Wendy Tilby studied film and animation at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver. The success of her 1986 graduation film, Tables of Content, led to an invitation from the NFB to produce her acclaimed first film, Strings (1991), which won several prizes, among a Genie as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. The NFB went on to produce three animated shorts made by Tilby and co-director Amanda Forbis: When the Day Breaks (1999), Wild Life (2011) and The Flying Sailor (2022). All three have won numerous international awards and garnered an Oscar nomination. Tilby is the only NFB filmmaker who has received four Academy Award nominations.