February 13, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Former distinguished National Film Board of Canada (NFB) animation producer Marcy Page is one of this year’s recipients of the Winsor McCay Award honouring “unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation,” presented February 17, 2024, at the 51st Annie Awards by ASIFA-Hollywood, the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association.
Quotes
“On behalf of the National Film Board of Canada, congratulations Marcy on this richly deserved tribute recognizing your immense contributions to the art of animation. You’ve produced an amazing body of work during your distinguished career at the NFB, inspiring and mentoring countless animators.”
— Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson
“I think we should all thank our lucky stars that we have Marcy. Not only because she is such an accomplished and gifted producer, but because she is an exceptionally lovely human being. I am sure there are many people around the world who will say that they cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than Marcy Page. I am very happy to join that chorus of voices singing Marcy’s praises. She is and always will be a beacon in the international community of animation and a bright star in many, many lives.”
— Torill Kove, director of The Danish Poet
“Marcy Page was our champion from the first day we met—she recognized something in us that we did not yet even recognize in ourselves. She mentored us through every aspect of filmmaking and then every aspect of a film’s success (which at times could be overwhelming). She protected us, picked us up, and never stopped believing in us. She deserves all the awards she’s ever gotten and more.”
— Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli)
Madame Tutli-Putli, Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Marcy Page at the NFB
Born and raised in California, Marcy Page immigrated to Canada and joined the NFB in 1990, first as a director and associate producer and then as a producer.
She sought out eclectic and unusual productions and co-productions during her career as a producer with the NFB’s English Program Animation Studio, pushing the boundaries of the animation medium. Her NFB credits include two Academy Award-winning animated shorts, Chris Landreth’s Ryan (2004) and Torill Kove’s The Danish Poet (2006). She was also NFB producer on four more Oscar-nominated films: Kove’s My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts (1999) and Me and My Moulton (2014); Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s Madame Tutli-Putli (2007); and Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby’s Wild Life (2011).
Over the course of her rich career at the NFB, Marcy helped shape acclaimed animated films with both emerging and seasoned directors, which together have garnered over 350 international awards and honours. She retired from producing at the NFB in 2014 to pursue her first love, directing and animating more personal work. Virgin Fandango is a project that she developed, inspired by Portugal, where she spends her summers with her partner, distinguished composer and sound designer Normand Roger.
About the award
This honour for Marcy comes just one year after ASIFA-Hollywood presented the Winsor McCay Award posthumously to Evelyn Lambart, a pioneering NFB woman animator.
Animator and director Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger, who is being posthumously honoured this year, has her own link to the NFB, having directed the 1975 NFB animated short Aucassin and Nicolette.
The award was established in 1972 and is named in honour of animator Winsor McCay, a prolific artist and pioneer in the art of comic strips and animation.