Maral Mohammadian

Inkwo For When the Starving Return

Two lifetimes from now the world hangs in the balance. Dove, a young, enigmatic, gender-shifting warrior, discovers the gifts and burdens of their Inkwo (medicine) to defend against an army of hungry, ferocious monsters. Dove’s courage, resilience and alliance with the Earth culminates in a battle against these flesh-consuming creatures, who become stronger with each body and soul they devour. Inkwo for When the Starving Return is a call to action to fight and protect against the forces of greed around us.

Maybe Elephants

Three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in Nairobi. What could possibly go wrong?

My World, Your Melody

A choir of tropical frogs performs infectious pop in delightfully unsettling animation from Costa Rican-Canadian artist Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes. Riffing on karaoke companion videos and the swipe-n-scroll conventions of handheld media, she infuses candy-coloured digital animation with the spectre of ecological collapse.

100 Ghosts

A woman awakes to mysterious sounds—and confronts an astonishing surreal world summoned forth by her innermost fears. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

Lo 100to

When Delia announces a breakup on group chat, she’s bombarded with inappropriate and comic remarks from her Salvadoran family. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

The Commute

The distinctive three-note chime of the Toronto subway kicks off a zippy tale of bike theft and survival in an unfamiliar new town. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

Bang

In a frenzied attempt to break the isolation, a man drums his head against the wall, unleashing a battery of brightly hued hallucinations. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

100 Miles

Are we there yet? When the kids act up in the back seat, a family road trip gets knocked hilariously off course. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

Baek-il

The Korean legend of Ungnyeo, a bear reborn as a woman, becomes a percussive and mesmerizing riff on the themes of transformation and quarantine. Produced as part of the 13th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

What Rhymes With Toxic

There’s been another toxic spill. For the city councillor responsible, it’s just a big nuisance, having to endure media scrutiny until the crisis has passed. For the creatures in the lake, however, it’s a catastrophe. One turtle, in her desperate hour, summons up the courage to leave her home and speak truth to power. Turns out there’s more at stake than just the lake. Animated directly under the camera by Lynn Smith using paint and collage, What Rhymes with Toxic is both funny and deadly serious, and a sharp reminder that we are all interconnected.

Hide

It was the perfect hiding spot. No one would find him there.

Impossible Figures and Other Stories I

Impossible Figures and other stories I is the first and—paradoxically—the final part of the triptych. The city, which is its subject, grows not only in space but, most importantly, in time. With all consequences.

Balakrishna

When an extraordinary new resident – Balakrishna, an Indian elephant – arrived in the town of East River, Nova Scotia, in 1967, no one was more in awe of the creature than young Winton Cook, who became inseparable from his mammoth new friend. Using painterly animation, photographs and home-movie treasures, Balakrishna transmits the wistfulness of childhood memories, while evoking themes of friendship and loss, and issues of immigration and elephant conservation.

Shannon Amen

Shannon Amen unearths the passionate and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith. A loving elegy to a friend lost to suicide.

Deyzangeroo

Many cultures have viewed the lunar eclipse as a powerful reminder of the Day of Judgment. People chant prayers, sing songs and recite poetry, all in an effort to communicate with nature and the cosmic forces in the sky. They ask for forgiveness or understanding, as they yearn for what they fear is lost. “Deyzangeroo” is one such ritual, performed in the Iranian port city of Bushehr, on the shores of the Persian Gulf. The distinctive percussive music, rhythmic chants and tribal dances—an echo of the city’s colonial rule by the British and Portuguese, and the African slaves that followed—are performed with reverence, fear and magic. The ritual is believed to ward off evil spirits and take back the moon. And it works every time…

Naked Island - Hipster Headdress

An unapologetic confrontation of cultural appropriation and everything that’s wrong with hipsters in headdresses.

I Am Here

Alone in an aging cosmos, a traveller's pilgrimage comes to an end.

BAM

A modern adaptation of the myth of Hercules, BAM tells the story of a young boxer struggling to negotiate between his shy, bookish nature and a divinely violent temper. Where does this rage come from? Is it psychological or environmental - or is it something altogether more primordial?

The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer

This short animation presents the haunting story of two brothers who share the scars, though not the memories, of an untold history that has driven them to existential extremes.

The Roommate

Fed up with her roommate’s incessant shopping and hoarding, a girl takes matters into her own hands in this comical take on vlogging and the art of co-habitation. Inspired by found sound of a shopper’s vlog, nourished with Saturday morning cartoons, and produced as part of the 10th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

The Squirrel Next Door

A spider professes its love for a squirrel. An interspecies courtship unfolds between the two doe-eyed neighbours. This short film is a testament to the fact that there is truly someone for everyone and that love is species blind. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Lost Monster Hop

A little banjo-picking monster is trying to find her way at a signpost by the railway tracks. She sets out and finds what she is looking for in a rather surprising way. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Biology Made Un-easy

A close look at the microscopic world that surrounds us. Within each basic human interaction there is something strange festering under the surface, and we just need a good magnifying glass and a strong stomach to see it. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

One

This minimalist piece of animation explores the origin of life. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Roy G Biv

Dale Hayward brings to life his watercolour on paper. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Cumulus

A multi–layered story of an accumulation of encounters between black clouds. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Balloons

Two little men float into the deep blue sky, tied to balloons. But then each decides the sky belongs to him. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Margins

This short animated film looks at the relationship between social spaces and taboos surrounding mental illness and other forms of marginalization. The film is intended as a mood piece, a chance encounter between a lone figure and an indifferent crowd. This film was made as part of the fourth edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.