Concordia alumnus Vinicius Sanchez, MFA 24, has received a Fulbright Award for his research on how Québécois, Indigenous and immigrant knowledge have shaped a distinctive film language in Canadian animation. An interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker, Sanchez is conducting his independent research through Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts and the Visual Collections Repository (VCR).
His work explores how cross-cultural exchange has influenced Canadian animation culture—especially through the contributions of immigrant filmmakers and experimental animation. His supervisors are Deanna Bowen and Erika Adams, both professors in the Department of Studio Arts.
Sanchez is uncovering underrepresented histories by examining film archives across Canada, including those at the Cinémathèque Québécoise, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Concordia’s own VCR.
One of his case studies focuses on Indian Canadian filmmaker Ishu Patel, who pioneered several notable animation techniques during his 25-year career at the NFB. In The Bead Game, Patel developed a method of animating thousands of tiny beads under a constantly zooming-out camera.
"As one of his early films in Canada, he was inspired by observing beadwork by Inuk women on sealskin during a visit to Nunavut,” says Sanchez. “Seeing beads being lined up on a string and scattered in their creation process, Patel recognized their potential to be animated.”
Patel was among the many Canadian artists who helped popularize experimentation and innovation in animated film, contributing to Canada’s outsized influence on the international stage in this domain. This case study also highlights the role of animation in forging connections across cultures and communities.
As part of his Fulbright research, Sanchez will also create new animated films and visual works that reflect the diasporic history of Canadian animation and its capacity to connect cultures and communities.
Born in Rio de Janeiro and raised in the United States, Sanchez—now a dual citizen—says he has long been inspired by Canadian animation.
“Canada and Montreal are historically important regions in the history of experimental film and animation,” he says. “I was moved by the regional diversity of film visions and the spirit of play, risk-taking and experimentation in audiovisual production.”
Attend Vinicius Sanchez’s talk at the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowky Institute for Canadian Studies on May 27, 2025, at 10 a.m. titled “Expanding the Animation Film—Cross-Cultural Exchange in Montréal and Canada.”
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