Private Project

The Pavilion

Logline: Two young girls take inspiration from a magical storybook to help their ailing mother.

Synopsis: Set in Ontario at the end of WWII, The Pavilion tells the story of two sisters sent to live with their aunt and uncle while their father serves overseas and their mother is stricken with tuberculosis. Equipped with a magical storybook, the girls embark on a journey through the countryside where the characters and objects from the book come to life, guiding them towards their mother.

  • Pixie Cram
    Director
    Witch Woman, Emergency Broadcast
  • Pixie Cram
    Writer
    Witch Woman, Emergency Broadcast
  • Yfke Napiorkowski-Schurer
    Key Cast
    "Older Sister"
  • Otsje Napiorkowski-Schurer
    Key Cast
    "Younger Sister"
  • Carole Brown
    Key Cast
    "Aunt"
  • Roy Van Hooydonk
    Key Cast
    "Uncle"
  • Kathleen McCreery
    Key Cast
    "Old Woman"
  • Mirielle Bernier-Acuna
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Matthieu Hallé
    Cinematography
  • Kevin Komaranski
    Sound Design
  • Angela Schleihauf
    Music
  • Tina Le Moine
    Animation
  • Pixie Cram
    Producer
    Witch Woman, Emergency Broadcast
  • Thea Yeatman
    Costumes
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Historical drama, stop-motion animation, pixilation, fiction
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO)
    Ottawa
    Canada
    March 15, 2026
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Winnipeg Film Group
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - Pixie Cram

Pixie Cram is a Canadian filmmaker based in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. She creates fiction, stop-motion animation, and analogue documentaries (16mm). Her short films have screened at festivals and art galleries across Canada, in the US, Europe, and China, as well as on CBC. She teaches screenwriting at Carleton University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The starting point for this film was researching about women who served and died in the Canadian forces during WWII. They didn’t die at the front. The most common cause of death was from tuberculosis. I was also thinking about the resilience of children who can escape through their imagination. Is it true or not? Is this a dream, or is it just in their minds? This is what I was playing with.

I became aware of the parallels to Hansel and Gretel while working on the film. I have an interest in working with stories and turning them on their head. That said, we played up some tropes: will the old woman try to roast them in the oven? We played with those elements to build the drama.

I love the Crone and I wanted to do her justice. The cliché of the ugly old witch has been very destructive of the power of older women. In this story, she's unwanted, but for the children she becomes the key to reaching their mother.