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Animation and Allegory on Social Issues (33)
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As UsualRaymond Brousseau 1974 13 minImagine a world where everything moves backwards. That's what happens in this short experimental film without words. A man wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock and begins his day, only to find that everything is running in reverse--his electric shaver, the morning paper. Out in the street, people and cars are backing away. He alone of all the crowd seems to move forward normally. The effect on him and the viewers verges on the bizarre. -
BalablokBretislav Pojar 1972 7 minBretislav Pojar's animated short explores the human phenomenon of resorting to violence over reason. The cubes live happily amongst themselves until one of them encounters a ball. War erupts and they fight until they all become the same again – this time in the form of hexagons. All is right in the world until one of them stumbles upon a triangle… Winner of the 1973 Grand Prix du Festival for Short Film at the International Film Festival in Cannes.
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Bad SeedsClaude Cloutier 2020 6 minBad Seeds takes us to a bizarre world populated by carnivorous plants that can change shapes the way a chameleon changes colours. The veteran director of
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The Bronswik AffairRobert Awad & André Leduc 1978 23 minThis funny yet serious short film demonstrates the effectiveness of advertising and the marketing machine. Its comic appeal lies in the characters and the absurd situations they find themselves in, but it also shines a harsh light on our tendency towards needless consumerism prompted by a steady flow of commercials.
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ChairmenJean-Thomas Bédard 1978 13 minThis short animated film presents an allegorical portrait of a society where men have lost their autonomy in the struggle to be recognized by the very society that restricts their freedom. In the film, chairs are a symbol of success; without one, every man becomes a social outcast. Highly critical of power, privilege, and the weight of social norms, the film questions our present and our future. This technically and formally innovative film is accompanied by a sombre, hypnotic soundtrack and contains no dialogue.
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ChameleonStefan Anastasiu 1984 7 minAn animated allegory densely packed with fast-moving images, this film is about fear. A dissenter masks his true colors. Chameleon-like, he blends in with his surroundings. Because he lacks the courage to act on his beliefs, he cheats himself and others. He dies as he has lived, unnoticed.
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The EggJean-François Pouliot & Robert Bélisle 1979 1 minIn this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, learn how societies in evolution are often in danger of self-destruction.
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A Cow's TaleJohn Tanasiciuk 2006 5 minDoes technology make our lives easier?
Audrey works away at her computer and she encounters a problem. Nothing seems to help: neither a co-worker's advice, nor the user manual, nor the help line. Stuck on hold, Audrey dreams of how simple life must have been before the age of technology.
This animated tale, with a real animal soundtrack, makes for a funny and witty dig at how little we've really evolved. A film without words. -
CollectorKassia Ward 2019 1 minA pair of unlikely travellers encounter a young man on the highway who seems to have forgotten that he can be seen. Collector explores the concept of semi-private spaces and how we act when we forget that we might be being watched.
Produced as part of the 12th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
Dans la vie...Pierre Veilleux 1972 5 minHere the film animator gives vivid expression to his own memories of a child's first encounter with elementary school--at that tender age when grown-ups seem ten feet tall, a monster lurks in every corridor, and the very walls have eyes. Feeling, but not understanding, the regimentation imposed on him, the child seeks, in spite of it all, to be himself. A film without words; titles in French.
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The Day OffSidney Goldsmith 1980 10 minThis short animated film is a reflection on the work world and the solace we seek from it on our days off. Here, people enjoying a day off are constantly being reminded of tragic events happening elsewhere while they play and relax on the beach.
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Dinner for TwoJanet Perlman 1996 7 minWhen it comes to conflict, even chameleons won't change! Peace in the rain forest is disrupted when two chameleons literally get stuck in a conflict, with catastrophic results. Relationships are severed, opportunities are lost, innocent bystanders are harmed and violence seems imminent. Luckily for the lizards, a frog observing the fracas turns into exactly what they need - no, not a prince - a mediator.
Dinner for Two tackles conflict in a lively, humorous and provocative way. It shows that amidst the chaos that differences create, there are still paths to reconciliation.
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ExpectationsSuzanne Gervais 1993 7 minIn this short, poetic film, a woman, 9 months pregnant, senses the danger the world holds for her unborn child. She wanders the city holding her camera, expressing and transforming this anxiety through photographic images. Combining live-action images with paper cut-outs, this moving film is about the survival of life on earth, and the hopes we cherish for our children. A film without words.
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FluxesArthur Lipsett 1968 23 minThis experimental short conveys avant-garde filmmaker Arthur Lipsett’s view of the human condition and the chaotic planet on which we live. As in his other films (Very Nice, Very Nice; 21-87), the flow of images in Fluxes seems somewhat disjointed and erratic -- yet it all builds up to a devastating indictment of the modern world. The film’s only commentary consists of unrelated snatches of words and sounds.
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Free FallArthur Lipsett 1964 9 minAn experimental film from Arthur Lipsett, Free Fall is an assortment of film trimmings assembled to make a wry comment on humankind in today’s world. It evokes a surrealist dream of our fall from grace into banality.
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HungerPeter Foldès 1974 11 minIn this animated short, director Peter Foldès depicts one man’s descent into greed and gluttony. Rapidly dissolving and ever-evolving images create a contrast between abundance and want. One of the first films to use computer animation, this satire serves as a cautionary tale against self-indulgence in a world still plagued by hunger and poverty.
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The House that Jack BuiltRon Tunis 1967 8 minA humorous animation film about a fellow who builds his house in the best suburb he can afford. He has a picture bride, a picture window and a garden as pretty as a picture, but he wanted something special and, like Jack and the Beanstalk, he finally got it! What he got is a moral for all.
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Home SecurityJohn Weldon 2004 4 minIn attempting to secure his domicile against perceived external threats, our protagonist manages to create a more dangerous internal environment. Home Security uses humour to illustrate that problems can arise when freedom is sacrificed for safety, and alludes to the issue of liberty vs. security in a greater context.
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I Don't Feel Anything AnymoreNoémie Marsily & Carl Roosens 2016 9 minHe’s a magician. She’s a firefighter. Isolating themselves from the chaos of a world in turmoil, the two lovers live in a crane basket high in the sky, where they go about their daily business. Their challenge: keep their heads, here up above it all, while everything falls apart down below. But when reality calls—when fires need quenching and people need entertaining—how can they best make themselves useful in a world gone off the rails?
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MetadataPeter Foldès 1971 8 minThis short experimental film from Peter Foldès (Hunger) hails from the very early days of computer animation. Created entirely on a computer belonging to the National Research Council of Canada, it registered hundreds of movements to produce a fluid, evolving effect with images seamlessly morphing into one another.
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ModulationsJudith Klein 1972 4 minA film of playful observation, without commentary, catching in a few simple animated line drawings the images people project of themselves in the way they dress or move. Different types of people--plump dowager, curvaceous dancer, kilted Scot, ancient Egyptian--all make their bid for attention, metamorphosing one from the other in surprising ways. Film without words.
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The NecktieJean-François Lévesque 2008 12 minA mixture of puppet and hand-drawn animation, The Necktie is the story of Valentin and his quest to find meaning in his life. Stuck in a dead-end job, he has forgotten all about the things that used to bring him joy. Years pass, and boredom replaces all his aspirations and hope for the future. It is only on his 40th birthday, when he rediscovers an old accordion hidden in the depths of his closet, that he regains his lust for life.
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Survival of the FittestEva Cvijanovic 2017 39 sFEELS GOOD TO BE KIND. A reminder that there is power in small acts of kindness.
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The OrangeDiane Chartrand 1992 4 minIn this animated film for five- to eight-year-olds, a group of schoolchildren are amazed to discover that one of their classmates does not have enough to eat. With the help of their teacher, the children come to understand that his hardship affects them all and that the fight against poverty requires solidarity and sharing. Film without words.
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Population ExplosionPierre Hébert 1968 14 minA film in cut-out animation depicting the demographic problems of the world. It shows that in many countries freedom from the old scourges of famine and disease has in turn created the new problem of more mouths to feed. The film suggests that wealthier nations might increase all forms of aid to struggling nations to create a better world
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Series 4Normand Grégoire 1972 7 minThis experimental short documents the clash, sometimes obsessive, sometimes glorifying, between humans and their mechanized environment. Using photographs, the animator creates varying perspectives through optical manipulation and changing colour, achieving bold and provocative effects.
Warning: This film contains flashing images and stroboscopic sequences -
To See the WorldFrancine Desbiens 1992 9 minA kindly old man sends his grandson off to see the world. From the window of the train, the child discovers the problems plaguing this planet and imagines solutions to promote the happiness of children everywhere. A synthesis of Volume 1 of the Rights from the Heart/Droits au c÷ur collection, this animated film for five- to eight-year-olds puts the issue of children's rights in an international context.
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This Is a Recorded MessageJean-Thomas Bédard 1973 10 minThis experimental animated short takes a critical look at consumerism in a material world. Thousands of cut-out ads are presented in increasingly fragmented, rapid succession. The film's disorienting and hectic pace seeks to interrogate the extent to which seductive advertising is a shockingly strong force in shaping our desires, needs, and lives in contemporary capitalism.
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Top PriorityIshu Patel 1981 9 minSet in an unspecified Third World country, this animated film, based on a short story by Enver Carim, suggests that "top priority" means different things to governments and to the governed. A drought-stricken family maintains a long and desperate vigil for a cloud of dust on the horizon signalling the arrival of irrigation pipes and pump. They are rewarded with a military convoy instead. Its top priority is a border war with a neighboring state, not pipes for the life-saving water the family must have.
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Under the RainbowSidney Goldsmith 1972 10 minA little good will goes a long way--between persons, and between nations. That is the lesson to be learned from this animated film. It begins with a confrontation between a man who grows flowers and a technologist who operates computers. A flower pops up in the computer room; a computer tape appears in the garden. Each man destroys the "foreign object." When they come face to face they discover that understanding is better than distrust, respect better than hostility.
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VerticalTheodore Ushev 2003 4 minTo the sound of a ramshackle brass band, a world slides towards ruin, carrying with it houses, birds, idols, balloons and whatever is left of reason. Theodore Ushev's Vertical combines expressionistic graphics with a scathing black humour and sense of the absurd.
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What on Earth!Les Drew & Kaj Pindal 1966 9 minThis animated short proposes what many earthlings have long feared – that the automobile has inherited the planet. When life on Earth is portrayed as one long, unending conga-line of cars, a crew of extra-terrestrial visitors understandably assume they are the dominant race. While humans, on the other hand, are merely parasites. An Oscar® nominee, this film serves as an entertaining case study.
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The ZooJulia Kwan 2018 11 minThe Zoo follows the parallel lives of a polar bear cub in a popular city zoo and a Chinese boy who visits him until they’re both in their twilight years.