The Mighty River
| The Mighty River | |
|---|---|
| French | Le Fleuve aux grandes eaux |
| Directed by | Frédéric Back |
| Written by | Frédéric Back Hubert Fielden Patricia Lavoie Jean Salvy Hubert Tison Pierre Turgeon |
| Produced by | Frédéric Back Hubert Tison |
| Narrated by | Donald Sutherland (English) Paul Hébert (French) |
| Edited by | Norbert Pickering |
| Music by | Denis L. Chartrand Normand Roger |
| Animation by | Frédéric Back |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 24 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English French |
The Mighty River (French: Le Fleuve aux grandes eaux) is a Canadian animated short film, directed by Frédéric Back and released in 1993.[1]
Summary
[edit]The film is a portrait of the St. Lawrence River, depicting both its natural beauty and the threats to it from human negligence of the environment.[1] It was the last film Back worked on before Société Radio-Canada, the French division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for which Back worked, closed down its animation department.[2]
The film's English version was narrated by Donald Sutherland, and its French version was narrated by Paul Hébert.
Release
[edit]It premiered at the 1993 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
In Canada, it was distributed principally as a television special, broadcast in French by SRC Télévision and in English by CBC Television.[3]
Back and biologist Claude Villeneuve released a book version of the film in 1995.[4]
Awards
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annecy International Animation Film Festival | 1993 | Grand Prix du court métrage | Frédéric Back | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 1993 | Best Animation | Frédéric Back | Won | [5] |
| Academy Awards | 1994 | Best Animated Short Film | Frédéric Back, Hubert Tison | Nominated | [6] |
| Yorkton Film Festival | 1994 | Best of Festival | Won | [7] | |
| Golden Sheaf Award for Best Animation | Won | ||||
| Best Sound | Luc Boudrias, Michel Descombes | Won | |||
| Hiroshima International Animation Festival | 1994 | Grand Prize | Frédéric Back | Won | [8] |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival | 1994 | Production 10–30 minutes | Won | [9] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ray Conlogue, "Films reflecting values set animator's work apart: Frederic back may bring home his third Oscar tonight but that won't bring back the Radio-Canada department he worked in". The Globe and Mail, March 21, 1994.
- ^ Mike Boone, "The mighty St. Lawrence: Radio-Canada explores the river's history in animation". Calgary Herald, April 17, 1994.
- ^ Tony Atherton, "Animator's moving film on TV tonight". Ottawa Citizen, April 17, 1994.
- ^ "Animator's vision of St. Lawrence tragedy now a book; Radio-Canada's Oscar-winning Frederic Back mourns the desecration of the mighty river". Ottawa Citizen, December 15, 1995.
- ^ Fox, David; Champlin, Charles (December 13, 1993). "L.A. Critics Pick 'Schindler's List' as Best Picture". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Frederic Back nominated - again". Montreal Gazette, February 10, 1994.
- ^ "Montreal and Halifax films share top prize". Calgary Herald. May 31, 1994. p. 21.
- ^ "River runs". Vancouver Sun, September 3, 1994.
- ^ "The Wrong Trousers proves perfect fit at animation festival". Ottawa Citizen, October 4, 1994.