WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE?
Filmmaker Andrea Dorfman on Animation and the Best Bike Trails in Halifax
The Hairy Legs director and CAA member shares her favourites.
By Nicole Keen
(Above) The 2026 film Hairy Legs was considered for an Oscar nomination. (Below) Filmmaker Andrea Dorfman. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ANDREA DORFMAN
Halifax-based filmmaker Andrea Dorfman draws inspiration from personal experiences and literature. “What’s kind of funny is I’m not a huge film buff,” admits Dorfman. “I consume a lot of stories in the form of books and visual art.” Throughout her career, Dorfman has made live-action features, shorts and documentaries, but now she is committed to charming animated films like the Emmy-nominated Flawed. Her film Hairy Legs was considered for a 2026 Oscar nomination. In addition to being a voracious reader, Dorfman is also an avid cyclist and library enthusiast.
(Above) Kate Gies’s book It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished. (Below) Work from animator Helen Hill. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOLLAY GHADERY; COURTESY OF HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE
What are you reading at the moment? I have probably 60 books on hold! Quite a few of my films are about the body, so I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs [on the topic]. I just read this really incredible memoir by Kate Gies: It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished. Also, Look Ma, No Hands by Gabrielle Drolet.
Who inspired you to teach yourself animation? There was an amazing animator here in Halifax in the late 1990s. Her name was Helen Hill, and she was a very DIY, handmade animator. Although I never took any of her classes, I really got the impression that it was not too complicated. I’ve gone from paintings to pen and ink to stop-motion puppetry to making films on a tablet.
What is it about animation that speaks to you? I loved that I didn’t need to work with teams of people; I could work at my own pace, and I didn’t need as much funding.
Where do you like to work? I love working at the Central Library. I love all the libraries. We live near the University of King’s College, and [the campus] has this beautiful library that I will sometimes go to and bring my work.
What are some of your favourite cycling routes? I love how easy it is to access nature in Halifax. I love getting on the Rails to Trails here in Halifax and riding out to the lakes. You can [also] take the ferry or bike over the bridge to Dartmouth and get on the trail and end up at Lawrencetown Beach. You can pack your towel and your bathing suit and just go for the day. CAA
“I love how easy it is to access nature in Halifax.”
Lawrencetown Beach, one of Dorfman’s favourites. | PHOTO: KENMO/iSTOCK
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(From left) Kate Gies’s book It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished; work from animator Helen Hill. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOLLAY GHADERY; COURTESY OF HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE