Synopsis

When the Day Breaksis the charming, bittersweet story of Ruby, the pig, whose life takes an unexpected turn after she witnesses the accidental death of a stranger. With deft humour and finely rendered detail, the film illuminates the links which connect our urban lives, while evoking the promise and fragility of a new day. The film, described as a four-year labour of love by the filmmakers, is exquisitely crafted; using pencil and paint on photocopies which gives it a textured look reminiscent of a lithograph or a flickering newsreel. In When the Day Breaks, the ordinary - a lemon, a toaster, and a chance collision on a street corner - is endowed with a visceral power. 

Amanda Forbis

Amanda Forbis joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1990 as animation director on an educational film titled The Reluctant Deckhand. In 1995, Wendy Tilby invited her to Montreal to co-direct When the Day Breaks (1999). It received numerous honours, including the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes, an Academy Award® nomination and the Grand Prix at the Annecy, Zagreb and Hiroshima international animation festivals. In 2011, they followed up with Wild Life, which garnered a number of prizes and was also nominated for an Academy Award®.

Wendy Tilby

Wendy Tilby’s first film, Strings (1991), won many international awards, in addition to being nominated for an Academy Award®. For her next film, Tilby joined forces with Amanda Forbis to direct When the Day Breaks (1999), which received the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes, an Academy Award® nomination and the Grand Prix at the Annecy, Zagreb and Hiroshima international animation festivals. In 2011, they followed up with Wild Life, which garnered a number of prizes and was also nominated for an Academy Award®.