''To See or Not to See'' () is a 1969 Canadian animated short film, directed by

Břetislav Pojar Břetislav Pojar (7 October 192312 October 2012) was a Czech puppeteer, animator and director of short film, short and feature films. Born in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, Pojar started his career in the late 1940s with his work on ''The Story of the ...

for the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

. An exploration of

fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

, the film centres on a scientist who develops a pair of glasses that allows the wearer to see reality instead of subjective perception, thus making fear less onerous and easier to overcome. ''To See or Not to See'' amusingly reflects on the habit of looking before one leaps. What Pojar shows us is the little person inside each of us, the cautious character we all know, who acts to keep us out of trouble but also keeps us in a state of defeat. Is there a cure for this reluctance to face up to life in the raw? The film shows that there is.

Awards

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

: Golden Bear for Best Short Film, 1969 *

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, Chicago: Certificate of Merit, 1969 * International Cinematography Congress, Colour Film Week,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

: Diploma of Honour, 1969 *

22nd Canadian Film Awards The 22nd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 3, 1970 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 89-91. The ceremon ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

: Film of the Year, 1970 *

: Best Animated Film, 1970 * International Film Festival in Guadalajara,

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

: Award for Animation, 1971 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1971 * SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films,

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

: First Prize, Experimental, 1971"Canadian Film Awards"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', October 1, 2007.

References

External links

* * * {{Short Film Golden Bear Winners 1969 films Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners National Film Board of Canada animated short films Quebec films Films produced by Robert Verrall Films about fear Films directed by Břetislav Pojar Best Animated Short Film Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners 1960s Canadian animated films 1969 animated short films