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Birthday Girl screened with seven other short films from Quebec (all of which were in English), four of which were animations produced by (or in part by) the NFB.

I was blown away by the animations screened in the program.

One of the films, Come Again in Spring, was written, directed and animated by Belinda Oldford. It’s a stunning, touching and somewhat comedic film about an elderly man who is visited upon by a dark robed figure who has come to take him to his death.

The animation is beautiful and the story is simple but moving. The score, composed by Judith Gruber-Stitzer is also wonderful. The film was produced by Academy Award winner Marcy Page, who produced this year’s success Madame Tutli-Putli. It was probably my favorite film of the night.

Another great animation was called Here and There. It was written, directed and animated by Obom. It’s a personal story about Obom’s childhood, growing up with her father in Montreal and mother in Paris. It’s funny, honest and the animation is charming.

Two other filmmakers from Quebec, Karl Lemieux and Patrick Gazé, were at the festival to present their films as well. Their films, Passages and Victor Gazon were also excellent.