Press Release from National Film Board of Canada
Annecy, June 10 - A world leader in animated film production, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has been busy at this year's Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market, notably signing an agreement with Argentinean company CT Producciones/Caloi en su Tinta to co-produce an animated short. Argentina is the country honoured by the festival this year.
Representing the NFB in Annecy, French Program Director General Monique Simard welcomed the agreement: "Argentina's animated film production, which is marked by its inventiveness, is in full swing. We are pleased to support its development with the unique expertise developed by the NFB in this area."
Representing CT Producciones/Caloi en su Tinta in Annecy are Maria Veronica Ramirez and Carlos Loiseau (Caloi). Under the agreement, which consists of both financial support and access to the NFB's technical services, a project will be selected for production by December 15, 2010.
According to René Chénier, Executive Producer of the NFB's Animation and Youth Studio, the partnership "aligns with the NFB's objective of asserting its leadership in the field of auteur animation." From the same standpoint, the NFB and its French partner Folimage have announced the co-production of two new short films under Folimage's Artist-in-Residence program: Le banquet de la concubine by Hefang Wei and Merci mon chien by Julie Rembauville and Nicolas Bianco-Levrin.
These films will be the 10th and 11th to be produced by the NFB and Folimage under this program, which has also yielded Tragic Story with Happy Ending by Regina Pessoa (winner of the Annecy Cristal Award in 2006) and Rosa Rosa by Félix Dufour-Laperrière (a winner at the 2008 Festival du nouveau cinéma). For the first time this year, winners of the Folimage residency have been selected in conjunction with the call-for-submissions component of Annecy's Creative Focus, an unparalleled forum for animation professionals, designers, teachers and students.
The world's biggest animation event, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. No less than 22 NFB films will be screened, including Lipsett Diaries, directed by Theodore Ushev and produced by Marc Bertrand, which is competing in the short film category; and Le printemps de Mélie (Molly in Springtime), directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon and co-produced by Montreal's Divertissement Subséquence Inc., Folimage and the NFB, which is competing in the TV specials category.
About the NFB
Canada's public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st-century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, programs for emerging filmmakers, stereoscopic animation - and more. It works in collaboration with creative filmmakers, digital media creators and co-producers in every region of Canada, with Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities, as well as partners around the world. Since the NFB's founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. The NFB's new website features over 1,600 productions online, and its iPhone app has become one of the most popular and talked about downloads. Visit NFB.ca today and start watching.