Headlined by newly restored animations by the great Norman McLaren, this programme muses on the many facets of fame with tales of war heroes, TV stars and local mayors.

An Apartment

Middle-aged and unemployed, Paul is looking to restart his life — but as he is forced to move in with his brother and take a menial job, it becomes increasingly apparent that what he’s lost can’t be regained. A sensitive and honest depiction of fading middle-class dreams.

Around is Around

Newly restored, McLaren’s 1951 short is the first stereoscopic animated film ever made. McLaren creates a visionary 3D effect with a cathode-ray oscilloscope, and the result is an elegant, mesmerizing pattern of spherical shapes evolving in space.

CODA

An exploded take on the final minutes of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, this brilliant choreography for the digital age transforms a coda into the wellspring for a new aesthetic beginning.

A Delusion of Grandeur

Defeated in his re-election campaign for town mayor, Louis tries to find some way to escape the bitter taste of failure. Vincent Biron returns to the Festival with this deadpan take on how everyday interaction breaks down in the face of life’s biggest disappointments.

Mynarski Death Plummet

The story of Winnipeg WWII hero Andrew Mynarski is related stunningly in this explosive, expressionistic and psychedelic envisioning of his final moments, paying homage to our collective past while transforming fact into brilliant celluloid fantasia.

O Canada

We commemorate the centenary of the birth of animation legend Norman McLaren with this remarkable 1951 animated adaptation of our national anthem, a 3D trip across Canada from coast to coast created by McLaren’s close collaborator Evelyn Lambart.

Sleeping Giant

While spending a boring summer on Lake Superior, Adam falls in with two local boys and begins to fill his days attempting ever more hazardous stunts — but the arrival of pretty young Taylor could lead to the trio’s riskiest dare yet. Andrew Cividino captures boyhood growing pains with bracing authenticity.

Zero Recognition

A young actress attempts to lead a normal life after starring in a successful Canadian TV series, but her past fame makes for some awkward and self-conscious first dates. Lauren Collins (Degrassi: The Next Generation) showcases her comedic talent in this self-reflexive, tongue-in-cheek look at celebrity and neuroses in the age of social networking.