Marcel Jean became director of the Animation Studio in the French Program of the National Film Board of Canada in 1999 and produced several internationally recognized films: Martine Chartrand's Black Soul (winner of twenty-two prizes including the Golden Bear in Berlin), Patrick Bouchard's The Brainwashers (2002, five awards), Michèle Lemieux's Stormy Night (2003, twelve awards, including the Crystal Bear in Berlin), Michèle Cournoyer's Accordion (2004, screened in competition at the Cannes Festival, prize winner in Leipzig and Dresden). Marcel Jean believes in a pro-active policy of international co-production which has led him to co-produce films by the Norwegian director Pjotr Sapegin (Aria, 2001, ten awards); Through My Thick Glasses, (2004, twelve awards), the Dane Lejf Marcussen (Angeli, 2002, prize winner in Zagreb), the Portuguese Abi Feijo (Stowaway, 2000, eight awards), the Swiss Georges Schwizgebel (L'homme sans ombre, 2004, twelve awards; Jeu, 2006, prizes in Hiroshima and Ottawa) and French director Philippe Jullien (Ruzz and Ben, 2005). Under his aegis the NFB linked up with the French studio Folimage to create a residence program for animation filmmakers. Among such co-productions are, most notably, Carles Porta Garcia's Francesc lo Valent (2002, four awards), Isabelle Favez's Circuit marine (2003, five awards) and Regina Pessoa's Tragic Story with a Happy Ending (2005). Marcel Jean left the National Film Board of Canada in 2005 to set up his own production company.