The ARTE European TV chain brought last week at late night hours an outstanding Canadian short animation film. The name is ‘Lipsett Diaries’ and I found on the Internet two Web sites dedicated to this film, which received several important prizes at animation and short film festivals in 2010.
http://www.lipsettdiaries.net/
http://films.nfb.ca/lipsett-diaries/
I did not find the film on the Internet but the trailer can give you a good idea about the exquisite graphics of the film. It’s not special effects visuals, it is hand work which gives you the string feeling that you are watching a work of art, same as if you find yourself in a museum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5235zMF_gwg
The name of the artist is Theodore Ushev. He is born in Bulgaria and now lives in Montreal. Some of his works can be seen at http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/director/Theodore-Ushev/.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gau3sWjJ2Ho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO0tFOJjGbg
Here he is talking about his film which is dedicated to another figure of the Canadian art film – Arthur Lipsett (1936-1986). An animator, experimenter and author of short films himself, Lipsett was known and influenced such directors as Kubrick (who asked him to do a trailer for ‘Dr. Strangelove’ which unfortunately was never completed) and Lucas. One of his short films earned an Oscar nomination. He never however fulfilled his destiny to become a great name in a world where commercial cinema dominates and little room is left for innovation and creation. This is what Ushev’s film is about.
A well written and detailed text about Upsett and his cinema is available at http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/lipsett/.
Here is a gem I found on youTube: Lipsett’s first film ‘Very Nice, Very Nice’. A couple of more films of his can be seen at http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/director/Arthur-Lipsett.