The body is a magnificent system. But its harmony can be interrupted, sometimes by subversive agents within. Sick uses stop motion to bring to life a knitted body in a fanciful journey through the pulsating organs and dark recesses of the human body.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
In this animated short, a delusional young man spots the girl of his dreams in his favourite café and weaves a self-indulgent fantasy story of their imagined life together. Missed Connection examines our universal desire to connect in a world of beautiful strangers.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
This animated short employs hand-drawn animation layered over stop-motion sequences of moving ink on drumskins to create a striking, mournful portrait of the Alberta tar sands.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
The macabre tale of a child trying to overcome her fear of the swing.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
A slow, agonizing, juicy exploration of the oldest form of affection.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
Watch as one cloud’s imagination soars from the familiar to the unknown on a captivating journey from dusk until dawn. Animated using partial audio waveform data, A Cloud’s Dream is a stereoscopic particle simulation that explores various cloud formations.
Produced as part of the 7th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
In this animated short from the Hothouse 5 series, two creatures wonder, What is a hole? They have different points of view. Their debate leads to an idea, an idea that changes the world. This is a story of practical magic.
Produced as part of the 5th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
A neon glimpse into a personal world within an urban landscape. From FOMO to JOMO, The Fake Calendar is an artist’s expression of how people come up with interesting and creative ways to avoid social functions in favour of their own private space.
Produced as part of the 12th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
This short animated tale of Victorian-era folly ends in tragedy. Kevin Langdale's graphic style brims with the majesty of human ambition and the indomitable and sometimes destructive power of the natural world.
Produced as part of the second edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
An adventure through the cosmic unveiling of the beautiful and strange macro/micro structures that unite us with the Universe.
Produced as part of the 9th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
Itch is an abstract expression of what it feels like to experience an eczema flare-up.
Produced as part of the 9th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
This minimalist piece of animation explores the origin of life.
Produced as part of the fourth edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.
Ages 13 to 17
Science - Biology
As a class, research instances in which incongruous arts-and-crafts forms and media have been used to portray human and animal anatomy (for example, Lego “frog” dissection, human anatomy sleeping bag, and so on). Screen the film Sick and show the class Rembrandt’s famous painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Then have the students use unusual materials and media to create anatomical artworks, and display them in a gallery space.