Graduate School of Film and New Media held a special lecture and workshop by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis from November 6 to 17, 2017. After working for the National Film Board of Canada, they co-directed When the Day Breaks, the animated short film that won over thirty awards. In Japan, they are known for the TV commercial series of Suntory Natural Mineral Water.

On the first day of the special lecture by the Canadian duo, their graduation work at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design Strings was shown, as well as an extract from When the Day Breaks (1999) and Wild Life (2011). The assignment of the workshop was to make the concept of an animated short film that can contemplate and communicate the inner aspects of objects or animals. The participants first created storyboards on papers, which individually received advice from the lecturers. Storyboards in motion that dealt with different viewpoints such as those of glasses, tooth, a wall, or a hamster were made by the participants, and their conceptual uniqueness and the degree of understanding of the assignment task were highly evaluated.

On November 12, the symposium, Introduction to Contemporary Animation (27) was held, during which some animated films themed on the individual and the world were shown with explanations. Partly because When the Day Breaks won the Grand Prize at Hiroshima International Animation Festival, so many enthusiastic fans attended the symposium. The event was so successful that the venue was packed with people, causing some of them to watch a live broadcast in another room.

The lecture by the duo consisted of three film showings, during which Ms. Tilby and Ms. Forbis themselves provided clear explanations about their motivations for each work and the production processes. For When the Day Breaks, which was produced in 1999 and won many prizes across the world, including the Grand Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, they explained with slides the concept of drawing in each frame and the technical aspects of producing the film. Wild life, an Academy Award nominated film that was produced twelve years after the completion of When the Day Breaks, was created based on the 200 year history of British immigrants to western Canada where the director is originally from. It was a highly valuable opportunity to get a glimpse of the background of the duo. They also told the audience that a new animated short film would be produced next year. Asking a number of questions on the music and concept of the new film, the audience benefitted from the opportunity to learn about the ideas and thoughts of the producers.