Some left-field Montreal directors, a record-breaking animator and a team of veteran horror-film artisans are among the Canadians in the running at tonight’s Oscars.
Montreal filmmaker Alison McAlpine is nominated for best documentary short for “Perfectly a Strangeness,” her hypnotic film following three donkeys exploring a semi-abandoned observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Meanwhile, fellow Montrealers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski are up for best animated short film for “The Girl Who Cried Pearls.” The duo were previously nominated in the category — 18 years ago — for their debut short “Madame Tutli-Putli.”
In the best animated feature category, Korean-Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang is nominated for co-writing and co-directing Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” which is the most-viewed film in the streamer’s history. She’ll compete against Toronto’s Domee Shi for co-writing and co-directing Pixar’s “Elio.”
Canadians behind the look of “Frankenstein” are also up for makeup and hairstyling awards — Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey. The production design team on the film also received a nomination, including production designer Tamara Deverell and set decorator Shane Vieau.
The film is also nominated for best picture, which includes Canadian producer J. Miles Dale among its nominees.
McAlpine says it’s been “a huge honour and a wild adventure” to see “Perfectly a Strangeness” compete for an Academy Award.
“It’s wild. It’s the out-of-the-box indie film. It comes out of nowhere.”
Several members of the film’s small crew plan to attend the ceremony together, paying their own way.
The donkeys, however, won’t be hitting the red carpet.
“I’d love that,” McAlpine laughs. “But I think a poor donkey in L.A. would be traumatized.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
