2000anima

Title	Source	Abstract
Animastress (1994, 6 min 19 sec) by Anne-Marie Sirois	NFB	Picture thousands of hens stacked layer upon layer, aisle after aisle, endlessly producing. Like an assembly line. Their food, water and supplements are delivered mechanically, their eggs gathered by conveyor belt. With no instinct left in this sterile environment, the poor stressed-out birds are led through their paces by an inspirational video of a model hen. Then, one day, a technologist accidentally slips in the wrong cassette and the monitor shows a good mother hen surrounded by her happy brood. Realizing they have been duped and exploited, the whole hen house rises up in revolt. But it's not that easy to escape the system, and soon the hens end up served to customers in a fast-food restaurant. When food is manufactured with the sole goal of maximizing profits, how does it affect those who consume it? This animated short contains a surprising answer. An animated film without words.

Title	Source	Abstract
Seurat: The Realm of Light by Francois Aubry (1992, 23 min 22 sec)	Escher, Van Gogh and Seurat: Art at Play ? NFB	Paris in the 1880s. The Impressionists dominate the art scene but a brilliant new talent is about to emerge. Georges-Pierre Seurat, artist extraordinaire and father of Pointillism, creates a style so revolutionary that it anticipated, over one hundred years ago, techniques used today in television and digital imagery. Seurat is an animated tribute to this visionary painter.
Animando (1987, 12 min 42 sec by Marcos Magalhaes)	NFB	A trilingual animated film in Portuguese, English and French. Various animation techniques are explored through observations of the animator at work.

Title	Source	Abstract
Co Hoedeman	The Art of the Animator (C)
Charles and Francois by Co Hoedman (1988, 15 min 24 sec)		A touching story of the friendship between a grandfather and his grandson, this is a film about aging and death. Award-winning animator Co Hoedeman combines 3-D and cut-out animation techniques to create a very dramatic and moving film. The story follows Charles and Francois through the different stages of their lives. With time, they become closer, common experiences having diminished the difference in age. By the end of the film, time appears to stand still; both are over one hundred years old and they are almost indistinguishable. (Awards: Montreal; Espinho; Varna; Quebec.)
The Box (1989, 10 min 27 sec) by Co Hoedeman	NFB	Oscar-winning animator Co Hoedeman and his newest creature come together in this enchanting and colorful fable about the joys and pains of growing up. No sooner has the paint dried, than the puppet begins to take its first few steps and, urged on by the artist, begins to discover a wider world. He experiences the joys of playtime and sharing and eventually begins to spread his social wings. The film charts the shaping of a personality, and the evolution of a sense of self-awareness until the creature is ready to leave its protective environment. Live-action, puppets and pixilation create this amazing world of fantasy. Film without words. (Awards: Chicago; Sacramento; Columbus.)

Title	Source	Abstract
The Cat Came Back (1988, 7 min 37 sec )	Frame by Frame (I, F); NFB	his hilarious animated short is based on the century-old folk song of the same name. Old Mr. Johnson makes increasingly manic attempts to rid himself of a little yellow cat that just won't stay away... (Fifteen awards, including Genie, Toronto; Zagreb; Oscar nomination, Hollywood.)
When the Day Breaks (1999, 9 min 40 sec ) by Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby	(N) NFB	After witnessing the accidental death of a stranger, Ruby seeks affirmation in the city around her, and finds it in surprising places. With deft humor and finely rendered detail, When the Day Breaks illuminates the links which connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a new day. Co-directors Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis use pencil and paint on photocopies to achieve a textured look suggestive of a lithograph or a flickering newsreel. In When the Day Breaks, the ordinary--a lemon, a toaster, a chance collision on a street corner--is endowed with a visceral power. (Awards: Cannes; Annecy; Halifax; Chicago; Vancouver; Genie, Toronto; Oscar nomination, Hollywood.)