Montreal, May 22, 2009 -- It was announced in Cannes that the National Film Board of Canada's animated short RUNAWAY by Cordell Barker has won the Petit Rail d'Or for Best Short Film. The award is presented annually by a group of cinephile railwaymen in attendance at Cannes, and is a testament to audiences' appreciation. RUNAWAY screened to full houses as part of International Critics' Week.

What would happen if the world were a driverless train thundering recklessly over bumpy tracks? Cordell Barker's new short animation, the colourful RUNAWAY, provides a caustic answer. Set to music by Benoit Charest, RUNAWAY is Cordell Barker's third animation film with the NFB. Born in Winnipeg, Barker made his first film, the much-loved musical animation THE CAT CAME BACK (1988), at the NFB. Voted one of the 50 greatest cartoons of all time, the film went on to win over 15 awards and honours, including an Academy Award nomination. His second film with the NFB, STRANGE INVADERS (2002), garnered him a further 15 awards, including a second Oscar nomination. Runaway is produced by Derek Mazur for the NFB.

The general public is invited to download and share a copy of the film's embeddable trailer available at http://www.nfb.ca/film/runaway_teaser/.