Key Takeaways
- Classical Animation alum Henrique Barone served as Animation Director on Kind of a Big Deal, an animated documentary celebrating Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair.
- The film screened at Science World After Dark: FIFA Edition, highlighting the intersection of soccer, science, and storytelling through interactive exhibits and live programming.
- Vancouver Film School is celebrating the FIFA World Cup with free campus events that bring together film, games, and immersive creative experiences.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is well underway in Vancouver. The tournament is the largest in its history, featuring 48 national teams from Canada, the United States, and Mexico competing across five weeks, with an estimated 350,000 spectators expected to attend Vancouver’s seven matches.
It's a fitting moment for Knowledge Network’s Kind of a Big Deal, an animated documentary short honouring Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair. 8 minutes long, the film is directed by Eoin Duffy, narrated by Ryan Reynolds, and showcases the work of three talented Vancouver Film School alumni and one faculty member – including animation director (and Classical Animation grad) Henrique Barone.
This week, we chatted with Henrique about working on the film and his experience as a VFS student. We’ll also highlight how VFS is celebrating the World Cup through a series of free, on-campus events this June (see registration details below).
MEET THE FOUR VFS ALUMNI BEHIND THE FILM
A Vancouver-based animator, Henrique has built an impressive career, known for his expressive, character-driven animation style and collaborations with leading studios and global brands like Apple, Netflix, Google, Nickelodeon, and Spotify. Alongside his commercial work, he has created acclaimed original animated shorts and contributed to productions such as Giant Ant’s Tangles.
Two additional VFS alumni and one current faculty member worked on Kind of a Big Deal; while fellow Classical Animation alumni Serena Espinosa and Fernanda Ribeiro helped animate the film, Writing for Film, Television & Games instructor Jessica Bradford served as story editor. An award-winning writer, director, and educator with 15 years of industry experience, Jessica shared with VFS her experience working on the film:
“We focused a lot on how to do justice to Christine's professional accomplishments while also giving the story an emotional core.
Eoin wrote his first drafts of the script based on Christine's autobiography… but it was hard to fit all that in… There was very little room for a more personal angle to anchor the story.
In the end, some really great stuff had to go (the historic win over the U.S. in 2020) Christine's brother, her dad, and a through-line of a fictional little girl that takes inspiration from Christine's leadership.
It wasn't until after he interviewed her in person that Eoin found Christine's real (literal) voice, funny, self-deprecating, and passionate about the game. After that it was just a matter of honing the story to do her justice and give it emotional resonance. I was pushing to keep the gender pay equity in and really wanted the little girl to stay, but there just wasn't room for everything. We both agreed that the heart of the story was with her mum, but if you look closely, there's still one shot of a little girl watching the Olympics.”
INSIDE THE FILM’S SCREENING AT SCIENCE WORLD AFTER DARK
As part of Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup celebrations, Kind of a Big Deal was showcased during Science World After Dark: FIFA Edition, an adults-only evening on June 10 that explored how soccer, science, technology, and culture intertwine.
The event featured interactive experiences, live performances, and hands-on demonstrations highlighting the innovation behind the game, including a screening of the documentary. Henrique and Eoin were in attendance, taking part in a post-screening Q&A.
Henrique Barone and director Eoin Duffy took part in a screening and Q&A at Science World on June 10.HOW VFS IS CELEBRATING THE WORLD CUP
The World Cup is here – and Vancouver Film School is celebrating! This month, we’re opening our doors with Beyond the Pitch – a week of free screenings, interactive experiences, industry talks, and family-friendly events held right here on campus.
From screenings of classic films like Bend It Like Beckham and Diego Maradona to an EA Sports FC alumni panel and a motion capture experience that puts you on the pitch, this is your chance to experience the World Cup in a new way.
All events are hosted at 151 W. Hastings and are completely free. Explore the full lineup of events and register while seats are still available.
OUR Q&A WITH HENRIQUE BARONE
As animation director on the project, what was your creative focus and how did you approach supporting the film’s overall vision?
From the very beginning, what truly spoke to director/writer Eoin Duffy and me was the type of leadership Christine Sinclair represents, one that doesn't need to be loud or aggressive, but rather humble and focused. In directing the animation and coming up with the boards, my main goal was to find the visuals that would support this overall vision about how quiet leadership can leave the loudest legacy.
We ended up landing on very different visuals for each story arc. For comparison, the soccer moments are very dynamic and intense, animation is exaggerated, almost taking the player-Christine as a character of herself, while the visuals of the childhood and family memories are much simpler and minimal, and the performance of this human-Christine is much more grounded and subtle.
What did it mean to you personally to contribute to a project celebrating such an important Canadian athlete?
Christine not only played the actual soccer game incredibly well, but she is also an inspiration on how to play life’s long game. The film shows the Canadian team going through hardship and tough times, almost giving up, but Christine stayed true to herself and to her love for soccer, and in the end, things paid off. Her message of hard work and hope in the face of tough times echoes the furthest.
Were there any particular sequences, shots, or creative challenges that stand out to you from production? Is there a moment in the film where you feel your work really comes through?
Doing an 8-minute piece was a challenge in itself! One breakthrough moment in the production was when we decided to break the film down into 4 arcs and approach them visually as 4 films, each roughly 2 minutes long. That not only made the film more engaging but also settled our minds a bit.
That decision also allowed us for some “films-within-the-film” scenarios, which are some of my favourite parts of the documentary, especially the one where she talks about being the captain of the team as a kid, and ends with “it’s almost because you don’t speak all the time, that when you do, people listen”.
The way her mother’s story intertwines with the other stories is also something we are very proud of. Eoin did an amazing job bringing this part of her film into the script.
Looking back at your time at VFS, what specific skills or experiences do you believe most directly shaped how you work in animation today?
I always look back at my VFS times with very fond memories. The Classical Animation program was not just about the craft of animation; it was also – and most importantly – about storytelling. Learning about and working on every stage of your own film is something that was very special to me; it helped me find my own voice as an animator and director and absolutely set me up for a great start in the industry.
What advice would you give animators who want to build a long-term career in the entertainment industry?
Know the trends, be aware of the industry, but never lose track of what made you fall in love with animation in the first place. Play the long game!