“Animation is no longer the very interesting but a bit eccentric cousin you don’t want to invite at a filmmaker’s wedding. Not only are we now invited to the wedding, we’re setting the guest list.”
With this opening punchline, Kaboom Artistic Director and Berlin EFM Animation Days opening speaker Aneta Ozorek earned cheers from the international crowd of animation professionals gathered under the Mirror Tent before giving the floor to scriptwriter, animation expert and MIFA Pitching sessions’ host Dennis Alme de Visscher for the first Canadian Animation Spotlight at EFM, co-hosted by Telefilm Canada.
Canada has a long lasting relationship with the animated medium, on both commercial and independent levels. According to numbers shared by Telefilm Canada, Canadian animated films have appeared 10 times in the annual Top 15 Canadian box office performers over the past seven years.
“We’re seeing explosive growth in animation with funding requests doubling in the last seven years,” added Joyce Richards, advisor & strategic communications. “Since 2017, animation projects generated over $270 million in production volume, and more than 60% of that investment came from Canadian sources.”
Animation is also one of Canada’s most export-driven screen sectors, with 83% of gross sales coming from international markets. “A number far higher than live action films”, underlines Richards.
Going beyond these numbers, Dennis Alme de Visscher added that co-production agreements and audiovisual treaties were key in developing the Canadian animation landscape. “As of now, Telefilm Canada has collaborations with over 60 countries. And 35 of those treaties grant a special certification, which makes your project eligible as national production in both countries, not just one.” A powerful incentive, especially for animation which often boasts higher production costs.
On Thursday, Canadian animation was represented by three projects in various development stages, ranging from family-friendly adventure and adult animation to Medieval fantasy with a vintage twist. Producers pitched their projects in front of a supportive and captivated audience, as is always the case with animation crowds.
Fifteen Dogs
Fifteen Dogs
From producers Steven Hoban and Mark Smith (Copperheart Entertainment) comes an adaptation of André Alexis’s Giller Prize–winning novel “Fifteen Dogs,” helmed by Hoban’s long-term collaborator and Academy-Award winning director Chris Landreth (“Ryan”, “Jeu de l’inconscient”). A story that begins with a wager between Greek gods, experimenting on human nature by granting a group of Toronto dogs human intelligence. Shortly after they realise their newfound consciousness, the dogs escape into the city where they navigate shifting loyalties, new language, and emerging identities. Their evolving relationships (especially the bond between Majnoun and Nira) explore sentience, companionship and whether self awareness ultimately brings joy or suffering.
After several attempts, Hoban managed to put André Alexis’ novel into Landreth’s hands back in 2018. From then on, the two have been building this project as a fully animated cinematic experience. One that, according to the duo, could only be accomplished through animation. “It’s not a family film”, underlined Landreth. “‘Fifteen Dogs’ is a deep, darkly funny story, emotionally powerful and sometimes tragic. We want to turn this absurd premise of gods wagering on dogs, into something that is intensely real.” Throughout his career, Landreth has played with real world physics and proportions to bring forth a form of psychological realism and truth. An artistic shift from CG animation that earned him the Academy Award in 2005 for “Ryan,” a homage to Ryan Larkin, a gifted Canadian animator of the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
“‘Fifteen Dogs,’ even though its told through the eyes of canine protagonists, will tackle what human life is really all about,” added Hoban. “We’re working with studio L’Atelier to craft compelling settings and relatable characters, and from what we’ve seen so far, they’ve done an amazing job. Chris is crafting a visually spectacular, devastating film.”
Eliak
Eliak and the End of the World
Presented by Galilé Marion-Gauvin, producer at L’Unité Centrale (which worked on both Jean-François Laguinoie’s “Louise en Hiver” and Pierre Földes’ “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman”), “Eliak and the End of the World” follows young Eliak in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by the spirits of nature, as she learns to survive this harsh environment. When Tata, her adoptive mother and guardian of the seeds, dies, she becomes the last human on Earth. Consumed by grief, she plunges into the ocean to retrieve her soul. She must choose: stay with her mother or become the oasis they sought.
With “Eliak”, Melanie S. Dubois is set to make her feature directorial debut. “Mélanie is a young and promising director from Montréal,” added Marion-Gauvin, “and I’m happy to share that we’ve secured development funding, and that we are working on a second draft script right now, taking our time to refine and develop the project as best as we can. We’re also looking for different creative partners to collaborate with Mélanie, such as artistic director or co-director.”
For this animation family-friendly project, L’Unité Centrale is also looking for distributors, investors and potential partners.
Beshader
Beshader
From director-screenwriter Seth Smith and Nancy Urich comes “Beshader,” a dark medieval fantasy aimed at young adults and teenagers not afraid of a little scare. In a valley lost to permanent night, in a land overtaken by vampiric overlords, an orphaned boy joins a band of rebels to reclaim their homeland and restore the light.
“Seth and I have been working on feature film projects for 15 years”, added Urich. “At CUT/OFF/TAIL Pictures, we normally produce live-action, but we’ve also been looking for the thrills from 1980s classics such as ‘Labyrinth,’ ‘Return to Oz’ or even ‘Dark Crystal.’ imaginative projects with a dark edge that aren’t that common nowadays.”
This was the starting point for “Beshader,” a project that Urich and Smith want to build with rotoscope animation. “We are now consulting leaders in the field such as Minnow Mountain, who worked recently with Netflix on ‘Apollo 10 ½’ and with Amazon Prime on ‘Undone’. We’re now at a second draft of the script, and we will soon ask Telefilm Canada for 33% of our budget, and apply to other digital animation tax credits in our province to complete our budget, which is around $5 million. Overall, Canada will provide for 60% of the total budget, and we are looking for sales agents and equity investors to complete the remaining 40%.”
Urich and Smith are also looking for co-producers with expertise in animation.
From Berlin to Bordeaux
Beyond EFM, Québec-Canada have already been announced as the guest countries for Cartoon Movie, the biggest European co-production for animated features. Six projects will be presented to buyers, sales agents, investors and producers alike at this top-tier event, starting March 3 in Bordeaux.
Finally, Dennis Alme de Visscher underlined the perks of investing in Canada. “There are some serious tax incentives for international co-producers. From Canada, you can get up to 16% tax incentive. But, as you know, Canada has a lot of different provinces, so you could stack those incentives. British Columbia offers 16%, Ontario 18%, and Québec offers 40%, which is why Montréal has become one of the largest animation hubs in North America.”