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The National Film Board of Canada brought “Piluk” to the Locarno Film Festival’s Pardi di Domani section, where directors Marc Séguin and Elisapie Isaac premiered their distinctive animated short. The film tells the story of a winged girl named Piluk as she journeys through the countryside, encountering various animals along her path to an unnamed city. Rather than relying on conventional filmmaking techniques, the creative team opted for a deliberately minimalist approach rooted in traditional artistic methods.
Created from over 8,000 individual drawings executed with pen, charcoal and pencil, “Piluk” eschews dialogue in favor of expressive throat-singing that accompanies the imagery. Séguin emphasized the filmmakers’ commitment to handcrafted storytelling, deliberately avoiding digital technology and artificial intelligence in the production process. The scratchy, impressionistic animation style strips away unnecessary details, allowing the visuals to communicate through suggestion rather than literal representation.
Isaac, who draws from her Inuk heritage, brought her vocal talents to create an organic soundscape that deliberately maintains ambiguity and leaves room for audience interpretation. The minimalist aesthetic extends to both the visual and audio elements, with the team prioritizing space for viewers to project their own meaning onto the narrative. Producer Jelena Popović noted that the National Film Board’s non-profit structure enabled the artists to maintain creative control while navigating animation as a new medium, reflecting the institution’s broader commitment to supporting Indigenous storytellers.
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Originally reported by Variety →
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