Montreal Filmmakers Return to Oscars with Enchanting Animated Short
Montrealers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski are heading back to the Academy Awards, marking their second Oscar nomination for the National Film Board of Canada's animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The film has been nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category, continuing the duo's remarkable journey in cinematic storytelling.
A Five-Year Labor of Love
"It feels terrific, I have to admit it," Lavis shared shortly after the nomination announcement. "It was a five-year journey to make this film. You don't make a film for that kind of validation at the end, but we worked really hard on it." The filmmakers expressed both excitement and surreal disbelief at returning to Hollywood's biggest stage.
Their previous Oscar experience came in 2008 with Madame Tutli-Putli, which also earned critical acclaim and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Szczerbowski recalled advice they received during their first Academy Awards appearance: "Our friend Phil Tippett said, 'Don't forget to have all the fun you can because you'll never be back here again.' So we did."
A Magical Ode to Montreal
The Girl Who Cried Pearls serves as what the filmmakers describe as "a magical ode to their adoptive hometown." Set in early 20th-century Montreal's St-Henri neighborhood, the film follows a destitute boy living on the streets who encounters a mysterious girl with a remarkable ability: she weeps pearls of sorrow at night.
"I guess we wanted to repay a cultural debt to the city we live in," Szczerbowski explained. "We reached deep into the well of history and art. There are elements of our love of Mordecai Richler and Gabriel Roy in this, even though it's an original story. We wanted to add to that continuum of fables about Montreal."
Collaborative Montreal Talent
The film features significant contributions from Montreal's artistic community, including:
- A twinkling instrumental score by longtime collaborator Patrick Watson
- A heartfelt voice performance by acclaimed actor Colm Feore
- Musical contributions from Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry on upright bass
- Violin work by Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Sophie Trudeau
- Additional instrumentation by Brad Barr on guitar and Rebecca Foon on cello
- Art direction by Brigitte Henry
Watson assembled an orchestra of musicians specifically for the project, creating what Lavis describes as an essential component of the film's emotional texture.
The Painstaking Art of Stop-Motion
Like their previous work, The Girl Who Cried Pearls was created using traditional stop-motion animation techniques. Szczerbowski describes the process as "a painstaking process — that pretty much describes it. I would even say mind-numbing pain."
The filmmakers used real puppets that were moved incrementally and photographed frame by frame, resulting in what they call "a visually stunning film" that achieves both enchanting realism and otherworldly qualities. Surprisingly, the puppets' faces remain largely unchanged throughout most of the story, a creative choice inspired by the filmmakers' observations of their own children.
"The style of puppetry here is very much inspired by playing with our kids and seeing the magical way they related to the puppets," Lavis noted. "We realized the puppets have incredible power, even without their mouths moving."
Inspired by Family and City Mythology
Both filmmakers drew inspiration from their young daughters, whom they wanted to make "hyper-aware of the fantastical nature of this city and what it's like to live in a place filled with mythology and an original identity."
Szczerbowski reflected on Montreal's unique character: "The streets are imbued with mystery and fantasy that we're sometimes too depressed to notice." This perspective informed their approach to creating a film that captures both the historical reality and magical potential of their adopted city.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15, where Lavis and Szczerbowski will discover if their five-year journey culminates in Oscar gold. The Girl Who Cried Pearls is currently available for streaming through the National Film Board of Canada's website, allowing audiences to experience this Montreal-made cinematic treasure.
