The Man Who Planted Trees

World-renowned animated filmmaker Frédéric Back has devoted his unique talent to a cause that is central to his life and more topical than ever: a profound respect for nature coupled with a keen sense of humanity's responsibility toward the environment. Abracadabra (9 min., 1971). Inon, ou, La conquête du feu (10 min., 1972). La création des oiseaux (10 min., 1973). Illusion? (11 min., 1976) Taratata! (9 min., 1977) Suppléments

The artwork of well-known Quebec animator Frédéric Back are used to tell the tale of Champlain’s life in New France – from his first explorations and settlement to his death in 1635. This is an edited version of his 28 minute short documentary on Champlain.

Explorer, colonizer, founder of Québec, discoverer of Lake Champlain, governor of New France, cartographer and writer - few men in Canadian history had a more adventurous and varied career than Champlain. This film presents an exciting picture-study of the man and his time.

A wooden rocking chair serves as a tool to delve through the history of Quebec in the last century.

This film illustrates the history of the St. Lawrence river. From prehistoric times on, it has been a magnificent source of life. The film covers the impact of humanity beginning with the careful relationship with the Native Americans. This soon changes with the arrival of Europeans who begin the insatiable exploitation that would led to the river's damage, creating a situation that we must resolve for all our sakes.

A group of schoolchildren playing in an idyllic natural landscape are visited by a mysterious magician who entertains them with his transformations. But he soon proves sinister as he begins to transform the landscape into a grim, unsmiling metropolis.

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.

This 22nd edition comprises 10 films -- nine recent, along with one restored classic -- which deal with both the anxieties and hopes of a world faced with a seemingly endless series of existential crises. All are inventive, their tone ranges from the whimsical to the profound; their techniques, from stop-motion to hand-drawn to computer-aided.

The Nature of Frédéric Back draws a masterful portrait of an exceptional man. A visual artist and animation filmmaker, he has produced an immense body of work that imparts an essential message. With their luminous poetry, their freshness and emotion, his films are both universal and timeless.

A whirlwind tour of first-class animated shorts, The World's Greatest Animation assembles, for the first time, an eye-popping assortment of Academy Award winners and nominees from the years 1978-90. From the Orwellian vision of zoo life Creature Comforts, to Crac!, a rocking chair's impressionistic view of the industrialization of Montréal, The World's Greatest Animation features some of the finest achievements in this unique art form.