Phone Call from Imaginary Girlfriend: Ankara

An intimate declaration of love that can be carried around in your pocket till it is needed.

Shorts in Motion is an initiative from Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) and the National Film Board of Canada featuring downloadable micro-movies for video cell phones by four celebrated Canadian artists.

In this animated short, Oscar® winner Chris Landreth returns with a poignant story of redemption that takes us into the relationship between a man and a woman trapped in a spiral of mutual destruction after 26 years of marriage. The Spine continues Landreth's pursuit of a twisted, beautiful and highly original visual aesthetic, using digital imagery to create characters whose physical appearances are metaphors for their unique souls.

This short film made with the video camera on a cellphone is part of MobiDOCS: Confessions in a Digital Age. The director asks questions to the participants about their sexual experiences. Based upon the arcade game of the same name in which participants are required to either agree or disagree with the proposition "I've Never Had Sex...."

In this short film, a young man, a girl and a dog attempt to fly with wings more symbolic than practical. Music by poet Leonard Cohen, performed by The Stormy Clovers.

In this short animation, Oscar®-winning director Chris Landreth (Ryan, 2004) uses a common social gaffe—forgetting somebody’s name—as the starting point for a mind-bending romp through the unconscious. Inspired by the classic TV game show Password, the film features a wealth of animated celebrity guests who try to prompt our beleaguered protagonist to remember his old pal's name. Finally, he realizes he must surrender to his predicament and jump head-first into his subconscious to find the answer.

This dramatic short is intended to be a conversation starter on the topic of sex, responsibility and contraception. When young, popular Kristen suspects that she's pregnant, she and her boyfriend Jason are forced to answer some difficult questions: Will they keep the baby? What are their thoughts on abortion? Adoption? How will their actions affect their futures? Baby Blues reflects the teenage point of view without moralizing or sugar-coating the issue and dramatizes the consequences of ignoring birth control in a way that breaks through the "it can't happen to me" barrier. Appropriate for classroom use.

Pia Yona Massie's Sayonara Super 8 uses personal archival footage to ask questions about the fragile nature of memory, human relationships and the foibles of the medium itself.

In this autobiographical animated short, Elise Simard crafts the story of a young girl seeking self-discovery and rebirth. Drifting between real and imagined events, the film uses time-lapse photography with ink and pastels, creating a haunting, compassionate exploration of addiction and existence.

This feature-length drama explores the changing role of men in today's society by delving into the stories of 4 men and their relationships with women. Blue, in his mid-30s, has spent his adult years searching for the right woman, without any luck. Alex, the same age as Blue, married with two small children, says he needs his freedom. He's having an affair. Mort and Ashley are both in their 40s, divorced with children. Mort has found someone new but she balks at a permanent relationship. Ashley, devastated by his divorce, is unwilling to risk a new commitment.

From Gerald Potterton (director of the cult classic Heavy Metal), this short film depicts the daydream of a chauffeur awaiting his employer. On a hot summer day, he begins to imagine that it's winter—the residential street where he's parked transforms into snowy mountains, and a series of comic misadventures begin. As the car is replaced by a toboggan, it carries the tycoon away on a dizzying ride. The chase includes some unforgettable antics in the snow, including a piggyback ride on an incredulous skier.

Two drinking buddies sit in a beer-induced stupor, idly dreaming of a tropical paradise. Ironically, that paradise is just outside their dilapidated shack. This computer-animated film shows that our inability to fully enjoy our environment often stems from our attitudes towards life. Film without words.