Cinema Canada (Oct-Nov 1980)

considering the quality of the animation. To come away from a festival feeling that many of the films deserved to be winners is a unique experience. But not only the winners warrant highlighting, some of the other films also deserve special mention. In category “A” (films longer than three minutes), first prize went to Russian animator Yuri Norstein for Skazka Skazok (Tale of Tales). This is a tour de force in animation technique. It was a dream about the horror of war through the loss of loved ones, the joy of birth and the vitality and beauty of youth. He creates an endearing creature that looks like a cute cartoonlike dog to escort us through the logic of his dream. The genius of Norstein’s style is his depiction of images that are so human and sensitive. The dog becomes more than a cardboard cut-out ; he is a sensitive and witty observer of the dream elements. The range of techniques used, such as cut-out, pencil drawing, collage, and watercolour, is carefully orchestrated to involve one in the reality of the dream. It is a complex and beautiful film that words cannot adequately describe; it certainly is one of the most evocative animated films I have ever seen. The Sweater, an NFB film made by Sheldon Cohen, is a charming film set in a small Quebec village of the late forties and early fifties. This film won second prize in category “A.” There is only one hockey hero in the village. He is Rocket Richard who plays for the Montreal Canadiens. All the boys in the village wear the Montreal sweater with Rocket Richard’s number on it, almost religiousiy. When one boy in the village is forced to wear a Toronto Maple Leaf sweater, because his mother ordered the wrong sweater from the Eaton’s catalogue, the boy is personally ashamed and consequently held up to ridicule by his friend and the local priest. Michael Mills won first prize in category “B” (films shorter than three minutes) for his film The History of the World in Three Minutes Flat. The film is a witty and compressed history of the world from creation to the present day. Second prize in category “B” went to a magical film entitled A Bogar (The Bug) made by Ferenc Rofusz from Hungary. His film was also given the award for the most popular audience film of the festival. His film proves that a simple idea developed with superb technique can make for a compelling film. It is simply a film about the flight of a fly through the fields and into a house. RocKETSHI Limited Marv Newland International Rocketship Ltd. (Vancouver) The camera gives us a fly’s eye-view of the fly's meandering journey until its life is terminated by a fly swatter. When | interviewed Rofusz, he claimed that the idea for the film came from listening toa Pink Floyd Album. Apparently this famous rock group experiments with a variety of sounds that reflect the environment. Eugene Fedorenko, after receiving the Oscar for Every Child, was once again given commendation. His film won first prize in category “E” (First film). Every Child (sponsored by UNICEF for the year of the child), in a comic and compelling fashion shows the need for child rights in a world that is rapidly losing the security of family life and the desire to care. It is a story about an unwanted baby who is passed from house to house and finally ends up being cared for by some poor panhandlers in a junkyard. Paul Fierlinger, of the USA receiveda well-deserved first prize in category “F” (Films for Children), for It’s So Nice To Have A Wolf Around The House. It deals with prejudice, and a caring for others, in an entertaining way. A very old man lives with a very old cat, goldfish, and dog. Since they are unable to take care of themselves, they advertise in the ait Cinema Canada/21