Short Fuse

Curated specifically for our VIFF Ignite high school series, this special shorts program showcases innovative and award-winning animated short films from across Canada over the past 20 years. These works were each selected for their memorable animations and their visually evocative storytelling. They have each been honored at prestigious international animation festivals, and even an Academy Award.

These filmmakers re-imagine compelling perspectives, legends, family experiences, memories, and formative life experiences with unique animation styles and techniques. Together they offer a mesmerizing and emotional collection of diverse animated stories from some of Canada’s most celebrated animators, unlike anything many students have ever seen.

Hedgehog’s Home | Trailer
Eva Cvijanovic, 2017, 10 min

In a lush and lively forest lives a hedgehog. He is respected and envied by the other animals. However, Hedgehog’s unwavering devotion to his home annoys a quartet of insatiable beasts. Together, they march off towards Hedgehog’s home and spark a tense and prickly standoff. Exquisitely directed by Eva Cvijanović and based on the classic story by Branko Ćopić, a writer from the former Yugoslavia, Hedgehog’s Home is a warm and universal tale for young and old that reminds us there truly is no place like home.

The Head Vanishes | Trailer
Franck Dion, 2016, 9 min

In this poetic short, animator Franck Dion (Edmond was a Donkey) invites us to share the journey of Jacqueline, an elderly woman living with degenerative dementia. Jacqueline isn’t quite in her right mind anymore, but she’s determined to take the train to the seaside, as she has done every summer. Only this year, she’s constantly being followed by some woman who claims to be her daughter, and the trip takes some unexpected and phantasmagorical turns.

The Danish Poet | Trailer
Torill Kove, 2006, 14 min

If you’ve heard of the butterfly effect, how about the falling cow impact? Whimsical, philosophical and absurdly hilarious, this NFB animated short by Oscar®-winning director Torill Kove follows Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, as he attempts to answer some big questions. Can we trace the chain of events that lead to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter? It turns out that where Kasper is concerned, seemingly unrelated factors such as bad weather, an angry dog, a careless postman, hungry goats and the aforementioned deadly bovine might play important roles in the grand scheme of things after all.

Academy Award for Best Animated Short, 2006

The Necktie | Trailer
Jean-François Lévesque, 2008, 12 min

A mixture of puppet and hand-drawn animation, The Necktie is the story of Valentin and his quest to find meaning in his life. Stuck in a dead-end job for years, Valentin has forgotten all about the things that used to bring him joy. Years pass, and boredom replaces all his aspirations and hope for the future. It is only on his 40th birthday, when he rediscovers an old accordion hidden in the depths of his closet, that he regains his lust for life.

The Mountain of SGaana | Trailer
Christopher Auchter, 2017, 10 min

In The Mountain of SGaana, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter spins a magical tale of a young man who is stolen away to the spirit world, and the young woman who rescues him. The film brilliantly combines traditional animation with formal elements of Haida art, and is based on a story inspired by a old Haida fable.

Freaks of Nurture | Trailer
Alexandra Lemay, 2018, 6 min

Freaks of Nurture is a delightfully animated short about a mother-daughter relationship inspired by the filmmaker’s own unorthodox upbringing with her single-parent mom — who is also a busy foster parent and dog breeder. Self-deprecating and bursting with color, humor and energy, the film reveals that no matter how grown-up we think we are, we never quite stop craving the love and support of a parent, and more often than not, we are all just doing the best we can.