BC Premiere
Over ten years in the making, Return to Hairy Hill is an atmospheric, fictional tale of family folklore, inspired by a collection of memories about a story passed down through filmmaker Daniel Gies’ family. As the film unfolds, Ethel’s childhood ends abruptly when her mother flies away, leaving Ethel alone to care for an isolated homestead and her younger siblings. As a merciless winter descends upon them, she must decide whether to resign herself to fate or to try her luck in the wide world… A haunting film with a captivating, unique animation style that evocatively pays tribute to family, loss, and memory; an outstanding film that stays, lingers, long after it’s over.
Grand Prix Guy-L.-Coté for le Meilleur film d’animation canadien (2023)
Canada
2023
No Dialogue
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits
Executive Producer
Archita Ghosh
Producer
Emily Paige
Screenwriter
Daniel Gies, Emily Paige
Cinematography
Sébastien Gros
Editor
Daniel Gies
Director
Daniel Gies
Daniel Gies learned everything he knows about computer animation and filmmaking through online tutorials and with the support of generous mentors along the way. A self-taught artist and animator, born and raised at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Western, Canada, Daniel has spent the last 17 years living and working in the vibrant city of Montreal, Quebec. Although he has collaborated with many directors and artists over his career, Return to Hairy Hill marks Daniel Gies’ first independent short film.
Filmography: Giant Bear (2018); Let There Be Light (2017); Brown Bear: What Are You Toxin About (2017)
VIFF Short Forum
See more shorts in this series
1: Call your mother
Shorts from: Canada, China, UK.
2: Memory & mediation
Shorts from: Canada, France, Lebanon, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Syria, USA.
3: The peripheral core
Shorts from: Brazil, Canada, Japan, Norway, USA.
4: Um, womanhood
Shorts from: Canada, Columbia, France, Netherlands, Sweden.
5: The absurd & spiritual
Shorts from: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal.
6: City slickin’
Shorts from: Canada, France, Jordan, Spain, USA.
7: All day I dream about
Shorts from: Canada, India, Spain, Taiwan, USA.
8: Love and despair
Shorts from: China, France, Germany, Portugal, USA.
9: The scary one
Shorts from: Canada, Korea, Romania, USA.
10: The new socialism; ceasefire now!
Shorts from: Belgium, Canada, China, India, Myanmar, UK.
Short Fuse
An eye-opening collection of shorts exploring memories, experiences and relationships between friends, family, and across generations. From powwows in North America, to the rivers of Ethiopia and beyond, these shorts offer memorable stories on screen.