As part of the Canadian delegation participating in MIFA 2022, Telefilm Canada will be hosting the RDV CANADA: The Future of Animation pitch session on June 14th in the Salon Ravel of the Imperial Palace from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. CEST.
This pitch session will showcase a diversity of voices and styles, going from hard-edged adult animation to educational projects aimed at young audiences. These five projects were selected by a jury of industry experts and represent an array of exciting new voices on the animation scene.
‘Telefilm has been amazing’ says Jerry Thevenet, producer of Heroine. ‘As an Indigenous producer, I’m not used to this kind of attention. (…) Telefilm and their team have done an outstanding job preparing us for this momentous occasion and I am truly grateful!’
‘It’s been excellent,’ adds Sule the Proverb Detective’s Chukky Ibe. ‘The staff are proactive and intentional. And the cohort they have assembled is fun, fresh, and so unique. I am learning so much from them, and from my peers in the program.’
‘Working with the people at Telefilm has been great,’ says Judith Beauregard, producer of Frida, It’s Me. ‘They are eager to help and give us an extra edge. I feel it’s important to them to give us the best possible chances of success at the Annecy Film Festival.’
Meet this year’s animations!
The Adventures of Little Oprah 
Produced by Sabrina Roc of Wojack Productions, The Adventures of Little Oprah is the story of a mighty hero Yorkie who travels in the imaginary world of both children and people living with mental illness in order to support kids and their family members.
Frida, It’s Me
‘An initiative like this one is really helpful for producers with less experience,’ says Judith Beauregard, who brings her project Frida, It’s Me to Annecy. ‘It gives a really good overview of the industry and helps us prepare for the market. It’s also great to have access to people with experience and a great contact list! I feel my pitch will be stronger thanks to the help of our mentors.’
Frida, It’s Me is based on the storybook by Cara Carmina and Sophie Faucher and centers on the titular Frida, a young Mexican girl designed to look like the painter Frida Kahlo. From one episode to another, in chronological order, the viewer is transported to fragments of the little girl’s life (inspired by those of the artist) where she courageously and poetically braves the ordeals that stand in her way, such as a Frida-who-limps-and-gets-bullied and who turns into Frida-butterfly. In line with the books, it is Frida’s unique and resilient gaze that springs up and serves as an anchor to create an animated work full of sensitivity where the saving power of creation and imagination resonates.
Heroine
Producer Jerry Thevenet’s Heroine is a labour of love more than twenty years in the making – a hard-edged Indigenous rock opera inspired by Starmania. We follow the tragic story of an Indigenous girl who survives a residential school, only to end up on the streets of Toronto, where she succumbs to drug and alcohol.
‘When Luc Plamondon produced Starmania in 1978, he showcased Quebec’s unique Francophone culture and changed how the rest of the world saw French Canadians for generations to come,’ explains Thevenet. ‘By producing Heroine I hope to do the same thing – to show the world that Indigenous people and our cultures are just as diverse, rich and dynamic as any other. Through the storyline, I also hope to give a bit of insight into how life at residential schools devastated our traditional ways of life.’
Thevenet and creative partner Paul Baraka first conceived Heroine at the beginning of their partnership, which eventually lead to nearly 300 television episodes, a musical feature and hundreds of Indigenous-language songs.
‘Besides the training, exposure and opportunity to meet with and possibly collaborate with other producers, creators and distributors, the most significant benefit for me has been keeping my dream alive. Heroine is a work of love. It is the first script I ever wrote and is likely to be the last film I will ever produce. Participating in this event gives me hope that we will succeed in finding the financial and collaborative support to make this film a reality.’
Project Blackout
Produced by Mansa Chintoh and Malachi Ellis, Project Blackout is a superhero series about three black teenagers who develop extraordinary abilities after being exposed to a virus. With their newfound powers, they set out to find the origin of the virus and stop the contagion before it’s too late. Project Blackout is to be presented as a series of 10 22-minute episodes.
‘Like every superhero story, ours is a story of self discovery,’ says Chintoh. ‘Each week, we’ll see our ill-equipped teenage heroes battle the weekly villain and all while navigating their own interpersonal dynamics like regular teenagers and trying to figure out where they fit in the world.’
‘Participating in a Telefilm-sponsored initiative likes this lends creditability to our projects, having already been vetted by a jury of experts,’ continues Chintoh. ‘Ultimately, it puts us producers in the best position to find partners that meet our needs and will help us bring these stories to life.’
Sule the Proverb Detective
Based on a storybook by Rene Rawls, Sule the Proverb Detective is an adventure comedy series about a ten-year-old West African detective who helps other kids find the meaning of everyday proverbs. ‘It’s the show I needed as a child!’ says producer Chukky Ibe.
‘Coming straight out of my post graduate degree with a few semi-professional credits, this program has leveled up my education, connected me to a network of incredible mentors in Canada and around the world and prepared me for the big leagues,’ he concludes.
