Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis met at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver where they studied film, video, and animation. Each went on to create their own works with the NFB before co-directing the acclaimed When the Day Breaks (1999), a story about collisions, connections, and the accidental death of a chicken. It received an Oscar® nomination and more than 30 international awards, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes, a Genie Award and the Grand Prix at the Annecy, Zagreb and Hiroshima international animation festivals.