| When the Day Breaks | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis |
| Produced by | David Verrall & Barrie Angus McLean |
| Music by | Judith Gruber-Stitzwer |
| Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
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Running time | 9 min. |
| Country | Canada |
When the Day Breaks is a Canadiananimated short co-directed byWendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis[1][2] and featuring the voice of Canadian singer-songwriterMartha Wainwright singing the titular song.
After witnessing an accidental death of ahumanoidrooster, Ruby, ahumanoidpig, seeks comfort from her everyday life in the city.[3]
To create the film, directors used pencil and paint on photocopies to achieve a textured look suggestive of a lithograph or a flickering newsreel.[4][5]
Produced by theNational Film Board of Canada in 1999, the 9 min. 40 sec. film garnered numerous awards, including theGenie Award for Best Animated Short, theShort Film Palme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival,TIFF – Best Canadian Short, theAnnecy International Animation Film Festival – Animated Short, Grand Prix for short film atAnimafest Zagreb and theBanff Television Festival, Best Animation Program.[6][7] It was also included in theAnimation Show of Shows.[8][9]
It was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film, but lost to another animated short produced inMontreal:Aleksandr Petrov'sOld Man and the Sea.[10][11][12]