Shira Avni, MFA
Associate Professor (Film Animation), Cinema

Phone: | (514) 848-2424 ext. 4352 |
Email: | shira.avni@concordia.ca |
Website(s): |
Research Page National Film Board of Canada Director's Page |
Availability: |
Office Hours by appointment |


Photo credit: National Film Board of Canada, 2005

Photo credit: Shira Avni, 2022
Video links
Petra's Poem
Petra's Poem by Shira Avni, National Film Board of Canada
In this short film, Toronto artist Petra Tolley, who has Down syndrome, performs a soliloquy that encapsulates her distinctive take on the social self. Employing rotoscopy, hand-drawn animation techniques and subtle stereoscopic 3D, the film captures Petra as she engages the camera with unflinching directness and dignity.
John and Michael
John and Michael by Shira Avni, National Film Board of Canada
John and Michael pays homage to two men with Down's syndrome who shared an intimate and profoundly loving relationship that deeply affected the filmmaker. Animated with clay backlit on glass, the film shimmers like stained glass in motion.
Tying Your Own Shoes
Tying Your Own Shoes by Shira Avni, National Film Board of Canada
Tying Your Own Shoes is an intimate glimpse into the exceptional mindsets and emotional lives of four adult artists with Down Syndrome. An artful, four-way essay about ability, this animated film explores how it feels to be a little bit unusual.