3 by Frédéric Back @ Mantis Arts & Eco Festival

The 2015 edition of the Mantis Arts & Eco Festival will soon be here and LOMAA will be taking part!

You can find us inside the chalet where you’ll be able to enjoy a screening of three acclaimed short animated works by the beloved Canadian artist and filmmaker Frédéric Back (1924-2013).

Back’s passion and dedication to environmental preservation is evident through themes concerning man’s relation to nature, both in its destruction and eventual renewal, displaying the importance for communities to live in harmony with the land. All three films will appeal to both adults and young folk alike.

Presented on 16mm film. The screening will run about 55 minutes in length and it will be shown at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.

All Nothing (1978, 11 minutes)

The film All Nothing is an allegory portraying humankind’s desire to appropriate all of nature’s beauty and resources. For too long, we have held the mistaken belief that the world was created entirely for our benefit. As countless plant and animal species become extinct, our generous planet has little left to offer: clean water and lush forests are becoming increasingly rare. The film ends, however, on a positive note: Frédéric Back cherishes the hope that future generations will rediscover the joy of sharing and the importance of living in harmony with nature. (fredericback.com)

Crac! (1981, 15 minutes)

‘Crac!’ traces the rapid transformation of Quebec society through the story of a rocking chair. In this charming tale tinged with nostalgia, Frédéric Back takes us back to rich traditions swept aside by the relentless forces of progress and urbanization. This Oscar winning animation is Back’s tribute to Quebec, his adoptive home, and to the culture of his wife and children. (fredericback.com)

The Man Who Planted Trees (1987, 30 minutes)

The Man Who Planted Trees tells the tale of the of Elzéard Bouffier, a Provençal shepherd who patiently reforests a barren piece of land in rural France in the early part of the 20th century. The narrator’s fascination with the man and his passion leads him to return time and again to the mountains, where he sees the windswept, forsaken landscape gradually transformed: springs, cultivated fields and thriving villages are regenerated by the incredible forest that is the work of one stubborn and uncommonly selfless man. Narrated by Christopher Plummer, this film received the 1988 Academy Award for best animated short.