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Fresh disconnected an Academy Award triumph earlier this twelvemonth for nan stop-motion short The Girl Who Cried Pearls, nan National Film Board of Canada returned to nan Annecy International Animation Film Festival pinch different distinctly individual animated story. This time, however, nan celebrated Canadian workplace traded nan aesthetics of fairy tales for those of dense metal.
Written, directed and animated by Catherine LePage, Ultra Strong transforms nan cosmopolitan highs and lows of young emotion into a surreal, visually inventive coming-of-age journey. Inspired by LePage’s ain experiences and drafting from nan world of her schematic novels, nan short follows a young female searching for assurance successful each nan incorrect places earlier discovering that existent spot comes from within. Along nan way, LePage fills nan movie pinch imaginative affectional landmarks from nan Island of nan Flakes to nan Kind Heart Outlet and whimsical ocular metaphors, including a wobbling mound of Jell-O that becomes an improbable awesome of resilience.
Adding different unexpected furniture is Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who lends his sound to nan movie aft LePage and shaper Christine Noël successfully convinced nan stone icon to subordinate what became a passion project. Far from a personage cameo, Dickinson serves arsenic a larger-than-life guideline whose infectious power helps propel nan heroine and reflects nan assurance LePage herself hoped to seizure done nan story.
Here, Deadline said pinch LePage and Noël astir turning individual experiences into animation, uncovering vulnerability done ocular metaphor, bringing Dickinson into nan fold and why Ultra Strong‘s connection of self-worth and empowerment feels particularly timely.
CATHERINE LEPAGE, DIRECTOR
DEADLINE: How did this thought travel to you?
CATHERINE LEPAGE: It’s mostly based connected my ain experience, but I did adhd to it and make things bigger. It’s each based connected individual experience.
DEADLINE: What was nan reside aliases connection you were trying to get crossed successful this short? I emotion nan thought of this representation pinch nan Island of nan Flakes, nan boring guys, and each of that. Then she ignores nan Kind Heart Outlet.
LEPAGE: At first, I had a batch of things I wanted to put successful nan film, and it was difficult for maine to find 1 building aliases condemnation to explicate it because location is truthful overmuch successful it. I’m still having a difficult clip doing that. I deliberation nan main taxable is trying to find your soul spot alternatively of trying to find it successful others. Trying to trust connected others for your security, some beingness and emotional. Find that wrong yourself earlier searching for personification else.
DEADLINE: Was it difficult to excavation those ideas and put them connected nan page?
LEPAGE: This task is typical because it’s based connected 2 books. The first was published successful 2020, and I was moving connected nan 2nd erstwhile I started reasoning astir nan film. I knew I wanted to return elements from some books, but location was truthful overmuch material. It was difficult to find nan spine of nan film. It took maine a agelong clip to put words to nan feelings I had. I knew I wanted definite scenes and anecdotes, but I didn’t cognize why. I was putting together nan pieces and trying to fig retired what nan movie was really about. It came done nan process of moving connected it.
DEADLINE: I want to talk astir immoderate of nan motifs. You person this nutrient tower. Is it a sundae aliases a vessel of Jell-O?
LEPAGE: It’s Jell-O.
DEADLINE: Can you talk astir that and nan building of nan nutrient tower?
LEPAGE: I emotion uncovering ocular metaphors to definitive feelings. I was trying to find a beardown measurement to show that what you’re doing isn’t bully for you aliases goes against your ain nature. I came up pinch nan thought of a saccharine dessert topped pinch salt-and-vinegar chips and mustard—something that’s evidently wrong. For me, it was a beardown measurement to show that possibly you’re going successful nan incorrect direction. It’s intelligibly not nan correct choice, but you do it anyway. At first, nan Jell-O was besides a measurement to definitive vulnerability, indecision and hesitation. What’s funny is that erstwhile everything falls apart, nan Jell-O is nan strongest point because it tin grip nan earthquake. It shakes but remains intact. I don’t deliberation group will needfully get that erstwhile they spot nan film, but for maine it was saying, “Look, your existent quality works. You won’t autumn apart.”
DEADLINE: Life is going to shingle you up a small bit, but you tin get done it.
LEPAGE: Exactly.
DEADLINE: There’s a reference to Iron Maiden that’s nan inheritance of this short. And past to study that you sewage Bruce Dickinson. Talk astir that.
LEPAGE: I went done a heavy-metal shape erstwhile I was a teenager. I saw Iron Maiden unrecorded erstwhile I was 15, and nan power was perfectly amazing. A fewer years ago, I watched a documentary astir dense metal, and Bruce Dickinson said that erstwhile he performs, he wants each personification successful nan room to consciousness for illustration he’s talking to them personally. I thought, “Wow, what a performer.” He’s for illustration a superhero, moreover pinch nan tights and everything.
When I was trying to find nan film, I knew I needed thing to return Catherine retired of her comfortableness zone. I was searching for nan trigger that would push her beyond her accustomed boundaries. The thought came to maine while I was moving and listening to an Iron Maiden song. I ever said I needed “the Bruce energy.” He’s for illustration a coach. When he’s connected stage, he wants to scope each fan. I besides knew Christine [Noël] had gone done an Iron Maiden shape arsenic a teenager, truthful I thought she’d emotion nan thought which isn’t obvious. A batch of producers would person said, “No, that’s excessively complicated.” But she was nan cleanable partner for it.
DEADLINE: What would you for illustration audiences to return distant from this short film?
LEPAGE: Accept your vulnerability. For me, 1 important thought is that spot and vulnerability tin spell together. It’s not 1 aliases nan other. Vulnerability doesn’t mean weakness. You tin beryllium beardown and susceptible astatine nan aforesaid time. It’s funny because that wasn’t nan main taxable erstwhile I started nan project, but now, pinch each nan hyper-masculinity online and group saying men person to beryllium beardown and women should enactment astatine home, it feels much relevant. It added a stronger feminist broadside to nan film. I deliberation it was ever there, but now it’s much important than ever to show girls that they tin expect emotion successful their lives and find a partner. But they shouldn’t expect that partner to lick everything aliases supply everything. Find your ain spot first. Then you tin emotion and beryllium pinch whoever you want, while still respecting yourself.
CHRISTINE NOËL, PRODUCER
DEADLINE: How did Ultra Strong travel to you?
NOËL: I’ve known Catherine for galore years. I knew her activity because she’s a schematic novelist. The National Film Board had antecedently made a movie pinch her called The Great Malaise. At nan time, I was caput of nan trading section specializing successful animation, and I really liked her signature style. Catherine has a measurement of taking individual experiences and expressing cosmopolitan questions astir being human, processing yourself, being yourself and taking power of your life. She had created 2 schematic novels. We really grew up during nan aforesaid era, truthful I related to nan clothes, nan questions and nan measurement we behaved arsenic teenagers.
When Catherine approached america pinch different project, I told her, “You request to bring this communicative to life.” She decided not to straight accommodate nan books but alternatively tie inspiration from nan beingness of some works. The movie is really astir really women are often taught to trust connected personification else—a prince charming, a man—to lick their problems, erstwhile successful reality they tin return matters into their ain hands. Sometimes vulnerability tin beryllium your top strength. I thought it was a affirmative connection for young women, but besides for young men.
DEADLINE: How did you bring Bruce Dickinson into this?
NOËL: Catherine and I are some Iron Maiden fans. She grew up successful Quebec City, I grew up successful Montreal, and we some went to Iron Maiden concerts arsenic teenagers. She needed a characteristic who could animate her protagonist and thief guideline her. She thought Bruce Dickinson would beryllium perfect. We knew he speaks some French and English, and I told her, “You’re Catherine LePage, we’re nan NFB, I deliberation he’ll opportunity yes.” Bruce is simply a very funny artist. You tin spot that passim his imaginative career. I felt he would beryllium willing successful Catherine’s creator voice.
Through a bid of connections, I yet reached his agent, Dave Shack. We sent a imaginative package, including a individual missive from Katerine. She told him astir attending an Iron Maiden performance successful Quebec City and referenced thing he’d said successful a documentary: that erstwhile he’s connected stage, he wants to scope nan awkward personification each nan measurement astatine nan backmost of nan stadium. She wrote that she had been that person, and that he would beryllium nan cleanable characteristic to thief her animated counterpart create confidence.
It became a passion task for him. The Iron Maiden squad was incredible. Even though it was a mini task for them, they were highly supportive. Bruce was touring Canada 2 years ago, and we were capable to grounds his sound successful Quebec City. He besides has a solo profession and has written motivational books. I knew nan themes of nan movie would link pinch his interests.
DEADLINE: How agelong has nan narration pinch nan NFB and Annecy been going?
NOËL: The NFB has been participating successful Annecy almost since nan festival’s earliest years. I’ve been pinch nan NFB for 25 years, and erstwhile I worked connected nan Norman McLaren container set, I spent clip researching archival material. I recovered photographs of Norman McLaren, Robert Verrall and different world filmmakers attending Annecy successful nan 1950s. The NFB and Annecy person really evolved together complete nan decades.
DEADLINE: What’s adjacent for NFB?
NOËL: At Annecy, we’ll beryllium showcasing a work-in-progress characteristic called The Shiatsung Project, a co-production pinch Montreal-based institution Embuscade. It’s nan first characteristic from 2 young women filmmakers and is based connected a schematic novel. This task represents thing caller for nan NFB. Traditionally, we’ve focused connected producing and distributing animated shorts because we’re 1 of nan fewer taste institutions successful Canada supporting that format. As audiences proceed asking for much animation, we’ve begun expanding into longer formats, including characteristic films.
We’re besides producing a 30-minute Christmas typical pinch two-time Oscar nominee Cordell Barker, champion known for The Cat Came Back. We person a Canadian broadcaster attached and are presently looking astatine further distribution opportunities. Annecy remains nan cardinal hub of nan animation world. It’s wherever we link pinch producers, artists and filmmakers from astir nan globe. The animation organization is incredibly close-knit, and it’s ever inspiring to reconnect pinch colleagues and observe caller work.
