Once again this year, despite the global pandemic, the Sommets du cinéma d’animation team has put together a high-quality festival of the best animated films, taking place this December 1 to 6. The event includes several activities for industry professionals. So that everyone can benefit from these fascinating meetings and discussions, the festival will present its professional activities online, for free.

ONLINE EVENTS

The NFB-SOMMETS ARTISTS’ TALK: JOANNA QUINN AND LES MILLS will take place on Thursday, December 3 at 2 p.m. The great British filmmaker Joanna Quinn and her creative partner, producer and writer Les Mills, will talk about their short-film project Affairs of the Art, currently in progress as an NFB co-production. The master class is presented in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada; it will be in English only.

What does it take to mount a successful Oscars campaign? That’s the question two experts will discuss on Friday, December 4 at 2 p.m.during the PANEL:A SHERPA FOR THE OSCAR RACE,with a Montreal-based expert, Christine Noël, of the NFB, and a French expert, Benoît Berthe Siward, of The animation Showcase. Testimonials from animation filmmakers who have been through an Oscar race will enrich the discussion. The purpose of this activity is to better prepare industry professionals for the possibility of vying for an Oscar. The panel will be presented in collaboration with Telefilm Canada and the Consul General of France in Quebec. This discussion will be available in French only.

On Wednesday, December 2 at 1 p.m., director PATRICK BOUCHARD (Bydlo, Le Sujet) will give a master class presented in collaboration with NAD/UQAC, the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada.When he accepted a contract to design visuals for the Sommets 2020 in December 2019, Patrick Bouchard had no idea that a pandemic was around the corner, along with lockdown. The filmmaker took on the challenge of making the poster and trailer for the Sommets at home, using recycled elements and equal measures of talent and resourcefulness. During this discussion, he will look back on the key moments in the adventure. The discussion will be available in French only.

Also noteworthy is the announcement that filmmaker Martine Chartrand will receive the prestigious Prix René-Jodoin this year. Created by the Sommets and the Cinémathèque québécoise in 2015, the award honours the approach, acclaim, success and commitment of a Canadian animation professional. Martine Chartrand is a great humanist filmmaker who celebrated Black identity in two widely acclaimed films, Black Soul (2001) and Macpherson (2012). She used the paint-on-glass animation technique for the two short films, putting her in the illustrious company of great masters such as Caroline Leaf and Alexandre Petrov.

The ceremony, comprising a series of testimonials, will be streamed at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, in French only.

The professional activities at the 19^th Sommets du cinéma d’animation will be livestreamed on the festival’s Facebook page. The events will also be available for viewing the following day on the festival’s YouTube channel.

THE COMPETITION

The Sommets will present several programs at the Cinémathèque québécoise: the international, Canadian, student and very-short competitions and a special screening of films “made in lockdown” along with a few other surprises. In all, there will be 150 films to see, including 122 premieres from 20 countries. Following the recent public health announcements, theatres will unfortunately have to remain closed until January 11th. The festival must postpone its 19th edition films’ screenings until next Spring. Nevertheless, the competition will go forward regardless of the public health situation and the awards will be presented on December 6 by two juries: one for the international and Canadian competitions, and another for student shorts. In the meantime, the Sommets will present several interviews with the directors of films in competition on the festival’s Facebook page and YouTube channel – a novel way to learn more about the artists.