Poets on Film No. 2

This short animation features four guests of curious demeanour who commit unforgivable acts at the dining table. Food flies everywhere while the guests prop their feet up and talk with their mouths full. Thankfully, Lady Fishbourne’s eating etiquette instructions will show these dinner party misfits the error of their ways.

This short film brings together animated interpretations of four poems by great Canadian wordsmiths: "Riverdale Lion" by John Robert Colombo, "A Kite Is a Victim" by Leonard Cohen, "Klaxon" by James Reaney and George Johnston’s "The Bulge."

Cinderella has to stay home while her evil stepsisters go to the ball. You know the rest except everyone here is a penguin (even the mice that become the "horses") and the lost slipper is more like a swimming flipper.

Penguins Behind Bars is an Adult Swim special, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Janet Perlman, that aired only once on July 20th 2003. The Short follows Doris Fairfeather, a female penguin who is framed for robbery by her boyfriend and sent to an all-girl prison.

The "stick people" in Bully Dance are imaginary, but this gritty tale is all too familiar. Like the dance beat pulsating throughout the film, the bully's intimidation of a smaller victim is unrelenting; no one stops the dance until serious harm is inflicted. While Bully Dance offers no simple solutions, it does compel viewers--teachers, parents and children--to take stock of their actions and to find ways to end peer abuse.

Some of life's most profound questions are tackled by ten children ranging in age from six to eleven. They give their spontaneous views on God, the beginning of life, what happens to the spirit when one dies, where one's soul goes at night, and numerous other questions about life. The magic of animation and modern camera techniques illustrate the children's imaginative ruminations and conclusions.

A soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin. The stranger is none other than the devil.

Frogs, birds, lizards, a snake, alligators, and a lot of insects inhabit a pond; everyone's ready to eat. Two tenacious lizards catch the same fly, inciting a protracted tug-of-war.

Nesbitt Spoon, who's a bit of a nebbish, tells us about his day, which is fairly average up until the moment that his doctor tells him he has only five minutes left to live.

Four women share funny and intimate tales of one-sided infatuation, mutual attraction, erotic moments, and fumbling attempts at sexual expression. For them, discovering that they’re attracted to other women comes hand-in-hand with a deeper understanding of their personal identity and a joyful new self-awareness.

Who is Monsieur Pug? Why, a dog with bad cholesterol and high blood pressure! And a dog who loves his pie and ice cream. Who relaxes by making origami. In other words, definitely not your ordinary pooch! For he’s also a paranoiac, convinced he’s the target in a vast conspiracy, and pretending to be a pet, the better to hide from his pursuers. Schizoid, perhaps? Hmm… but is Monsieur Pug even a real dog to begin with?

For the first time in Canadian history, 15 of Canada’s most acclaimed independent animators have come together to create a collaborative animated film. Yellow Sticky Notes | Canadian Anijam is an innovative and global approach to animation filmmaking and unites animators from coast to coast, from Vancouver to Halifax and all parts in between, to self reflect on one day of their lives using only 4x6 inch yellow sticky notes, a black pen and animation meditation.

The intertwining fates of two Vietnamese sisters who sustain a wartime relationship through written correspondence.

When an advanced race of giant lobsters from outer space land on Earth, no one can figure out why they've come. A complete failure to communicate on both ends leads to panic and pandemonium. Why are they here? What do they want? In this clever throwback to the ‘50s B-movie, a small neighbourhood learns the value of clear communication.

“Psychoanalysis is, in it’s entire spectre, an eminently POP discipline: anybody can relate to it without having studied and/or understood it. Cinema, an art for the age of self-reflection par excellence, is nothing less.” Fernando de Felipe departs from this premise to tell us the story of Duffy, a seven year-old boy who decides to settle accounts with his parents one dinner time. A black comedy retelling of the myth that became a complex without becoming complicated.

A short funny self-referential film that is left purposely unfinished. It incorporates experimental animation techniques invisible to the naked eye.