SOUND DESIGN
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
2024 | 85m | Feature Film
Described as a "surreal comedy of disorientation" set "somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg", the film blends the seemingly unrelated stories of Negin and Nazgol, who find money frozen in ice and try to claim it; Massoud, a tour guide in Winnipeg who is leading a confused and disoriented tour group; and Matthew (Rankin), who quits his unfulfilling job with the provincial government of Quebec and travels home to Winnipeg to visit his mother.
Directed by Matthew Rankin.
Produced by MetaFilms.
TWIG
2024 | 39m | Experimental Documentary
Byong Hyon Kwon, a former South Korean ambassador to China, has a vision for the desert of Inner Mongolia: fighting the encroaching sand by planting millions of trees. The task seems insurmountable, but as he and his son struggle up and down the dunes, his commitment never wavers.
Directed by Claire Sanford.
Am I the skinniest person you’ve ever seen?
2024 | 24m | Documentary short
“Hey, let’s go on a diet together.” As kids in a small Quebec town, Eisha and Seema were more than sisters, they were soul mates, and a joint diet offered a shared sense of purpose. But their carefree project would take a dark turn, pushing Eisha to the very brink of death. Consumed by anorexia, she found herself battling her own fragile body—stranded between childhood and adulthood. Decades later, she revisits her past in an exquisitely crafted work of auto-ethnography, evoking her unusual youth with aching lyricism. In addressing a tender love letter to the troubled girl she once was, she reaches contemporary audiences with a timely reflection on body image and self-acceptance.
Directed by Eisha Marjara.
Produced by Compass Productions and the National Film Board of Canada.
7 Beats Per Minute
2024 | 96m | Feature Documentary
A meditative thriller set in the captivating world of competitive free-diving, 7 Beats Per Minute offers an insightful look into the inner life of champion free-diver, Jessea Lu, as she pushes the limits of her body and mind.
Directed by Yuqi Kang.
Produced by Intuitive Pictures Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada.
Financed by Rainshine Entertainment, Five Fifty Five, Intuitive Pictures Inc. and the National Film Board of Canada.
FORWARD BACK
2024 | 13m | Experimental Dance Short
With movement inspired by Merce Cunningham's iconic piece "50 Looks," a group of dancers move together through a vast landscape seemingly plucked from an alternate future. Just as changing light infiltrates the choreography, so do 35mm negative manipulations, compelling the dancers to engage with forces beyond time.
Directed by Mistaya Hemingway and Kaveh Nabatian.
Produced by Pixel Project.
The Bleacher
2024 | 8m | Animated Short
The disappearance of her sock at a local laundromat sends a fragile Rita over the edge. Hellbent on finding it, she searches deep and gets sucked into a washing machine, entering an otherworldly cycle from which she may never escape.
Directed by Adam Wilder and Nicole Daddona.
Magic Society Productions.
Miserable Miracle
2023 | 8m | Animated Short
Miserable Miracle is inspired by Henri Michaux’s book of poetry and drawings of the same name. Masterful in both vision and execution, the film explores the limits of language and perception, creating dazzling connections between sound, meaning, shapes and movement. Propelling viewers beyond the page, the poems map the human psyche to the very edges of alienation and transcendence.
Directed by Ryo Orikasa.
National Film Board of Canada, Miyu Productions and New Deer co-production.
A Quiet Girl
2023 | 86m | Feature Documentary
In the documentary "A Quiet Girl," filmmaker Adrian Wills uncovers the surprising truths about his Newfoundland origins. Wills explores his birth mother's strength and, in turn, his own. This emotional film combines old and new footage, along with intimate conversations, as Wills embarks on a journey to not only find his identity but to also give a shy girl a voice.
Directed by Adrian Wills.
Produced by Annette Clarke, National Film Board of Canada.
Madeleine
2023 | 15m | Hybrid Short, Animation, Documentary
A heart-warming journey that blends reality and fiction, through a captivating fusion of live action and stunning animation techniques. This extraordinary film beautifully mirrors the complexities of life, delicately exploring the life and death, and reminding us that amidst every twist and turn, there is always an invaluable lesson to be learned.
Directed by Raquel Sancinetti.
HUBRIS
2023 | 29m | Experimental Dance Short
HUBRIS is an experimental docu-narrative that chronicles three individual journeys intrepreted by dance and circus artists, exploring a powerful storyline about climate change. Blinded by ego, their journeys symbolize the collateral damage induced by a culture deeply rooted in individualism—serving as a metaphor for our environmental crisis and a need for a U-turn towards transformative change.
Directed by Jules de Niverville
Produced by Jules de Niverville and Kathy Sperberg
In Perpetuum
2023 | 12m | Experimental Animation Short
A young woman is going through an incredible metamorphosis, embracing the profound beauty and significance of motherhood, knowing that she is on the path to experiencing a love unlike any other.
Directed by Biruté Sodeikaité.
Produced by Biruté Sodeikaité and Stop Motion Dept.
Ofranda
2023 | 15m | Fiction Short
Ina, an 11-year-old immigrant, finds herself captivated by Petra, a newcomer to her class. As they navigate the complexities of their young lives, Ina and Petra teach each other the importance of acceptance, understanding, and unity, proving that even in a world where differences seem insurmountable, connections can be found amidst the vast tapestry of human experiences.
Directed by Vjosana Shkurti.
Produced by Peripheria.
LEAVE THE BONES
2022 | 68m | Documentary Feature
On the night of August 14, 1791, a Vodou ritual that took place in Bois-Caïman became the precursor to the first mass uprising against slavery and the birth of Haiti, the world’s first Black independent republic. Working hand in hand with the local dancers, musicians, fishermen and priests, this documentary feature provides a sensory immersion into these sacred rites. Set to the rhythms of the Lakou Mizik group and Joseph Ray and the poetry of Wood-Jerry Gabriel, KITE ZO A: LEAVE THE BONES is an intoxicating creative and spiritual experience.
Directed by Kaveh Nabatian.
THAT KIND OF SUMMER
2022 | 140m | Fiction Feature
Invited to a rest home to explore their sexual issues, three women spend their days and nights trying to tame their inner demons. Under the detached supervision of a German therapist and a considerate social worker, the group attempts to maintain a delicate balance. For the young Geisha, somber Léonie and unpredictable Eugénie, it's a chance to get away from the noise, to engage with the present, and think about the future.
Directed by Denis Côté.
Produced by MetaFilms.
Municipal Relaxation Module
2022 | 6m | Experimental Short
Ken, a man in Winnipeg who has an idea to improve a park bench, gets lost in the maze of city bureaucracy when he tries to suggest it, becoming increasingly frustrated until his only choice left for calming down is to sit on the very park bench he was trying to change.
Directed by Matthew Rankin.
Produced by Matthew Rankin and Sacha Ratcliffe.
Named Canada’s Top Ten TIFF 2022.
BRASIER
2022 | 19m | Fiction Short
Pierre-Amélia’s world is turned upside down when she joins a soccer team of older players, instigating a sexual awakening and revealing an unsuspected desire for her older brother.
Directed by Emilie Mannering.
Written by Camille Trudel.
Produced by Ô Films.
LOVE, AMMA
2022 | 15m | Documentary Short
After being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a young mother writes a letter to her daughter about their family’s collective journey to acceptance.
Directed by Prajwala Dixit.
Produced by Annette Clarke, National Film Board of Canada.
BLEACH
2021 | 12m | Fiction Short
While doing laps at a competitive swim practice, 15 year-old Damien clashes with his Coach, only to be belittle in front of his teammates. In parallel, we follow Damien with his younger brother Jordan at a hotel water-slide. His little brother reveals future plans to join the swim team, which compels Damien to open up about the sexual abuse he has suffered at Coach’s hands — giving him the strength to step outside of Coach’s influence.
Directed by Mattias Graham.
Produced by Productions Leitmotiv.
MENEATH : THE HIDDEN ISLAND OF ETHICS
2021 | 18m | Animated Short
Meneath dives deeply into the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Pride and Envy) and the Seven Sacred Teachings (Love, Respect, Wisdom, Courage, Truth, Honesty and Humility), as embodied in the life of a precocious Métis baby. Brought to life by Terril Calder’s darkly beautiful stop-motion animation, her inner turmoil of abuse is laid bare with unflinching honesty.
Directed by Terril Calder.
Produced by Jelena Popovic, National Film Board of Canada.
Under the Sleeping Mountain
2021 | 16m | Documentary Short
A filmmaker questions his parents during a family trip to Italy, curious about the state of their relationship. Their activities and discussions revive both a certain nostalgia for the past and an emotional anguish for the future.
Directed by Charles Duquet.
Produced by Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayard.
LOLOS (BOOBS)
2021 | 8m | Animated Fiction Short
A young woman drawn in ink is forced to face her deepest anxieties. This surrealist journey explores a woman’s relationship with her body and her femininity, highlighting the powerful symbolism of the breasts.
Directed by Marie Valade.
Distributed by La Distributrice de films.
SATURDAY NIGHT
2021 | 15m | Documentary Short
A short documentary essay offering a poetic and bittersweet snapshot of aging in an urban setting, viewed through the lens of dance. An immersive soundscape and a delicate tempo set the mood for this intimate exploration of resilience and nostalgia.
Directed by Rosana Matecki.
Produced by Annette Clarke, National Film Board of Canada.
FUFU
2021 | 14m | Documentary/Fiction Short
A daughter immerses herself into the labour of tradition and remembrance. In this imperfect reflection, she dives into the cycles of reminiscence, and her relationship with her mother.
Directed by Omolola Ajao.
Produced by Omolola Ajao and Peter Widdrington.
FARAWAY/LOINTAIN
2020 | 18m | Experimental Documentary
After being estranged from his family, a young Arab man must decide between solitude or reconnecting with his mother.
Directed by Aziz Zoromba.
Produced by Aziz Zoromba, Carol Nguyen, with financial support from Canada Council of the Arts, Hotdocs & Sundance Institute.
Distributed by H264 Distribution.
HOW TO BE AT HOME
2020 | 5m | Animated Fiction Short
A short animated collaboration between filmmaker, Andrea Dorfman and poet-musician, Tanya Davis, on how to be at home during the pandemic.
Directed by Andrea Dorfman.
Produced by Annette Clarke, National Film Boart of Canada.
4 NORTH A
2020 | 9m | Animated Fiction Short
A woman revisits old memories from her childhood, as she struggles with the impeding death of her father in hospital.
Directed by Jordan Canning and Howie Shia.
Produced by Annette Clarke, National Film Boart of Canada.
JEANNES D’ARC DE MONTRÉAL
2020 | 1m | Animation
JEANNES D’ARC DE MONTRÉAL is an all female, Montreal collaboration, inspired by women all over the world fighting for their rights.
Concept by Maylee Keo + Amélie Tourangeau
#3PHRASESMTL
2020 | 1m | Animation
We are people from the artistic community in illustration, animation and photography in support of survivors. We see you, we hear you, we believe you. # 3phrasesmtl
Concept : Maylee Keo
Coordinators: Heather Lynn + Amélie Tourangeau
TANT DOUCEMENT ME SENS EMPRISONNÉ
2020 | 12m | Experimental Short
Guillaume Adjutor Provost’s documented performance piece examines the theories of neo-feudalism - an attempt to explain the concentration of wealth and power in the 21st century.
Directed by Guillaume Adjutor Provost.
Presented at the Centre d’exposition de l’Université de Montréal.
{ NULL }
2020 | 10m | Experimental Short
{Null} is a contemplative short film, bordering between documentary and fiction, an impressionistic portrait in which we observe individuals in search of meaning and real connection.
Directed by Andrée-Anne Roussel.
Produced by Colonelle Films
CABLE BOX
2020 | 10m | Experimental Short
A mind-bending visual and sonic journey into pop-culture and the American dream, through warped VHS tapes.
Directed by Rob Feulner.
Produced by Max Séguéla.
NITRATE
2019 | 11m | Experimental Short
Entertainment and war are connected through chemistry. Fireworks and bombs are made with nitrate. A reflection on what happens when fireworks inflame the memory of a war survivor, when light draws him into his past darkness.
Directed and Produced by Yousra Benziane.
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
2019 | 91m | Live Action Comedy Feature
Toronto, 1899. Aspiring politician Mackenzie King hesitates in love between a heroic soldier he believes himself destined to marry and a psoriasis-addled spinster and learns that with unrequited love, it's never over until you've completely humiliated yourself.
Directed by Matthew Rankin.
Produced by Voyelles Films.
FRÉQUENCES
2019 | 6 x 15m | Fiction Podcast
Clara, a journalist, is forced to return to her home village for the first time since her teenager years. She has no intention of lingering, but when a supernatural noise rips the sky and causes a series of inexplicable events, everything changes. Frequencies is a unique sound investigation where, to know the truth, one must risk one's life or, at least, one's reason.
Directed by Guillaume Tellier.
Produced by Martin Béliveau, Productions RBL, Radio-Canada.
Shannon Amen
2019 | 11m | Animated Drama Short
A mixed media film about Chris Dainty’s childhood best friend and emerging artist, Shannon Jamieson (aka Amen), who took her own life in 2006.
Directed by Chris Dainty.
Produced by Maral Mohammadian, National Film Board of Canada.
ASTRES
2019 | 18m | Live Action Drama Short
A young woman grieves the death of her sister, and makes a cosmic discovery.
Directed by Andrée-Anne Roussel.
Produced by Colonelle Films.
Lasciare Suonare
2019 | 5m | Audio-visual installation
Short documentary installation about the first all-female orchestra, the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Ethel Stark. Presented on the Mosaic video wall of the Place des Arts in Montreal, Canada.
Directed by Kara Blake.
Produced by Philtre Films.
Making Of - RÉPERTOIRE DES VILLES DISPARUES
2019 | 4m | Live Action Teasers
On the set of Ghost Town Anthology, a film by Denis Côté. Documented in Super 8 by Matthew Rankin (filming/editing) and Sacha Ratcliffe (sound recording/sound design).
Produced by Couzin Films.
Distributed by Maison4tiers.
LE CORTÈGE
2019 | 11m | Animated Drama Short
An endless afternoon during which a grieving husband must come to terms with the loss of his beloved wife.
Directed by Pascal Blanchet and Rodolphe St-Gelais.
Produced by Julie Roy, The National Film Board of Canada.
BONE MOTHER
2018 | 8m | Action/Fantasy Animated Short
Bone Mother is a fantasy-horror-stop-motion animation adaptation of the novel of the same name by Maura Mchugh. The ancient crone Baba Yaga is desperately caring for her ailing living house of bones and unexpectedly becomes the mother of a legend.
Directed by Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé.
Produced by Jelena Popovic, The National Film Board of Canada.
I'm O.K.
2018 | 6m | Experimental Animated Short
It is 1915, Expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka’s tempestuous love affair with Alma Mahler ends dramatically and he volunteers to fight in the First World War. This animated film explores Kokoschka’s frame of mind following his heartbreak and the traumatic experience of war, by reflecting on the artist’s prints and paintings.
Directed by Lizzy Hobbs.
Produced by Abigail Addison, Animate Projects and Jelena Popovic, The National Film Board of Canada.
TESLA: WORLD LIGHT
2017 | 8m | Experimental Animated Short
New York, 1905. Visionary inventor Nikola Tesla makes one last appeal to J.P. Morgan, his onetime benefactor. The Tesla World Light is a tragic fantasy about the father of alternating current, inspired by real events such as the inventor’s run of bad luck as a businessman and his affection for a pet bird, which he loves “like a man loves a woman.” Tesla’s words to the banker form the backdrop of this moving film about the man who blended science and art in his attempts to create the utopia of unlimited energy for all.
Directed by Matthew Rankin.
Produced by Julie Roy, The National Film Board of Canada.
CAPTURING CAPTAIN CANADA
2018 | 4m | Hommage Short
In this fusion of fiction and documentary film, a Special Investigator catches a break when Peter A. Herrndorf volunteers to come in for questioning on an ongoing case. The Investigator quickly finds himself in a charming game of cat and mouse however, as he must determine whether this self-professed immigrant kid could really be the nation-building super hero he's been pursuing all these years.
Directed by Tara Johns.
Produced by René Chénier, The National Film Board of Canada.
GENEVIÈVE BUJOLD :
ART = LIFE
2018 | 4m | Hommage Short
This portrait of one of Canada’s most famous actresses was inspired by the filmmaking aesthetic of her friend, Michel Brault. Geneviève Bujold: Art = Life evokes Brault’s observational and improvisational approach in a stylized, black-and-white look at the actress that’s both intimate and introspective.
Directed by Robin McKenna.
Produced by Dominic Desjardins, The National Film Board of Canada.
APOPLEXIE
2018 | 3m | Experimental Collage Short
APOPLEXIE is an experimental short film, that was feature at the Dérapage film festival as part of the 2018 Printemps Numérique in Montreal, CA. Archival photos and digitally-generated geometric GIFs are paired to compose the images of the film.
Directed by Lawrence Dupuis
OPTIQUE-HAPTIQUE
2017 | 3m | Video installation piece
Optique-Haptique is a triptych video featuring three static women whose image deteriorates quietly and simultaneously. A filmic experimentation of the passage from optics to haptics; transition from figurative to abstract.
REVENIR RÊVERIE
2017 | 8m | Video art piece
A video art piece by Marina Shalthout, collaboration made during their residency at the Fish Factory Creative Center, in Iceland.
Directed by Marina Shaltout
THE VELOCITY OF SANITY
2016 | 3m | Experimental Super8 Short
A short film by Hugo A. Rodas, presented at the ONE TAKE SUPER8 EVENT 2016.
LE GRAND AILLEURS ET LE PETIT ICI - REMIX
2016 | 4m | Video installation piece
An adapted version of the animated film Le grand ailleurs and le petit ici, directed by Michèle Lemieux and produced by the NFB, screened on the facade of the University of Québec Design pavilion. This installation is part of the Michèle Lemieux exhibition presented at the Canadian Cultural Center, in Paris, from April 14 to September 2, 2016, and at the Design Center, in Montreal, from September 15 to October 30, 2016. Video art by Charles Desmarais.
PORTRAIT SONORE
2016 | 10m | Podcast
An audio guide for the Habitations Jeanne-Mance in the Latin Quarter of Montréal.
LA VERDA STANDARDO DE LA ESPERO
2015 | 2m | Experimental Short in Esperanto
A carte-blanche short film made for and presented at Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2015.
Directed by Matthew Rankin
THE COSMOS IN WHICH WE ARE
2015 | 8m | Video-kinetic installation
A video-kinetic installation by Pascal Dufaux, presented at the Confederation Art Gallery in the exhibition SURVEILLING: AN UNCERTAIN LANDSCAPE. Curated by Pan Wendt. (Charlottetown, PEI. Canada)
THE RADICAL EXPEDITIONS OF WALTER BOUDREAU
2015 | 4m | Hommage Short
This micro-epic short film is an inspired tribute to visionary avant-garde composer Walter Boudreau: his life, work, mischief, and boundless artistic curiosity. Both a documentary biopic and a wildly abstract hallucination, the film conceives of Walter Boudreau as a radical explorer, struggling against the inert mass of the cosmos, charting bold new paths of artistic freedom and audaciously expanding the frontiers of our known musical universe.
Directed by Matthew Rankin
Produced by Jean-Marie Comeau
PICATRIX
2014 | 6m | Experimental Short
A short film presented at Les Rendez-vous du Cinema Québécois 2015.
Directed by Lawrence Dupuis