillies. This poetic piece celebrates life and the transformative ability of art to elevate and transcend us. Through vivid drawings and Edith’s simple yet magical words, the film explores our enduring bond with loved ones who have passed. In honouring her son’s life within the cosmos, Edith’s artworks embody colours, shapes and metaphors that remind us of the timeless power of love, gravity, and grace until our final breaths.

Sometimes a late night cab ride costs more than you bargained for.

In The Dog Ate My Homework, Alexandra Lemay takes a humorous look at screen addiction and its effects on young people’s concentration. Through the character of Charlie, children are encouraged to think about the length of their screen time and the ways they use online content.

Princess Sydney is so lonely… When she hears about the Great Pumpkin Ball, she gets excited – what a wonderful opportunity to make new friends! But there’s a catch: She has to find a witch to turn her into a pumpkin. Her search takes her to strange and scary places, where she meets a wacky bunch of characters.

Visites Possibles explores the possibilities of creating 3D environments based on video images generated by electronic signals. Inspired by architectural renderings and the idea of virtual tour, the video invites the viewer to visit its structure through specific parameters. Throughout the visit, "entities" arise and disappear regularly as if haunting this virtual environment. Visites Possibles also acts as a transitory space where multiple doors open on potential virtual experiences.

An hand drawn animation merged of abstract.

Ever wondered why the werewolf howls at the moon? Walter will show you.

The Patterson family learns the true meaning of Christmas when Lizzie loses her stuffed bunny.

A Werewolf meets a Gargoyle.

A visual interpretation of the poem "Riverdale Lion" by Canadian poet and essayist John Robert Colombo.

The professional aspirations of a young fashion designer get crushed when she experiences the inner functioning and exploitative working conditions within couture design houses as an unpaid intern.

An intense exercise of looking at a rockface shot near the waterfalls of Rivière au tonnerre, on the North Shore of the St-Lawrence river. A meditation about opacity, about the fissures that can open up anything, any situation on the infinity of meaning. It is the ontological moment, the moment of pure seeing, amongst the episodes of the Places and Monuments series that is a project of exploration of the fissures that crack any banal scene of daily life, any anonymous crowd, any forgotten monument, and that let seek through, until it explodes, the invisible constellations of history.

Incorporating found sound of an English language lesson, this very short animation depicts a visual descent into madness triggered by the effort to keep it all together—even when it seems damn near impossible. Produced as part of the 11th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

A series of character studies by Jon Rafman, loosely inspired by reddit copypasta.

The story of a young woman’s daily life and her relationship to clothing throughout the seasons. A touching ode to the microscopic beauty that surrounds us, where the clothing we wear becomes the protagonist of our memories and mementos.

Fester Fish must watch his bratty nephew, on the same day he's supposed to have a date with his girlfriend!

Animation based on a video clip from the Iraq war.