Synopsis

Inspired by a real-life news item, director Dominic-Étienne Simard paints a pulsating portrait of a mixed-use, working-class neighbourhood where young families cross paths with prostitutes, their interactions leaving unpredictable ripples in the motley fabric of urban life. With broad brushstrokes, the filmmaker incorporates Paula’s dramatic story into an expressionistic panorama, in which glances between the characters carry emotions and paint strokes reveal their desires. With its hardhitting story, Paula takes animation into the realm of social filmmaking.

Dominic Etienne Simard

Dominic-Étienne Simard is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose work marries painting, sculpture, experimental film (Head, 2007, co-directed with Félix Dufour-Laperrière) and animation (Let Me Do This One, 2008). Chromosome (X-Y-Z) (2008) is a totally independent production that makes use of a variety of techniques including puppets, painting and digital graphics to create a dreamlike world with strong psychoanalytic overtones. A 2005 graduate of Concordia University’s animation program, Dominic-Étienne Simard is the 19th winner of the NFB’s Cinéaste recherché(e) competition. Paula is his first professionally produced short animated film.