chris lavis and his filmmaking partner Maciek Szczerbowski have taken home the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for their National Film Board of Canada production The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The win was announced at the 98th Academy Awards, presented March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Chris Lavis And Szczerbowski’s Stop-Motion Short Claims Best Animated Short
The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a stop-motion fable produced and set in Montreal, was named Best Animated Short Film at the ceremony. The accolade marks the National Film Board of Canada’s 12th Oscar win and the first Academy Award for the Montreal animation duo. The 17-minute film was produced by Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël and runs 17 minutes 37 seconds.
The filmmakers reflected on the recognition, saying the award is a tribute to the artists who worked on the film and to the support provided by the National Film Board of Canada. They added that the encouragement from friends and family in recent weeks had been overwhelming.
Kitchener Recording Studio Played Role In The Film’s Voice Work
A recording studio in Kitchener hosted voice sessions for The Girl Who Cried Pearls. Fred Smith, owner and operator of Fred Smith Studio, handled a session that captured the voice work for the film. Award-winning actor Colm Feore performed most of the characters and the narration and recorded all of his lines at Smith’s studio in a single afternoon, the owner said.
Smith, who has operated the studio since 1985 and produces and composes across genres, described the session as swift when the actor arrives well prepared. The Kitchener studio’s contribution was highlighted as pivotal during the film’s awards run.
Why The Win Matters And Where The Film Is Available
chris lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski first drew major attention with their 2007 short Madame Tutli-Putli, which earned them their first Oscar nomination and began a two-decade collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada. The Academy Award for The Girl Who Cried Pearls extends that partnership and adds another international accolade to the NFB’s record.
The National Film Board of Canada noted the film is now available for viewing on its platforms and is offered in English in some subscription services; a French-language version is available on Arte across Europe and North Africa. The filmmakers and the NFB framed the win as a celebration of the creative community behind the production and of Canadian storytelling on the world stage.
With the Oscar secured, the filmmakers and producers now join a list of celebrated NFB projects recognized by the Academy, and the team behind The Girl Who Cried Pearls is set to receive further attention as the film reaches wider audiences following the award.
