A Crab in the Pool

A Crab in the Pool
A Crab in the Pool
French	Un trou dans la poitrine
Directed by	Alexandra Myotte; Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Written by	Alexandra Myotte; Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Produced by	Alexandra Myotte; Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Starring	Élisabeth Gauthier-Pelletier; Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Edited by	Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Production; company	Sémaphore Films
Release date	September 5, 2023 (Fantoche);
Running time	11 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	French

A Crab in the Pool (French: Un trou dans la poitrine) is a 2023 Canadian animated short film about hardship and grief, directed by Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel.^[1] The film premiered at the 2023 Fantoche animation film festival in September 2023, and has received several nominations and awards, including the Best Canadian Animation Award at the 2023 Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Audience Awards for Best Animated Short at the 2024 South by South West Festival (SXSW).^[2]^[3]^[4] On December 17, 2024, A Crab in the Pool was shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.^[5]

Plot

The film centres on Zoé, a teenage girl haunted by an intimate terror, and her younger brother Théo, who flees reality into a fantastical world. As the pair spend a scorching afternoon by the pool, they must find a way to heal their relationship.^[6]^[7]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2023	Ottawa International Animation Festival	Best Canadian Animation	Won	^[3]
	Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur	Best Direction, Short Film Competition	Won	^[8]
	Cinemania	Best Short Film	Won	^[9]
	Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival	Best Canadian Animation	Won	^[10]
2024	South by Southwest	Audience Award, Animated Shorts	Won	^[4]
	Sommets du cinéma d'animation	Grand-Prix Guy L. Côté	Won	^[11]
	Animest Festival	Grand Prize	Won	^[12]
	Short Shorts Film Festival	Best Short Film, Animation	Won	^[12]
	Animation Is Film	Special Jury Prize	Won	^[13]
	Prix Iris	Best Animated Short Film	Won	^[14]
2025	Prix collégial du cinéma québécois	Best Short Film	Won	^[15]

References

^ Amarsanaa Battulga, "GoCritic! Review: A Crab in the Pool". Cineuropa, October 17, 2023.
^ Jamie Lang, "10 Can’t-Miss Short Films That’ll Screen At Ottawa 2023". Cartoon Brew, September 12, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Ramin Zahed, "‘Miserable Miracle’ and ‘When Adam Changes’ Win Top Prizes at Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival". Animation Magazine, September 23, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Matt Grobar, "‘Bob Trevino Likes It,’ Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man,’ A24’s ‘Sing Sing’ & Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ Among SXSW Audience Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood, March 18, 2024.
^ Jamie Casemore, "Universal Language makes Oscars shortlist for international feature". Playback, December 18, 2024.
^ Florence Morin-Martel, "Le prix du public de SXSW décerné à un court métrage d’animation québécois". Le Devoir, March 20, 2024.
^ "A Crab in the Pool". European Film Academy. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
^ "FIFF 2023 : Le palmarès du court-métrage". Cinergie, October 2, 2023.
^ "CINEMANIA dévoile le palmarès de sa 29e édition". CTVM, November 13, 2023.
^ Mercedes Milligan, "‘A Crab in the Pool,’ ‘The House of Loss’ Win Top Prizes at GIRAF". Animation Magazine, November 27, 2023.
^ "Les 22e Sommets de cinéma d’animation remettent leurs prix". Qui Fait Quoi, May 14, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "The Very Long List of the 2024 Animated Short Oscar Contenders". Animation Magazine, October 25, 2024.
^ Mercedes Milligan, "‘Flow,’ ‘Wander to Wonder’ Win Grand Prizes at Animation Is Film". Animation Magazine, October 23, 2024.
^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Gala Artisans 2024: les lauréats dévoilés". Films du Québec, December 5, 2024.
^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "Soleils Atikamekw lauréat du PCCQ". Films du Québec, April 6, 2025.

External links

[battulga-1] Amarsanaa Battulga, "GoCritic! Review: A Crab in the Pool". Cineuropa, October 17, 2023.

[2] Jamie Lang, "10 Can’t-Miss Short Films That’ll Screen At Ottawa 2023". Cartoon Brew, September 12, 2023.

[:0-3] Ramin Zahed, "‘Miserable Miracle’ and ‘When Adam Changes’ Win Top Prizes at Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival". Animation Magazine, September 23, 2023.

[:1-4] Matt Grobar, "‘Bob Trevino Likes It,’ Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man,’ A24’s ‘Sing Sing’ & Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ Among SXSW Audience Award Winners". Deadline Hollywood, March 18, 2024.

[5] Jamie Casemore, "Universal Language makes Oscars shortlist for international feature". Playback, December 18, 2024.

[6] Florence Morin-Martel, "Le prix du public de SXSW décerné à un court métrage d’animation québécois". Le Devoir, March 20, 2024.

[7] "A Crab in the Pool". European Film Academy. Retrieved 2025-01-06.

[8] "FIFF 2023 : Le palmarès du court-métrage". Cinergie, October 2, 2023.

[9] "CINEMANIA dévoile le palmarès de sa 29e édition". CTVM, November 13, 2023.

[10] Mercedes Milligan, "‘A Crab in the Pool,’ ‘The House of Loss’ Win Top Prizes at GIRAF". Animation Magazine, November 27, 2023.

[11] "Les 22e Sommets de cinéma d’animation remettent leurs prix". Qui Fait Quoi, May 14, 2024.

[oscars-12] "The Very Long List of the 2024 Animated Short Oscar Contenders". Animation Magazine, October 25, 2024.

[13] Mercedes Milligan, "‘Flow,’ ‘Wander to Wonder’ Win Grand Prizes at Animation Is Film". Animation Magazine, October 23, 2024.

[14] Charles-Henri Ramond, "Gala Artisans 2024: les lauréats dévoilés". Films du Québec, December 5, 2024.

[15] Charles-Henri Ramond, "Soleils Atikamekw lauréat du PCCQ". Films du Québec, April 6, 2025.

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A Crab in the Pool


French	Un trou dans la poitrine

Directed by	Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Written by	Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Produced by	Alexandra Myotte Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Starring	Élisabeth Gauthier-Pelletier Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Edited by	Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Production company	Sémaphore Films
Release date	September 5, 2023 (2023-09-05) (Fantoche)
Running time	11 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	French