A Montreal-based filmmaking duo is on the centre of Canada’s success at this 12 months’s Academy Awards, profitable greatest animated brief movie for The Lady Who Cried Pearls and serving to drive a complete of 4 Canadian victories on Hollywood’s greatest evening.
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski earned their first Oscar for the 2025 stop-motion movie, produced with the Nationwide Movie Board of Canada. The win additionally marks the twelfth Academy Award for an NFB manufacturing.
Maciek Szczerbowski, left, and Chris Lavis settle for the award for animated brief movie for “The Lady Who Cried Pearls” throughout the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP – Invision, Chris Pizzello
Lavis stated the movie’s story is rooted within the metropolis the place it was created.
“For us, this can be a fable set in Montreal. There’s a romantic high quality to it and for that type of story, puppet animation is the best automobile,” he stated.
Szczerbowski stated making the movie in Montreal was key, crediting a close-knit creative group for its success.
“We’re very completely happy that we did that. Frankly, that’s the place the credit score is due,” he stated. “That’s the place we dwell. We began households there, and we dwell in a small little radius of simply an insane wealth of expertise.”
He stated the undertaking introduced collectively collaborators throughout disciplines, from musicians to visible results artists, many positioned inside strolling distance.
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“What we managed to tug out of our small little group is essentially the most significant factor to us,” he stated, including such a manufacturing would have been troublesome to copy in a sprawling hub like Los Angeles.
Charlie Keil, a professor on the College of Toronto’s Cinema Research Institute, stated the second additionally highlighted Canadian illustration on stage, noting actor Will Arnett was among the many presenters.
The win was one in every of 4 for Canadians at this 12 months’s Oscars.
Toronto-born director Maggie Kang took house greatest animated function for Ok-Pop Demon Hunters, a worldwide hit she has described as a “love letter” to Korean tradition.
Mark Jones of Sheridan School in Oakville, Ont., stated the movie linked with audiences due to its authenticity.
“I believe a part of what hooked audiences in was the truth that this was a really authentically instructed story from the attitude of Korean tradition,” he stated.
Canadians have been additionally a part of the award-winning workforce behind Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Two Canadians contributed to the movie’s greatest make-up and hairstyling win, remodeling actor Jacob Elordi into the monster. Two others shared the Oscar for greatest manufacturing design, acknowledged for elaborate units that included an enormous ship inbuilt a Toronto car parking zone.
Keil stated del Toro steadily chooses to work in Canada, pointing to the nation’s depth of expertise.
“Guillermo del Toro is an enormous Canada stan. He chooses to make his movies in Canada every time doable,” he stated.
Set designer Shane Vieau stated Canadian crews proceed to exhibit their experience on a worldwide stage.
“There’s no higher artisans than in Toronto. I imply, we’re undoubtedly on the world market,” he stated.
The wins mark the second time Canadians have collected 4 Oscars in a single 12 months, matching a earlier excessive set in 2023.
