| The Mighty River | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Frédéric Back |
| Producer: | Frédéric Back Hubert Tison |
| Music: | Denis L. Chartrand Normand Roger |
| Narrator: | Donald Sutherland (English) Paul Hébert (French) |
| Animator: | Frédéric Back |
| Editing: | Norbert Pickering |
| Studio: | Société Radio-Canada |
| Runtime: | 24 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English French |
The Mighty River (French: Le Fleuve aux grandes eaux) is a Canadian animated short film, directed by Frédéric Back and released in 1993.[1]
The film is a portrait of the St. Lawrence River, depicting both its natural beauty and the threats to it from human negligence of the environment.[1] It was the last film Back worked on before Société Radio-Canada, the French division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for which Back worked, closed down its animation department.[2]
The film's English version was narrated by Donald Sutherland, and its French version was narrated by Paul Hébert.
It premiered at the 1993 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
In Canada, it was distributed principally as a television special, broadcast in French by SRC Télévision and in English by CBC Television.[3]
Back and biologist Claude Villeneuve released a book version of the film in 1995.[4]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annecy International Animation Film Festival | 1993 | Grand Prix du court métrage | Frédéric Back | ||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 1993 | Best Animation | Frédéric Back | [5] | |
| Academy Awards | 1994 | Best Animated Short Film | Frédéric Back, Hubert Tison | [6] | |
| Yorkton Film Festival | 1994 | Best of Festival | [7] | ||
| Golden Sheaf Award for Best Animation | |||||
| Best Sound | Luc Boudrias, Michel Descombes | ||||
| Hiroshima International Animation Festival | 1994 | Grand Prize | Frédéric Back | [8] | |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival | 1994 | Production 10–30 minutes | [9] |