A Montreal-based filmmaking duo is at the centre of Canada’s success at this year’s Academy Awards, winning best animated short film for The Girl Who Cried Pearls and helping drive a total of four Canadian victories on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski earned their first Oscar for the 2025 stop-motion film, produced with the National Film Board of Canada. The win also marks the 12th Academy Award for an NFB production.
Lavis said the film’s story is rooted in the city where it was created.
“For us, this is a fable set in Montreal. There’s a romantic quality to it and for that kind of story, puppet animation is the ideal vehicle,” he said.
Szczerbowski said making the film in Montreal was key, crediting a close-knit artistic community for its success.
“We’re very happy that we did that. Frankly, that’s where the credit is due,” he said. “That’s where we live. We started families there, and we live in a small little radius of just an insane wealth of talent.”
He said the project brought together collaborators across disciplines, from musicians to visual effects artists, many located within walking distance.
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“What we managed to pull out of our small little community is the most meaningful thing to us,” he said, adding such a production would have been difficult to replicate in a sprawling hub like Los Angeles.
Charlie Keil, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Cinema Studies Institute, said the moment also highlighted Canadian representation on stage, noting actor Will Arnett was among the presenters.
The win was one of four for Canadians at this year’s Oscars.
Toronto-born director Maggie Kang took home best animated feature for K-Pop Demon Hunters, a global hit she has described as a “love letter” to Korean culture.
Mark Jones of Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., said the film connected with audiences because of its authenticity.
“I think part of what hooked audiences in was the fact that this was a very authentically told story from the perspective of Korean culture,” he said.
Canadians were also part of the award-winning team behind Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Two Canadians contributed to the film’s best makeup and hairstyling win, transforming actor Jacob Elordi into the monster. Two others shared the Oscar for best production design, recognized for elaborate sets that included a massive ship built in a Toronto parking lot.
Keil said del Toro frequently chooses to work in Canada, pointing to the country’s depth of talent.
“Guillermo del Toro is a big Canada stan. He chooses to make his films in Canada whenever possible,” he said.
Set designer Shane Vieau said Canadian crews continue to demonstrate their expertise on a global stage.
“There’s no better artisans than in Toronto. I mean, we are definitely on the world market,” he said.
The wins mark the second time Canadians have collected four Oscars in a single year, matching a previous high set in 2023.
