The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility
My List
Your request could not be processed.
This film is already in your list
Directors (1777)
"t" (59)

Wendy Tilby (4)

Wendy Tilby

Wendy Tilby

Wendy Tilby studied film and animation at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver. The success of her 1986 graduation film, Tables of Content, led to an invitation from the NFB to produce her acclaimed first film, Strings (1991), which won several prizes, among a Genie as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. The NFB went on to produce three animated shorts made by Tilby and co-director Amanda Forbis: When the Day Breaks (1999), Wild Life (2011) and The Flying Sailor (2022). All three have won numerous international awards and garnered an Oscar nomination. Tilby is the only NFB filmmaker who has received four Academy Award nominations.

  • Strings
    Strings
    Wendy Tilby 1991 10 min
    This animated film paints a vivid portrait of two strangers intimately linked by the shared ceilings, floors and plumbing of their apartments. When an unexpected problem arises, these comfortable connections are compromised. Wendy Tilby uses a painstaking animation process involving painting on glass and stop-action filming. Strings is a film as beautiful as it is haunting. Without words.
  • Wild Life
    Wild Life
    Amanda Forbis  &  Wendy Tilby 2011 13 min
    In 1909, a dapper young remittance man is sent from England to Alberta to attempt ranching. However, his affection for badminton, bird watching and liquor leaves him little time for wrangling cattle. It soon becomes clear that nothing in his refined upbringing has prepared him for the harsh conditions of the New World. This animated short is about the beauty of the prairie, the pang of being homesick and the folly of living dangerously out of context.
  • When the Day Breaks
    When the Day Breaks
    Wendy Tilby  &  Amanda Forbis 1999 9 min
    In this animated short, Ruby the pig seeks affirmation in the city around her after witnessing the accidental death of a stranger… and finds it in surprising places. With deft humour and finely rendered detail, When the Day Breaks illuminates the links that connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a new day. Winner of over 40 prizes from around the world, the film also features singer Martha Wainwright.
  • The Flying Sailor
    The Flying Sailor
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Amanda Forbis  &  Wendy Tilby 2022 7 min
    Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown. A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy, The Flying Sailor is an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.

Explore