CBC/Radio-Canada and Canada Council for the Arts unveil showcase of Digital Originals projects

Digital Originals projects include:

• The S Project, by Carly Butler and Gudrun Filipska, a newly digitized multimedia exhibition that charts a walking course for the two artists and mothers between Ucluelet, B.C. and The Fens, United Kingdom. The project, started before COVID-19, has taken on new meaning, exploring themes of isolation, discovery, and the “radical potential” of walking.
• I Am Puff, an animated children's series by artist Dawn Birley, aims to bring back the Saturday morning cartoon — but with American Sign Language (ASL).
• Steven Thomas Davies’ Our Changing Worlds, a documentary about how Indigenous communities are responding to COVID-19, what makes them particularly vulnerable, and what we can learn about ourselves through this process.
• AfrotoniX au sommet de Montréal, a breathtaking September 2020 concert, live-streamed from the roof of Montreal’s Place Ville-Marie. Says musician and DJ AfrotoniX: “I wanted to make a declaration of love for the city … and I wanted the whole world to see it.”
• En vie, an interactive theatrical experience by Anne-Marie St-Louis, Juliane Choquette-Lelarge and Éléonore Brieuc that lands somewhere between a radio drama, an audiobook and a photo album. The work explores themes, such as bereavement in children and the fear of death, that have taken on greater resonance due to COVID-19.
• Bonne nuit Papili, a new short animated movie by director Francis Gélinas about a raccoon named Amiki who, in coming to terms with his grandpa’s death, discovers that he possesses a magic power: he can keep him alive through his memories and thoughts.

Digital Originals recipients also reflect Canada’s diversity. For example:

• 104 recipients with disabilities received grants totalling $520,000;
• 62 Indigenous recipients received grants totalling $310,000;
• 89 Anglophone official language minority community recipients received grants totalling $445,000; and
• 49 Francophone official language minority community recipients received grants totalling $245,000.

For more information, see “Why the results of the Digital Originals initiative point to a bright future for the arts” on the Canada Council website.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About the Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts contributes to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene that reaches across Canada and around the world. The Council is Canada’s public arts funder. The Council’s grants, services, initiatives, prizes, and payments support Canadian artists, authors, and arts groups and organizations. This support allows them to pursue artistic expression, create works of art, and promote and disseminate the arts. Through its arts funding, communications, research, and promotion activities, the Council fosters ever-growing engagement of Canadians and international audiences in the arts.