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The Trenches

2010 5 min
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This animated short by Claude Cloutier is a pictorial account of an attack on Canadian soldiers during WWI. On the edge of the battlefield, recruits are dreading the order to attack. At the signal, a young soldier leaps into a hell of fire and blood where the earth engulfs both the living and the dead. Blending archival images and Cloutier’s hypnotizing brushstroke, the film is a dazzling illustration of the futility of war.

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The Trenches

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This animated short by Claude Cloutier is a pictorial account of an attack on Canadian soldiers during WWI. On the edge of the battlefield, recruits are dreading the order to attack. At the signal, a young soldier leaps into a hell of fire and blood where the earth engulfs both the living and the dead. Blending archival images and Cloutier’s hypnotizing brushstroke, the film is a dazzling illustration of the futility of war.

War, Conflict and Peace All subjects
  • script
    Claude Cloutier
  • animation
    Claude Cloutier
  • direction
    Claude Cloutier
  • computer graphics
    Nicolas Brault
    Benoît Chagnon
    Emmanuel Suquet
  • editing
    José Heppell
  • sound design
    Olivier Calvert
  • musical adaptation
    Nathalie Boileau
  • music - performance
    L'Ensemble Cinématique
  • camera
    Éric Barbeau
  • actor
    Gabriel Boileau-Cloutier
  • costumes
    Francesca Chamberland
    Sylvie Charbonneau
    Sylvie Guillard
  • re-recording
    Serge Boivin
  • recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • music editing
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • voice director
    Natalie Hamel-Roy
  • foley
    Lise Wedlock
  • foley assistant
    Wendy Ouellette
  • voice
    Marc-André Bélanger
    David Laurin
    Martin Watier
    Patrick Chouinard
    Alexandre Fortin
    Guillaume Champoux
  • digital imaging specialist
    Pierre Plouffe
    Susan Gourley
  • titles
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • online editing
    Denis Pilon
  • technical support
    Isabelle Painchaud
  • special advisor
    Marcel Jean
  • historical research
    Jocelyne Perrier
  • marketing manager
    Christine Noël
  • administrator
    Diane Régimbald
  • administrative team
    Diane Ayotte
    Michèle Labelle
    Karine Desmeules
  • technical coordinator
    Julie Laperrière
  • line production
    Francine Langdeau
  • executive producer
    René Chénier
  • producer
    Marc Bertrand

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Education

Ages 10 to 13
School subjects
Family Studies/Home Economics - Aging/Death and Dying History - World War I
This short film introduces students to the horrors of war through the silent testimony of a young officer. Ask students to describe the physical and psychological consequences of events such as those described in the film. Research various conflicts – in particular the First World War.
The Trenches
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Licencing information

Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

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Institutional licence

The institutional price includes the rights to screen this film in institutional settings and in free public screenings.

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