Fresh from The Girl Who Cried Pearls winning the Oscar for Best Animated Short, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) returns to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2026 with a varied programme of films. The line‑up includes work by animators Catherine Lepage, Brigitte Archambault, Eva Cvijanović and Claude Cloutier, alongside a strong delegation at the Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA).
NFB line‑up at a glance:
- International premiere: Catherine Lepage’s short Ultra Strong, produced and executive produced by Christine Noël, co‑producer of the Academy Award‑winning The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
- Work‑in‑progress feature: The Shiatsung Project by Brigitte Archambault and Eva Cvijanović, co‑produced by Embuscade Films and the NFB.
- Mifa event: Telefilm Canada/NFB networking session with Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and chairperson of the NFB.
- Women in Animation Summit: Catherine Lepage joins the Short Films and Fresh Perspectives panel.
- Animated Thrills and Chills: Eight NFB films showcased in this programme.
- Annecy Classics: Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet’s documentary Walking with Animators, featuring extensive archival material from the NFB.
NFB at Annecy 2026:
Official competition | Short films: Ultra Strong by Catherine Lepage (9 min 35 s) makes its international premiere, produced at the NFB by Christine Noël. This auto fictional short reflects on youthful ideals, ranging from Cinderella to Iron Maiden, and features Bruce Dickinson, frontman of Iron Maiden, as an idealised version of himself in both English and French versions. Narration and original music are provided by Régine of Arcade Fire. Lepage, previously director of The Great Malaise (2019), worked with an almost all‑female crew including sound designer Sacha Ratcliffe, animator Rachel Samson and editor Xi Feng. The film has already been recognised with a Special Mention for Best Animated Film and the People’s Choice Award at the 2026 Sommets du cinéma d’animation in Montreal.
Works in progress | Feature films: The Shiatsung Project by Brigitte Archambault and Eva Cvijanović is co‑produced by Félix Dufour‑Laperrière (Embuscade Films), Christine Noël (NFB) and Jelena Popović (NFB), with Nicolas Dufour‑Laperrière as associate producer and Christine Noël as executive producer.
The story follows a woman living alone in a suburban bungalow, her only companion a talking screen that fulfills her wishes while concealing the purpose of her existence. Archambault and Cvijanović, co‑directors of Hedgehog’s Home (2017), will present the project alongside producers Félix Dufour‑Laperrière and Jelena Popović, with assistant director Bren López Zepeda. The session will be moderated by animator and educator Vivien Forsans.
Mifa: The NFB and Telefilm Canada will host a networking event titled Networking opportunity with Canada on 23 June, from 7 to 9 PM at the Garden Party in the Impérial Palace park. This invitation-only gathering, led by Suzanne Guèvremont (NFB chairperson) and Julie Roy (Telefilm Canada CEO), will provide a space to explore new partnerships and celebrate Canadian animation.
Short films and fresh perspectives | WIA summit: Catherine Lepage will join a panel of short‑film directors discussing creative approaches in animation. Moderated by Meredith Shea (AMPAS), the session is part of the 10th WIA World Summit, highlighting women and non‑binary creators.
Animated thrills and chills – Eight NFB films feature across three themes:
- The Trenches by Claude Cloutier
- The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin by Janet Perlman
- Sleeping Betty by Claude Cloutier
- Land of the Heads by Cédric Louis and Claude Barras
- Batmilk by Brandon Blommaert
- Sainte Barbe by Cédric Louis and Claude Barras
- A Monster’s Calling by Louise Johnson
- Bone Mother by Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé
Annecy classics: Walking with Animators, directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet and produced by Frenetic Arts, is a documentary eight years in the making that features archival footage from the NFB and more than 70 interviews, including Eloi Champagne of the NFB and filmmakers Theodore Ushev, Regina Pessoa and Joanna Quinn. Incorporating nearly 130 excerpts from works around the world, the film has received support from leading studios and schools such as Disney, Pixar, Warner Bros., Netflix, Aardman and the NFB.
Independent Canadian Filmmaking at Annecy – Three shorts supported by the NFB’s ACIC and FAP programmes are screening:
- Virgin Fandango by Marcy Page (Blue Dada Productions/Ciclope Filmes) — FAP, Official Competition
- Blessed by Birute Sodeikaite — FAP, Official Competition
- La comète by Julie Charette (Embuscade Films) — ACIC, Perspectives Compétition
