Lipsett Diaries

Inspiration

Ushev was inspired to make a film about Lipsett, after Robinson had forwarded him an email where the late filmmaker was discussed. Until that point, Ushev had never heard of Lipsett. He began to do some research and was surprised to learn that Lipsett had lived on the same street as him in Montreal. Ushev went to the building where Lipsett once lived and met with the concierge, who showed him a locker where belongings from former tenants were stored. There, Ushev discovered a small blue notebook with "Lipsett" written on it, containing notes by the late filmmaker.

Production

The film was animated by hand-painting the frames, using computer editing to link the images. Ushev estimated that 40 frames were painted per day during production. Lipsett Diaries was Robinson's first attempt at screenwriting. A year after completing his script detailing Lipsett's troubled life, including his battle with bipolar disorder, Robinson was himself diagnosed with a mild form of the condition.

Reception

Lipsett Diaries received the Genie Award for Best Animated Short at the 31st Genie Awards. In June 2011, it received three awards at the 2011 Golden Sheaf Awards: for Animation, the Founder’s Award, and Best of Festival.

Lipsett Diaries also received a Special Jury Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, a Special International Jury Prize at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival, an audience award at the Melbourne International Animation Festival, Best Canadian Film at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, special mentions at the Bravo!FACT Awards and Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto, Best Animated Film at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, and the grand prize at the Rencontres internationales du cinéma d'animation in Wissembourg.

At the end of 2010, the film was included in the Toronto International Film Festival's Top 10 Canadian films of the year.