Robert Verrall (born January 13, 1928, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian animator, director and film producer who worked for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) from 1945 to 1987. Over the course of his career, his films garnered a BAFTA Award, prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, and six Academy Award nominations.
Quick Facts Born, Occupation(s) ...
Robert Verrall |
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Born | (1928-01-13) 13 January 1928 (age 96)
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Occupation(s) | Producer, director, animator |
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Awards | see below |
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One of the first to join the NFB's fledgling animation unit, under Norman McLaren, Verrall would work as animator on such notable NFB animated shorts as The Romance of Transportation in Canada and produce such shorts as Cosmic Zoom, Hot Stuff as well as the Academy Award-nominees The Drag and What on Earth!. His NFB animation credits as executive producer included The Family That Dwelt Apart and Evolution, also Oscar nominees.[1][2][3][4]
Verrall was named director of English-language NFB animation in 1967, and director of NFB's English-language production overall, in 1972. In the 1980s he acted as executive producer on a number of NFB co-productions, including the film adaption of The Wars, and The Tin Flute. His documentary production credits include Alanis Obomsawin's 1986 Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child. He is the father of David Verrall, who would himself go on to head the NFB's English-language animation unit.[1][2]
A is for Architecture (1960) [5]
- Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton, Saskatchewan: Golden Sheaf Award, First Prize, 1960
- 12th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Genie Award for Best Film, General Information, 1960
- Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Chris Award, First Prize, 1962
- Ibero-American-Filipino Documentary Film Contest, Bilbao, Spain: Special CIDALC Prize, Silver Medal, 1960
- International Exhibition of Electronics, Nuclear Energy, Radio, Television and Cinema, Trieste, Italy: Silver Cup, 1960
- Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo, Italy: Third Prize - Silver Cup and Medal, 1960
- Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton, Saskatchewan: Certificate of Merit, 1960
Hors-d'oeuvre (1960)[6]
The Great Toy Robbery (1963)[7]
- Cork International Film Festival, Cork, Ireland: First Prize - Statuette of St. Finbarr, Animated Film and Cartoon 1963
- Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival, Belgrade: Diploma of Merit, 1964
- Landers Associates Annual Awards, Los Angeles: Award of Merit, 1969
The Drag (1965)
- Calvin Workshop Awards, Kansas City, Missouri: Notable Film Award, 1966
- Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Chris Certificate, 1967
- International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, Varna, Bulgaria: Silver Medal, 1969
- 39th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Short Subject, Cartoons, 1967
What on Earth! (1966)
- International Science Fiction Film Festival, Trieste: Silver Seal of the City of Trieste, 1967
- Salerno Film Festival, Salerno: Minister of Entertainment Cup, 1970
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1971
- 40th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Short Subject, Cartoons, 1968
Alphabet (1966)[8]
- International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, Bilbao: Special Prize of the Ministry of National Education, 1968
- La Plata International Children's Film Festival, La Plata, Argentina: Silver Medal 1968
- Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Annecy: Special Jury Prize, 1967
Energy and Matter (1966)[9]
Around Perception (1968)[10]
Cosmic Zoom (1968)
- Ibero-American Documentary Film. Festival, Bilbao: Gold Medal, 1969
- Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, Trieste: Golden Seal of the City of Trieste, 1969
- International Educational Film Festival, Tehran: Certificate of Merit, Scientific Films, 1969
- International Exhibition of Scientific Film, Buenos Aires: Diploma of Honor, 1970
- International Festival of Short Films, Philadelphia: Award for Exceptional Merit, 1970
- UNIATEC International Technical Film Competition, Berlin: Award of Excellence 1972
Boomsville(1968)[11]
- Israeli Film Festival, Tel Aviv: Certificate of Merit, 1969
King Size (1968)[12]
- International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, Bilbao: Silver Medal, 1969
- International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, Bilbao: Diploma of Honour, 1969
Population Explosion (1968)[13]
To See or Not to See (1969)
- Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Golden Bear for Best Short Film, 1969
- Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago: Certificate of Merit, 1969
- International Cinematography Congress, Colour Film Week, Barcelona: Diploma of Honour, 1969
- 22nd Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Film of the Year, 1970
- 22nd Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Best Animated Film, 1970
- International Film Festival in Guadalajara, Guadalajara: Award for Animation, 1971
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1971
- SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films, Montevideo, Uruguay: First Prize, Experimental, 1971
Little Red Riding Hood (1969)[14]
Ashes of Doom (1970)[15]
- International Festival of Short Films, Philadelphia: Award for Exceptional Merit, 1971
Doodle Film (1970)[16]
What is Life? (1970)[17]
Evolution (1971)
Citizen Harold (1971)[18]
Hot Stuff (1971)
- International Animation Film Festival, New York: Grand Prix - Silver Praxinoscope, Educational, 1972
- World Festival of Animated Films, Zagreb: Best Educational Film, 1972
- Atlanta Film Festival: Gold Medal, Safety, 1972
- Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: Diploma of Merit, 1972
- International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany: Diploma of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations, 1972
- National Committee on Films for Safety, Chicago: Bronze Plaque, 1972
In a Nutshell (1971)[19]
- Festival of Agricultural & Rural Films/Santarém International Film Festival, Santarém, Portugal: Silver Trophy, 1972
The Men in the Park (1971)[20]
- International Film Festival in Guadalajara, Guadalajara: Second Award, 1972
Hard Rider (1972)[21]
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Red Ribbon, 1974
180 is Max (1972)[22]
- International Review of Cinema and Television Films on Flying, Milan: Diploma and Plaque, 1974
Tilt (1972)[23]
The Underground Movie (1972)[24]
The Family That Dwelt Apart (1973)
The Twitch (1973)[25]
Face of the Earth (1975)[26]
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, High Curriculum Films: Science, 1977
- American Instructional Film Festival, Cleveland: Certificate of Recognition, Clarity and Correlation to Curriculum Area, 1980
Canada Vignettes: Faces (1978)[27]
Canada Vignettes: The Performer (1978)[28]
Going the Distance (1979)
- C.I.D.A.L.C. International Festival of Sports Films, Torino: First Prize, Gold Plaque, 1982
- Commonwealth Television and Film Festival, Nicosia: Best Film of the Festival, 1980
- 52nd Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Feature, 1980
A Right to Refuse? (1981)[29]
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Red Ribbon, Business and Industry, 1983
The Way It Is (1982)[30]
One Out of Three is a Fishboat (1982)[31]
- National Committee on Films for Safety, Chicago: Certificate of Merit, 1983
Democracy on Trial: The Morgentaler Affair (1984)[32]
A Good Tree (1984)[33]
The Masculine Mystique (1984)
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Red Ribbon, Contemporary Concerns, Feature, 1985
The Painted Door (1984)
- Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton, Saskatchewan: Golden Sheaf Award, Best Drama Under 30 Minutes, 1985
- Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Chris Award, Arts and Culture, 1986
- 57th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Live Action Short Film, 1984
Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child (1986)[34]
- American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco: First Prize, Best Documentary, 1986
- American Film and Video Festival, New York: Red Ribbon, Current Concerns, 1988
- National Educational Film and Video Festival, Oakland, California: Crystal Apple, Human Relations, Teen Suicide, 1989
- Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival, Pärnu: Special Award, Educational Visual Anthropology of Children and Youth 1991
Poundmaker's Lodge: A Healing Place (1987)[35]