April 21, 2026 - Montreal - National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Fresh off The Girl Who Cried Pearls' Oscar win for Best Animated Short, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) arrives at the Sommets du cinema d'animation (May 11-16) in Montreal with a strong showing, including seven shorts in the Canadian Competition and five world premieres across all sections of the program.
The powerful NFB lineup showcases films that blur the boundaries between animation and documentary, delving into deeply personal stories that open conversations around social issues such as mental health, identity and the inner worlds that shape us. World premieres include Ultra forte by Catherine Lepage and Je m'appelle Daniel by Daniel Leger, along with three shorts developed through the French Animation Unit's Alambic creative lab for emerging filmmakers.
The NFB will also take part in a range of festival events, including an artist's talk by Andrea Dorfman and a special evening with Oscar winners Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski.
Canadian Competition lineup
Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Ultra forte (Ultra Strong) by Catherine Lepage (9 min 35 s) | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ultra-strong
- This candid and self-deprecating autofictional story by Catherine Lepage invites us to reexamine our youthful ideals-from Cinderella to Iron Maiden.
- With the special participation of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and narration and original music by Regine Chassagne (Arcade Fire).
Good Luck to You All (Bonne chance vous tous) by Cordell Barker (8 min 15 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/good-luck-to-you-all
- A child's innocent play takes an odd turn in an animated short about our all-too-fast approaching future with-or against-AI. The latest from two-time Oscar nominee Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back, Strange Invaders).
Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m.
Je m'appelle Daniel (The Flames of Me) by Daniel Leger (10 min 2 s) | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-flames-of-me
- With courage and vulnerability, Acadian filmmaker Daniel Leger recounts how his bipolar diagnosis shook his identity to the core. Through striking images created with fire and soot by visual artist Steven Spazuk, the film depicts Leger's personality in rich nuances of shadow and light.
Bisou Sauvage by Bahij Jaroudi (2 min 50 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bisou-sauvage
- As world tragedies pile up, a bored couple is looking for their next distraction. This explosive dark comedy is a blunt take on the privilege of boredom and the dissonance that is needed to pretend everything is okay.
Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m.
Bread Will Walk (Le pain se lve) by Alex Boya (11 min 18 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/bread-will-walk
- Actor Jay Baruchel voices all the characters in the original English version of this frenetic, surrealist satire of our dehumanizing society, designed as a continuous shot. The film has been selected for more than 35 festivals worldwide-including the Cannes Directors' Fortnight and Annecy-and has earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination.
Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m.
Matrescence by Elizabeth Laferrire (3 min 18 s) | Alambic creative lab | WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/matrescence
- A captivating short film about the neurological, identity and cellular upheavals of motherhood. A visual and aural dive into the science of becoming a mother.
Paradaz by Matea Radic (9 min 28 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/paradaiz
- In Paradaz, winner of six awards to date, Matea Radic weaves absurdist animation, family photos, wry humour and her own slippery memories as she revisits Sarajevo, the wartorn city she fled as a child in the 1990s.
Wide-Angle
Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m.
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Hopital mon amour (Hospital, with Love) by Carine Khalife (3 min 23 s) | Alambic creative lab WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/hospital-with-love
Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m.
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After Us by Wahid Ibn Reza (5 min 5 s)
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/after-us
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Pertes ambigus (Ambiguous Losses) by Fanny Lord-Bourcier (4 min 24 s) | Alambic creative lab WORLD PREMIERE
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/ambiguous-losses
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski: des Oscars aux Sommets!
Friday, May 15, at 9 p.m. | Terrasse du Cafe-Bar de la Cinemathque quebecoise
An evening tribute to Montreal's acclaimed animation duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. This outdoor presentation features their Academy Award-winning NFB animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls-also part of the Best of Annecy 2025 program-alongside their 2007 Oscarnominated Madame TutliPutli and Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (NFB/Warner Bros., 2010), a Maurice Sendak adaptation starring Meryl Streep.
Artist's talks, a work-in-progress and more
This year's festival will offer Lecon de cinema Sommets X ONF: Andrea Dorfman, a talk by Halifax animator Andrea Dorfman, whose NFB short Hairy Legs received the Guy L. Cote Grand Prize for Best Animated Film at last year's Sommets. Brigitte Henry, artistic director of the Oscarwinning The Girl Who Cried Pearls, will also be featured in an artist's talk entitled Lecon de cinema: Brigitte Henry.
The Embuscade/NFB work-in-progress Le projet Shiatsung, directed by Brigitte Archambault and Eva Cvijanovi, will be featured as part of Les WIP des Sommets. The NFB's French Animation Unit is also offering a roundtable on documentary animation with the 2025 Alambic cohort, Carine Khalife, Fanny Lord-Bourcier and Elizabeth Laferrire.
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Curator's perspective | Director's notes
