Catherine Lepage's NFB animated short Le mal du siècle (The Great Malaise) will receive its international premiere in competition at the prestigious 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival, which runs February 20 to March 1, 2020. The film was selected to screen in the Generation 14plus program, which gives young audiences an opportunity to watch a diverse offering of powerful, relevant stories that are cinematically innovative and unconventional.
Quick facts
- The Great Malaise will have its international premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival - Generation 14plus program.
- The short film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sommets du cinéma d'animation (Montreal Animated Film Summit), where it won the People's Choice Award in the international category and a Jury Special Mention in the Canadian competition.
- It is the first film by Catherine Lepage, an illustrator and author whose books (notably 12 mois sans intérêt, Fines tranches d'angoisse [Thin Slices of Anxiety] and Zoothérapie) have been translated and published around the world.
Quotes
"It was my secret dream to have my premiere in Berlin, and I am absolutely thrilled that they have selected The Great Malaise! The NFB gave me the opportunity to follow my instincts in making my first film, and this honour has confirmed for me that if art is personal and honest it can achieve something universal." - Catherine Lepage, Director
"Catherine Lepage's sensitivity, her immense visual talent, and her intelligence as a storyteller set her apart as an animation filmmaker to watch. I hope we'll get a chance to work together again soon. In her first film, Catherine offers a humorous take on a very troubling problem that can affect anyone." - Marc Bertrand, Producer, NFB
About the film
Le mal du siècle (The Great Malaise) by Catherine Lepage (5 min 19 s)
A young woman describes herself and her life in glowing terms, but the visual narrative tells a different story: with heart-rending power it illustrates the heavy burden of anxiety carried by this worried overachiever.
Synopses, biographies, images: mediaspace.nfb.ca/malaise
- 30 -
Stay Connected
Online Screening Room: NFB.ca
NFB Facebook | NFB Twitter | NFB Instagram | NFB Blog | NFB YouTube | NFB Vimeo
