The National Film Board of Canada is streaming the Oscar-winning stop-motion fable The Girl Who Cried Pearls for free on its website, YouTube channel and apps.
The 17-minute and 37-second short film, which was set and produced in Montreal, was named best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.
“In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls,” an NFB synopsis reads. “He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.”
Created by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski and produced by Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël, the film also won the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film last year at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it had its North American premiere. The short had its world premiere prior to that at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
“In addition to highlighting the film’s daring technical achievement and sumptuous artistic direction, the jury also wants to recognize a fable about greed and the capacity of artists to create a fantastic world by the power of their narrative voice [Colm Feore],” said the TIFF jury statement.
The Montreal animation studio behind the short previously received an Oscar nomination for best Animated Short in 2007’s Madame Tutli-Putli, which kicked off a 20-year collaboration with the NFB.
The NFB has been behind productions and co-productions that have received 12 Oscars and 79 nominations, according to a press release.
Photo via the NFB
