Skip to main content
Mother of Dawn film image; close on a knitted skull

Mother of Dawn

Mãe da Manhã

VIFF Short Forum

In the dead of night, a hungry creature searches for food — until something breaks the cycle.

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

Belgium/Brazil/
Finland/Portugal

Year

2024

Language

In Portuguese and English with English subtitles

Links
Content Warning

Graphic violence

18+
9 min
Animation Experimental & Avant Garde LGBTQIA2S+ Shorts
Re:Anima Joint Masters Programme

Credits & Director

Screenwriter

Clara Trevisan

ANIM

Clara Trevisan

Editor

Clara Trevisan

Original Music

Pedro Cassel, Vini Albernaz

Clara Trevisan headshot

Clara Trevisan

Clara Trevisan is Brazilian multimedia visual artist whose work focuses mainly on animation and illustration, primarily within the realms of fantasy and the imaginary. In 2024, Trevisan finished a master’s degree in the Re:Anima Joint Master program, resulting in the stop-motion short film Mãe da Manhã (Mother of Dawn). The short film was produced with a small budget using objects and puppets built by the director from found and reused materials, including the main character, a giant puppet as big as a human torso.

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

Sirât

Dir. Óliver Laxe
115 min

A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Documentary)

Dir. Various
157 min

Don't come to the program of Oscar®-nominated documentary shorts for escapism. But let's talk about the Canadian contender, Perfectly a Strangeness, featuring an abandoned observatory and three donkeys. More of this, please.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

H is for Hawk

Dir. Philippa Lowthorpe
114 min

Based on naturalist Helen MacDonald's memoir (scripted by Emma Donoghue), H is for Hawk follows Helen (Claire Foy), who, after the sudden death of her father embarks on an intense relationship... with a goshawk.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Emergence: Women in the Storm

Dir. Velcrow Ripper & Nova Ami
85 min

Stories of resistance and recovery, courage, creativity and community in the face of the climate emergency gleaned from women first responders and those impacted in Western Canada, particularly Lytton and the Fraser Valley.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre