The Girl Who Cried Pearls earns spot on TIFF Canada’s 2025 Top Ten list

Directed by Montreal-based filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the stop-motion film recently won the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Set in Montreal at the start of the 20th century, The Girl Who Cried Pearls tells the story of a sorrowful young girl, the boy who loves her, and how greed can corrupt good intentions.

It has also been nominated for the Annie Award for Best Short Subject and shortlisted among 15 films for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film.

The movie has screened at more than 30 international festivals since its debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025, where it opened the event and competed in the official selection.

The film has received 10 awards and special mentions.

The 17-minute film features the voice of Colm Feore, original music by Patrick Watson and art direction by Brigitte Henry.

Lavis and Szczerbowski previously gained international recognition for their 2007 NFB short Madame Tutli-Putli, which earned an Academy Award nomination.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls marks their sixth collaboration with the NFB, continuing a creative partnership spanning more than two decades.

The film is available to stream for free in Canada on NFB.ca, YouTube and NFB apps.

It will also screen on February 6, 2026, at TIFF Lightbox as part of the Canada’s Top Ten Shorts Programme.