Distant Islands

Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather be in Paris. She lives at home with her over-protective Chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all who tell her stories that force her to confront her past; the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of Poetry itself. It’s about building bridges between cultural and generational divides. It’s about being curious. Staying open. And finding your own voice through the magic of poetry. Rosie goes on an unwitting journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and perhaps above all, understanding, through learning about her father’s past, her own cultural identity, and her responsibility to it.

A little pig dreams of being able to fly, but, try as he might, he fails to get up into the air. All the other pigs are heartily amused by his hapless efforts and so, the little pig has no choice but to go out into the big wide world in search of someone who can teach him how to fly.

At the end of the eighth day the Creator has taken refuge in a dark dungeon . Obsessed with transcending he manipulates life to the extreme and tries to engender the perfect being that will immortalize him

Mr. Conductor's supply of magic gold dust, which allows him to travel between Shining Time and Thomas's island, is critically low. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to get more. Meanwhile, Thomas is fending off attacks by the nasty diesel engines. Getting more gold dust will require help from Mr. C's slacker cousin, his new friend Lily and her morose grandfather, plus the secret engine.

Several scary black-and-white animated segments in different styles appeal to our fear(s) of the dark.

Oscar nominated animated short film from 1983. A blind boy visualizes what he hears and experiences on a regular basis.

A house is visited by a clean, organized, well-mannered guest.

A socially awkward girl uses the local swimming pool as a wormhole into fantasy. She dives underwater where she imagines herself as a marine creature, alternately graceful and predatory. (As described by Simon Sellars, 2008) Created as part of the SBS series "Swim Between the Flags" in 2002.

1987, 30 sec, color, sound Produced for an Artbreak segment on MTV Network, this dynamic "thirty-second spot" presents an abbreviated history of animation according to the representation of women, from the cell imagery of Max Fleischer's Out of the Inkwell series to the contemporary digital effects of television. In Birnbaum's vision, Fleischer's spilled inkwell releases cartoon bubbles containing images of women from MTV music videos. With wit and panache, Birnbaum reverses the traditional sexual roles of the producer and product of commercial imagery: The final image is that of a female artist on whose video "palette" we see a glimpse of Fleischer.

All alone, Yellow Guy tries to stop a lamp from teaching him about dreams. While Red Guy finds out the truth about the puppets' existence.

Haruka finds a cat in an abandoned building and names it "Nyan". Little does she know that this cat is actually "Ultra-Nyan" who has come from outer space. Using his mysterious powers, Ultra-Nyan helps Haruka and her friends foil the plans of a couple of no-good catnappers.

Utilizing the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, the epic Indian tale of exiled prince Ramayana and his bride Sita is mirrored by a spurned woman's contemporary personal life, and light-hearted but knowledgeable discussion of historical background by a trio of Indian shadow puppets.

White Tape explores the theme of boundaries: the frame, the space between brushstrokes and the implications of occupation.

When a small boy loses his favourite toy – a small teddy bear – this draws him into the inner world of his childhood. Nonetheless, he must destroy this realm if he wants to grow up.

An animated tribute to Jeff Krulik and John Heyn's 1986 video documentary classic, Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Remaining faithful to no-budget filmmaking, Supnet reconstructs her favorite scenes using cut-out characters made out of aged paper, glue and ink.

A dog has a cat inside him. The two fight to get on, with one's desires always getting in the way of the other's. However the conflict cannot go on forever and the two learn the hard way to find common ground and work out something for themselves.

Our free culture anthem gets a fabulous arrangement by Nik Phelps. Vocals by Connie Champagne. Animation and song by Nina Paley.

The world's most loved fairy tale is back in a whole new fantastic imagining in Pinocchio. When a piece of pine-wood falls into the hands of the poor old toy maker, Geppetto, he carves it into a puppet which he names Pinocchio. To Geppetto's delight, Pinocchio comes to life - and like most little boys, he's full of reckless whims and wild ideas! His crazy escapades lead him into a series of madcap adventures from joining the circus to visiting the inside of whale! Along his journey, and throughout all the fun, Pinocchio learns to be considerate and courageous and learns what it takes to become a real boy.

Have you ever wondered "What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist?" The answer to this vexing question is now within your reach! You'll find it in a small yet amazing booklet, which will explain, in easy to follow, simple terms your reason for being! The booklet, printed on the finest paper, contains illuminating, exquisite colour pictures, and could be yours for a mere $9.99.

After experiencing traumatic nightmares of a time now past, the Sorceress summons Prince Adam and Cringer to Castle Grayskull to give Adam a precious, jeweled sword and send the pair to the planet Etheria to investigate its secrets.