Death in the Spring

Brother Bear

October 2003 •English

When an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths and rambunctious rams.

A Tree of Palme

March 2002 •Japanese

A Tree of Palme is an interpretation of the Pinocchio tale. It concerns a small puppet, Palme, who was tasked by his creator to look over his ailing wife, Xian. After her passing, Palme is visited by a mysterious woman who he mistakenly believes to be Xian. Shaken out of his sadness, Palme accepts her request to deliver something special to a far-off place known as Tama. This sets Palme off on a journey to discover his own emotions, and what it truly means to be human.

From Darkness

June 2002 •English

A lonely fisherman drifts into haunted waters in search of food and finds much more than he bargained for. Based on an Inuit folktale.

Three Thousand

October 2017 •English

Inuit artist Asinnajaq plunges us into a sublime imaginary universe—14 minutes of luminescent, archive-inspired cinema that recast the present, past and future of her people in a radiant new light. Diving into the NFB’s vast archive, she parses the complicated cinematic representation of the Inuit, harvesting fleeting truths and fortuitous accidents from a range of sources—newsreels, propaganda, ethnographic docs, and work by Indigenous filmmakers. Embedding historic footage into original animation, she conjures up a vision of hope and beautiful possibility.

I Am But a Little Woman

June 2010 •Inuktitut

Inspired by an Inuit poem first assigned to paper in 1927, this animated short evokes the beauty and power of nature, as well as the bond between mother and daughter. As her daughter looks on, an Inuit woman creates a wall hanging filled with images of the spectacular Arctic landscape and traditional Inuit objects and iconography. Soon the boundaries between art and reality begin to dissolve.

Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss

June 2006 •English

A fully animated feature fantasy about two star crossed seals from warring families that fall in love against their parents' wishes. When Juliet's father gives her hand in marriage to the monstrous elephant seal Prince, Juliet must fake her death in order to be reunited with Romeo. But the plan goes afoul and it's a desperate race to the end. With the help of their friends Friar Lawrence and Kissy, the kissing fish, the day is saved and the young lovers are reunited. Romeo & Juliet: Sealed With a Kiss is the ageless tale of love and prejudice set in an undersea world. A film that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

The Shaman's Apprentice

June 2021 •Inuktitut

A young shaman must face her first test: a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill.

Mice Follies

September 1954 •English

Jerry and his diapered little mouse friend flood the kitchen, then use the freezer to turn it into a skating rink. Even though Tom finds a pair of ice skates, the mice have no problem outmaneuvering him.

Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves

January 2011 •Inuktitut

It begins as an average hunting trip for two young men, but when they find themselves lost, the only safe haven to be found for miles—a mysterious village filled with the sounds of drum dancing and revelry—turns out to be even more dangerous than the frigid ocean.

The Book of the Sea

May 2018 •Russian

In the frigid waters off of Russia’s Bering Strait, Inuit and Chukchi hunters today still seek out the giant sea mammals that have provided their people with food since time immemorial. It is known, that the whale hunting today is controversial and subject to international criticism and regulations. But the Inuit and Chukchi hunt is permitted by international law because of the whaling is the foundation of their culture and their life. The contemporary story of elders Aleksandr and Aleksei blends seamlessly with that of “the woman who gave birth to a whale” and other ancient myths, told here in vivid animation, in this ongoing struggle for survival and preservation of a traditional lifestyle in one of the most remote places on earth.

Snow Bear

November 2024 •English

A lonely bear is wandering the arctic looking for a friend.

Animation from Cape Dorset

January 1973 •English

This collection assembles the first animated films to be made by Inuit artists at the NFB. Featured is work by Solomonie Pootoogook, Timmun Alariaq, Mathew Joanasie, and Itee Pootoogook Pilaloosie—all participants in the Cape Dorset (Baffin Island) Film Animation Workshop, established to teach animation skills to local artists. The soundtrack features performances by Aggeok and Peter Pitseolok. Commentary is provided in a blend of Inuktitut and English.

One Who Has Two Souls

April 2015 •French

He was called "He Who Has Two Souls". He was beautiful as a woman. And handsome as a man. He hesitated.

The Legend of Sarila

February 2013 •English

Three young Inuits set off in search of a promised land to save their clan from starvation.

The Reach

Invalid date •English

The year she turns ninety-five, Stella starts to see ghosts of her dead friends and loved ones, including her late husband Bill. They tell her to join them in crossing the Reach, an ice bridge that forms over the ocean between her home of Koati Island and the mainland in winter.

Wind Along the Coast

March 2003 •Russian

A lyrical and funny story about the hard life of a village on the coast suffering from the high winds.

Embruns

June 2024 •French

It is cold and dark. In between surreal waves and the morning haze, we catch a glimpse of the emerging glows. The sea breeze wiggles and writhes, twisting and turning, embracing the shore under its steady growl. And on the sand, a young man stares into the far end of the ocean.

Sandman

January 1973 •English

Characters morph into objects and each other in this stop motion animation made with sand.

Neige

March 2015 •French

On the Ice

December 1924 •English

Silent cartoon.