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Dreams and Imagination (17)
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100 GhostsNoncedo Khumalo 2022 1 minA woman awakes to mysterious sounds—and confronts an astonishing surreal world summoned forth by her innermost fears.
Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
By Winds and TidesBogdan Anifrani-Fedach 2022 2 minExploring the conscious, the unconscious and the self, By Winds and Tides takes a deep experimental dive into the birth of an idea—how it takes shape, how it is released. An allegorical quest, the film combines images and words into a singular sigh. A film from the Alambic collection, a creative lab by the NFB’s French Program Animation Studio that’s designed for emerging filmmakers.
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The BrainwashersPatrick Bouchard 2002 12 minIn this animated short, two chimney sweepers clear all the memories from their victim's brain in a quest to determine what goes on in a man's head. A chilling film filled with fearsome puppets inhabiting a world of strange objects.
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Corpus and the WanderingJo Roy 2024 7 minOne dancer, one body, one phone. In a time of collective alienation and technological mass control, one woman rediscovers her soul and reclaims her mind. A short, experimental self-portrait composed of 100 video screens, Corpus and the Wandering transcends the walls of a fragmented grid system to uncover the shared humanity in each of us, and our place in the cosmos.
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FyoogCurtis Horsburgh 2016 1 minPlease stand clear of the doors... This very short surreal hybrid of stop-motion and 2D animation is a story about a dream about a train, inspired by found sound of a Toronto subway car.
Produced as part of the 11th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
Madame Tutli-PutliChris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski 2007 17 minThis stop-motion animated film takes viewers on an exhilarating existential journey into the fully imagined, tactile world of Madame Tutli-Putli. As she travels alone on the night train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past, she faces both the kindness and menace of strangers. Finding herself caught up in a desperate metaphysical adventure, adrift between real and imagined worlds, Madame Tutli-Putli confronts her demons.
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A Monster's CallingLouise Johnson 2001 5 minA Monster's Calling is a humorous animated film about the nature of personal anxieties, and body image. An "under-the-bed" monster wanders through a slumbering household, wreaking typical monster havoc. First a little girl, then an older brother, and finally the teenaged big sister. It's surprising, to both the monster and to us, what frightens each of them. A film without words. Ce court métrage d'animation 2D raconte l'histoire d'un monstre qui rôde dans une maison, telle une ombre insaisissable venue troubler le sommeil d'un gamin et de ses deux sœurs. Avec une terrifiante habileté, il s'infiltre tour à tour dans leurs pensées pour réveiller leurs plus grandes peurs. Pour l'adolescente, la pire crainte serait de ne pas correspondre à l'idéal de beauté véhiculé par les médias.
D'où viennent ces monstres qui nourrissent leur sentiment d'insécurité? Pourquoi exercent-ils tant de pouvoir? Conçu pour de jeunes spectateurs, ce film d'animation plein d'humour favorisera les échanges sur l'origine des angoisses suscitées par l'image corporelle. Film sans paroles. -
MindscapeJacques Drouin 1976 7 minA particularly creative example of the pinscreen animation technique, this film is about an artist who steps inside his painting and wanders about in a landscape peopled with symbols that trigger unexpected associations. Film without words.
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My Friend the Green HorseAlanis Obomsawin 2024 11 minOften feeling alone in her waking life, the young Alanis Obomsawin found friendship with the Green Horse, a benevolent being she visited regularly in her dreams. Together with other animal spirits, the Green Horse guided Alanis to realize the immensity of the gift of life and the power of kindness.
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Night FairCynthia Naggar & Gueze 2020 5 minIMPORTANT: For the optimal experience, please use headphones and turn up the volume.
Unique alliance of art and science, the experimental film Night Fair focuses on brain activity through the different cycles of a night's sleep. Through voice mail, media artist Cynthia Naggar and sound designer Gueze collected the dreams of citizens. These are ingeniously combined with graphic and sound representations generated by algorithms from anonymous medical data.
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PearlNeely Goniodsky 2009 1 minIn this animated short from the Hothouse 5 series, a lonely old lady sits in an empty room knitting. As her thoughts wander, her dreams take the shape of fanciful knitted creatures and objects that cocoon her in a pattern of wonder and comfort.
Produced as part of the 5th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
RomanceGeorges Schwizgebel 2011 7 minWhile on an airplane, a traveller's spirit plunges into a dream world. Here, under the influence of the unknown, the logic of his desires prevails, and a romantic saga takes shape. This animated film by Georges Schwizgebel masterfully transports us into a swirling world. Set to the twists and turns of a Rachmaninoff scherzo, Romance exuberantly marries music and movement, erasing the boundary between dreams and reality.
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Spare ChangeRyan Larkin & Laurie Gordon 2008 7 minThis animation short by Ryan Larkin (Walking, Street Musique, etc.) recounts some “comical experiences” Larkin had during his many years as a panhandler in Montreal. It tells the story of Astral Pan, a street beggar (voiced by Larkin himself), who takes us on a wild journey from the sidewalks of a wintry Montreal day, to the gates of Heaven and Hell and back. The great filmmaker passed away before finishing his film. Spare Change was completed by a friend, producer and singer-songwriter Laurie Gordon, assisted by a team of young, devoted animators.
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The SubjectPatrick Bouchard 2018 10 minAn animator dissects his own body, extracting memories, emotions and fears that will nurture his work. As he cuts into his skin with a scalpel, various symbolic objects recalling his past emerge. Reaching the heart after cracking his ribs, he succeeds in identifying the burden he’s been dying to cast off.
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Turquoise FishLori Malépart-Traversy 2022 3 minThis film discusses topics of sex and masturbation; viewer discretion is advised. A young woman recalls a kooky ritual involving masturbation that she’d invented as a child. A candid and introspective short film about forgetting the outside world and abandoning oneself to pleasure (and fish).
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UnblendingMichelle Ku 2024 1 minFor people living with structural dissociation, falling asleep can be a challenge—a time when multiple contradictory thoughts conspire to keep you awake. Drawing on her experience with somatic healing, Michelle Ku puts these thoughts to rest in a few vivid minutes of hand-painted animation.
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XO RAD MagicalChristopher Gilbert Grant 2019 1 minXO Rad Magical is a personal lyrical poem about the daily struggle of living with schizophrenia. This psychedelic and hypnotic film shows that there is beauty in the brains of those who are at war with themselves. Produced as part of the 12th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
