John and Michael


John and Michael is a 2004 animated short by Shira Avni about two men with Down syndrome who share a loving relationship.
The film was animated with clay backlit on plexiglas, to produce a stained glass effect. Avni made over 14,000 paintings to create the film. It is narrated by Brian Davis, who is himself intellectually challenged. John and Michael was co-produced by Avni and Michael Fukushima of the National Film Board of Canada.

Awards

John and Michael received a dozen awards and honours at film festivals, including a Golden Sheaf Award for best Animation, the award for best original screenwriting at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, the short documentary award at DOXA Documentary Film Festival, the short film award at the Pink Apple film festival, a Silver Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival as well as the award for best animated short at the Cinequest Film Festival.