Naked Island | PSAs for a New Era

Now online, Naked Island is a bold new NFB series of 14 super-short and incisive films, framed as Public Service Alerts, from some of Canada’s most talented animators and artists, exploring their visions of modern-day society.

Watch all Naked Island films on NFB.ca

Naked Island blends the art of animation with the format of advertising to address an array of topics, from climate change to politics to our obsession with technology.

Ranging from Oscar® and Genie winners and nominees to emerging talent in animation and fine arts, Naked Island filmmakers make bold statements in a variety of styles to create anti-ads, using wit and satire to encourage us to stop and think.

About Naked Island

Naked Island was a cruel and barren prison for political dissidents in Yugoslavia, formed after its breakaway from the Soviet Union in the eve of the Cold War. The convicts, mainly those who remained loyal to Stalin, were sent to this gulag for silencing and ‘moral correction’.

Conversely, the NFB’s Naked Island invited animators to speak out about the dark underbelly of modern times. Filmmakers were free to choose the theme as long as it had a social dimension and a sense of urgency. The films had to be extremely tight in length and messaging, much like ads, but selling ideas instead of products.

The goal was to create a forum where reflection, inspiration, comment or even protest, provocation and dissent are not only welcomed, but expected.

Stream them all for free below:

We Drink Too Much

Directed and animated by Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions)

Be Cool

Directed and animated by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Chris Landreth.

Survival of the Fittest

Directed and animated by Eva Cvijanović

Blood

Directed and animated by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Theodore Ushev.

All We Need Is War

Directed by Luka Sanader; animated by Frances Adair-McKenzie.

Hipster Headdress

Directed and animated by Amanda Strong.

Detention

Directed by David Seitz and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers; animated by David Seitz.

The Law of Expansion

Directed and animated by Malcolm Sutherland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFJG8hVwVM

Albertosaurus

Directed and animated by Munro Ferguson.

Sober

Directed and animated by Elise Simard.

Protest

Directed by The Sanchez Brothers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp78539Sakw

Simulated Life

Directed and animated by Malcolm Sutherland.

Sext Apes

Directed by Laurence Vallières.

We Eat Shit

Directed and animated by Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions)

St-Louis Square

Directed and animated by Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFIaOLlTrQ

Naked Island is produced by Jelena Popović and Maral Mohammadian of the NFB English Animation Studio, with Michael Fukushima as executive producer.