Dominos

Bretislav 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.

In this short film, Czech filmmaker Bretislav Pojar amusingly reflects on our habit of looking before we leap. What he shows us is the little person inside each of us, the cautious character we all know, who acts to keep us out of trouble but also in a state of defeat. Is there a cure for this reluctance to face up to life in the raw? The film shows there is. With the Pojar charm at work, your worst fears suddenly look plain silly.

When 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.

This film is part of the ShowPeace series of lively animated films about conflict resolution. This series has received support from UNICEF and Justice Canada. For teaching guides, a parents' guide and recommended resources visit www.nfb.ca/showpeace

Technique: Cel animation

This animated short tackles the subjects of personal space, conflict, and conflict resolution in the workplace. At the office, tempers flare as two coworkers who are sitting dangerously close find themselves bumping elbows and spilling ink. The film demonstrates four common approaches to interpersonal tensions: retreat, aggression, denial and - finally – negotiation.

This short animation film tells the story of three heads who share a single body. The heads live in perfect harmony until one day... one of them begins to have a mind of its own. The film playfully explores how we're all "connected" but at the same time need to think for ourselves and respect differences.

This film is part of the ShowPeace series of lively animated films about conflict resolution. This series has received support from UNICEF and Justice Canada.

The Physics of Sorrow tracks an unknown man’s life as he sifts through memories of his youth in Bulgaria through to his increasingly rootless and melancholic adulthood in Canada.

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Film d'animation illustrant l'écrasement de l'homme moderne par le rouleau compresseur de la performance. Entre figuration et abstraction, Drux Flux s'inspire de L'homme unidimensionnel du philosophe Herbert Marcuse. Le cinéaste déconstruit les paysages industriels et met en cause la suprématie de la technique au dépend de l'humanité.

An ominous ticking sound triggers a massive explosion. A swarm of objects and figures scatters unforgivably. In the aftermath, only a few souls remain, including an elegant elderly woman. Wandering deserted city streets, the tired, stoic woman painfully recalls what was and what could have been. As a flood slowly swallows the city, she shares a final moment of grieving beauty. The final film (and first part) of Marta Pajek’s award-winning trilogy, Impossible Figures and other stories I is a mysterious and haunting portrait of personal and societal self-destruction. Using striking black-and-white imagery and occasional brushes of colour, the acclaimed filmmaker directs this post-apocalyptic animated short with gentleness, compassion and a dash of hope. Impossible Figures and other stories I is a co-production between Animoon and the National Film Board of Canada.

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.

This documentary by David Homel journeys across the ravaged landscape of the Balkans after the forgotten wars of the nineties that destroyed Yugoslavia. Vladimir Jovic is a Bosnian Serb psychiatrist who saw the break-up of his country and the end of Slobodan Milosevic's dictatorship. Today he treats his many compatriots who have been traumatized by their country's past. This story of an exemplary man delves into the aftermath of a barbarity that has marked people for life. From the battlefields to the psychiatrist's couch, Is My Story Hurting You? provides a disturbing look behind the scenes of history, where truth and lies overlap and evil terrifies but also fascinates. By piecing together memories, the film becomes a kind of therapy itself and a liberating force. In the end, resiliency wins out and life carries on.

This stop-motion animation takes a dark look into the war toys often given to children at Christmas time. Starting off as harmless objects, the toys quickly take on the gestures of real soldiers, mimicking the actions and penalties of a real war. This critical commentary on war and glamorized violence creates a real and frightening battle.