Skip to main content
The Painting film image; painting of an arm with ribbon around wrist

The Painting

Le Tableau

VIFF Short Forum

Using pinscreen animation, an instance of institutionalized incest in art history is examined through the portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria, who was 14 when she married her uncle.

 

Supported by

    

Community Partner

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

In English and French with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Incest

18+
11 min
Animation Art, Music & Photography Family Relations Shorts Women Directors
The National Film Board of Canada

Credits & Director

Producer

Christine Noël, Julie Roy

Screenwriter

Michèle Lemieux

ANIM

Michèle Lemieux

Editor

Annie Jean

Original Music

Robert Marcel Lepage

Michèle Lemieux headshot; The Painting director

Michèle Lemieux

Michèle Lemieux is an illustrator and animation filmmaker who has taught at UQAM’s School of Design for over 30 years. Since the late 1970s, she has worked on 15 illustrated books for young people, including Stormy Night (1997) which was adapted to the screen in 2003 at the NFB. In 2006, during a workshop given by Jacques Drouin, Lemieux was introduced to Alexeïeff-Parker’s pinscreen, subsequently becoming the artistic heir to this unique animation technique. She has made two short films using the pinscreen: Here and the Great Elsewhere (2012), which won several awards, and most recently, The Painting (2024).

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Elephants in the Fog

Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah
108 min

In a remote Nepalese village, Pirati takes charge in the search for a missing girl belonging to her family of third-gender Kinnar women. A densely atmospheric thriller and a moving portrait of an embattled but resilient community.

International Village 10 Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only

RADIOHEART: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole

Dir. Peter Hilgendorf, Andrew Franks
83 min

Featuring a scintillating soundtrack of tunes going back to the ‘70s, RADIOHEART is a heartwarming celebration of one of the greatest radio DJs, Kevin Cole, whose musical tastes and influence are still reverberating across the world’s soundwaves.

International Village 9

Nous, L'orchestre De Paris

Dir. Philippe Béziat
90 min

Philippe Béziat’s documentary offers an unprecedented look at the Orchestre de Paris and the camaraderie of its 120 members. A jubilant ode to the transcendence of classical music.

International Village 8
Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story
Man in Motion film image; man using wheelchair down a street in the rain

Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story

Dir. Adrian Buitenhuis
96 min

Twenty-six months, 40,075 kilometres, 34 countries traversed in a wheelchair, and more than $26 million raised for accessibility initiatives… Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story documents the staggering accomplishments of an iconic athlete and activist.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
Strong Son
Strong Son film image; two men flexing their arm muscles

Strong Son

Dir. Ian Bawa
88 min

A bodybuilder returns home to care for his ailing father in Ian Bawa's debut feature. A moving exploration of masculinity, filial duty, and the emotional distance between first-generation immigrant parents and their children.

International Village 10

Ceremony

Dir. Banchi Hanuse
84 min

Powerful and evocative, Ceremony follows the disappearance of the ooligan in Bella Coola, revealing a story of cultural survival, environmental stewardship, and the enduring relationship between the Nuxalk Nation and the land.

International Village 9 Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre