Ingeniously combining archival material and animated sequences, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre has created a cinematic and clever portrait of the man who gave us Mon oncle Antoine, filmmaker Claude Jutra. Continuing work begun in 2006 with McLaren’s Negatives, which focused on Norman McLaren, Saint-Pierre hones her quest for a unique form of animated documentary, skillfully and boldly synthesizing the life and career of another giant of cinema.

Through the magic of editing and animation, Claude Jutra engages in a dialogue with himself at various stages of his life, thereby becoming the witty narrator of his own biography. Excerpts from home movies, interviews and well-known works by the filmmaker artfully blend and overlap to tell the story of an existence devoted to creation. Jutra is at once a tribute, a love song to filmmaking, and the retelling of the tragedy of a brilliant artist who died too young. Produced by Marie-Josée St-Pierre (MJSTP films) in co-production with the NFB (Marc Bertrand). – Marcel Jean

Animated fiction film about parental alienation.

Created using outtakes—tests—that were done to make the film A Chairy Tale (1957) by master of animation Norman McLaren, Flocons is a black-and-white short set to the music of Tchaikovsky and featuring none other than Canadian filmmaker Claude Jutra, who plays a character imprisoned in the celluloid on which McLaren paints directly. Flocons aims to celebrate the 100th anniversary, in 2014, of Norman McLaren’s birth.

‘Inspiring! To celebrate the 100th anniversary of McLaren’s birth, the young filmmaker made a short film that would not put to shame the master and the inventif acting of Claude Jutra.’ – Mario Cloutier, La Presse +

A film directed by Co Hoedeman : The Blue Marble is a story about a young girl kidnapped from her village and forced by insurgents to become a ruthless child soldier. Using facts and fiction, the narrator tells a story of oppression and hope.

Femelles is an animated documentary on the difficulties and taboos of childbirth and motherhood. Anonymously, woman share their most intimate secrets of the journey towards childbirth and beyond. Sometimes surprising, funny and sad, these touching testimonies take us to the world of women that share an exceptionnal privilege, the one of being called Mom…

The Sapporo Project is a poetic homage to the work of acclaimed Japanese calligrapher Gazanbou Higuchi. A unique glimpse into the world of Japanese calligraphy, this animated film explores the creative process of a master. By animating his very own art, the viewer is transported into the imagination of a legendary figure in contemporary calligraphy.

This poetic homage to calligrapher Gazanbou Higuchi utilizes Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre’s signature style of rotoscope animation to illustrate the craft of Japanese shodo. Energetic brush strokes pulsate into moving forms, connecting the artist to his work in a seamless flow. Morphing minimalist black and white compositions fulfill Higuchi’s mission to convey the dance and rhythm of life – Alex Rogalski, Short Cuts Canada, Toronto International Film Festival 2010

It was with great enthusiasm that I found out that I was expecting my first child. While I was awaiting the arrival of my bundle of joy, I never expected my labour would turn into a nightmare and that my baby and I would end up at death’s door…

An intimate look at cinematographic creation, this visual essay shares with us secrets of the legendary canadian animator Norman Mclaren and his personal view of filmmaking.

For a limited time, you can watch McLaren’s Negatives online for free: http://www.nfb.ca/film/negatifs_de_mclaren/

When I was two months old my mother abandoned me, leaving me in my grandmother’s care. She could no longer bear the sound of my incessant crying. So many tears drive me to the water’s edge. Towards water that I have always been so afraid of. In a thought, in a moment, I revisited my past, I revisited hers…

Exploration of the life and work of acclaimed animator Steven Woloshen.