Get the rare chance to see two beautiful 2026 Oscar Winners on the big screen! In this program we are bringing you the Best Short Animation and Best Short Fiction that have captured the hearts of the members of the Academy. Enjoy the two films in their full glory, in a setting worthy of their success.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Canada | 2025 | 17′ 30″
Synopsis
In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. 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.
From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the magic of stop-motion animation. With handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Colm Feore and a haunting score by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception and the price of innocence.
CREDITS:
A film by:
Chris Lavis
Maciek Szczerbowski
(Clyde Henry Productions)
Written by:
Chris Lavis
Maciek Szczerbowski
Isabelle Mandalian
With the voice of:
Colm Feore
Original Music:
Patrick Watson
Producers:
Julie Roy
Marc Bertrand
Christine Noël
Sound Designer:
Olivier Calvert
Artistic Director:
Brigitte Henry
Animators:
Laura Stewar,
Laura Venditti,
Peggy Arel
Costume Designer:
Yso
Visual Effects and Compositing Artists: Melrouss, Jean-François Lévesque, Alexandre Roy, Kamil Chajder
3D Artist Generalist:
Alexandre Morin, ZABELLE Inc.
3D Modelling and Texturing:
Daniel Gies, E.D. Films
Studio Coordinators:
Rose Mercier-Marcotte
Laetitia Seguin
Foley:
Lise Wedlock
Sound Recordists:
Luc Léger
Geoffrey Mitchell
Re-Recording Mixer:
Isabelle Lussier
Colourist & Online Editor:
Yannick Carrier
Two People Exchanging Saliva
USA, France | 2024 | 36′ | live-action
Synopsis
In a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face. Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store. There, she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.
CREDITS:
Cast: Zar Amir, Luana Bajrami, Aurélie Boquien, Vicky Krieps, Nicolas Bouchaud, Mitchell Jean, Mustapha Abourachid, Thibault de Lussy
Written and Directed by: Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata
Producers: Violeta Kreimer, Valentina Merli, Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh, Carol Cohen
Executive Producer: Isabelle Huppert, Julianne Moore
Director of Photography: Alexandra de Saint Blanquat
Editor: Hanna Park
Music: Bobak Lotfipour
Sound Designer: Damian Volpe
Costume Designer: Rezvan Farsijani
Head Makeup Artist: Margaux Tricot
Head Hair Stylist: Marcos Barajas
