The programme consists of curated screenings and a series of interviews with animation directors conducted by Holly Murtha, festival director, and Alex Widdowson, festival producer.
Programme 1
Pandora Box: Russia-Ukraine War 2022
Director: Sofiia Rud
Duration: 1:00
Ukraine
As Ukrainians with losses because of this cruel war, we created this Pandora’s Box story to tell the world how we feel. It is a story about us and all Ukrainian people, who woke up on the 24th of February from explosions and evacuated from their cities or decided to stay. It’s a story about surrealistic war events that still break our hearts, as the war continues, as well as the bombing of Ukrainian cities by Russia.
The events are so surrealistic, that it was almost as if the Pandora’s Box legend came true. We believe that Ukraine will win the war. And Mrs. Death will take The President who opened Pandora’s Box with her.
Maalbeek
Director: Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis
Duration: 15:51
France
“Maalbeek is a journey into amnesic territory, in the immemorial memory of the attacks of the 22 March 2016 in Brussels.
The visual concept is based on a hybrid montage of archive images and 3D animation that work in tandem on the motif of fragmentation.
The animation of the film, made from real shots and then transformed by various technical processes, shows an inner landscape composed of exploded views of the metro station, as if the image of these memories had also been subjected to the physical shock of the explosion. These clouds of dots reflect the mental instability that runs through the main character’s representation, sizzling, even uncertain. These layers of reality that persist throughout the animation help to immerse the spectator in the emotional experience of amnesia.”
The Wind Whistles
Director: Alessandro Dordoni
Duration: 15:00
United Kingdom
April 16th, 1945. The end of World War II is approaching, but a small partisan outpost located near enemy lines has to overcome one last major obstacle – resist the surprise attack of 450 SS soldiers.
Us
Director: Nelson Fernandes
Duration: 05:00
Germany, Portugal
“Us” is a short film of animation which mixes several Stop Motion techniques, proposing a journey through the conflicted human condition. War, loneliness, nature, crossings, fallen dreams are some of the recurring aspects in this animated poem on paper.
RIDE
Director: Paul Bush
Duration: 05:42
Portugal
Hundreds of motorbikes are animated frame by frame in this homage to the iconic motorcycle design and culture of the 1950s and 60s. A rider prepares his bike and departs on an idealised journey into the countryside and into the future.
TIMELINE
Director: Osbert Parker
Duration: 04:43
United Kingdom
Timeline is an artist commissioned film loop created for The Migration Museum exhibition, Departures. The film uses experimental animation techniques to explore migration that triggered 400 years of emigration from Britain between 1620-2020 and beyond.
A single footprint rapidly escalates into patterns of human travel in the form of ‘abstract lines’ within the natural world to evoke meaning; suggesting epic voyages and connected narratives over long histories.
Evolving as unexpected pathways through time. Successive patterns of lines change form through the use of mixed media animation, investigating personal narratives behind life-changing events.
Using metaphors to emphasize fragility and human endeavour, the multi-layered result suggests a range of migration experiences through historic events across continents, that triggered 400 years of migration from Britain around the world.
RIP 9-5
Director: Ben Alderman
Duration: 02:12
United States
A Y2K apocalypse takes place inside of computers as a result of binary code and monopoly capitalism.
Nobody Stands Nowhere
Director: Emily Downe
Duration: 02:35
United Kingdom
A short animation exploring the concept of ‘Worldview’. Everyone sees the world through a certain lens.
Kandittundu (Seen it)
Director: Adithi Krishnadas
Duration: 11:49
India
The ever-vibrant Mr. P. N. K Panicker has several shockers up his sleeve. He takes the viewer along a moonlit stroll and paints a quirky picture of the supernatural encounters he has had.
Programme 2
Only A Child
Director: Simone Giampaolo
Duration: 06:47
Switzerland
Only a Child is a visual poem created by over 20 animation directors under the artistic supervision of Simone Giampaolo, which gives shape and colour to the original words spoken by Severn Cullis-Suzuki at the UN Summit in Rio in 1992, a child’s desperate call to action for the future of our planet. An omnibus film celebrating the environmental youth movement 30 years in the making.
Litter Buggin’
Director: John Rowley
Duration: 02:45
United Kingdom
Short animated film about Litter.
The Harbourmaster
Directors: Mia Ludvigsen Henriksen, Konrad Hjemli
Duration: 07:17
Norway
“The Harbourmaster” tells the story of its titular swan, and of how he went from a beloved small town icon to a wanted criminal.
IMAGINATION BLIND: Aphantasia Explained
Director: George Lee
Duration: 01:00
United Kingdom
A short animation explaining the condition of Aphantasia and its subsequent impact on creativity.
Another Presence
Director: Simon Ball
Duration: 12:00
United Kingdom
Another Presence recounts the unique and often curious experiences of people living with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), the third most common form of dementia. A multi-sensory condition that can cause dream-like symptoms, it’s a condition like no other. Told through the testimonies of those living with DLB, the film explores the surreal and lesser known effects of dementia, compelling us to question how our brains function and to what extent we can trust our senses.
Jeremy, my Father
Director: Miranda Peyton Jones
Duration: 07:40
United Kingdom
‘Jeremy, my Father,’ is a poignant film which attempts to navigate bereavement following suicide. Through animation, archival footage, and sound, director Miranda Peyton Jones guides us to the heart of her grief, love and loss. The voices of her family and her father’s music underscore this deeply personal, powerful, and poignant film.
My thoughts on autism… and orangutans
Director: Alfie Minchin
Duration: 01:02
United Kingdom
I, an autistic individual talk through some of my thoughts in an open and unscripted format.
Something More
Director: Mary Martins
Duration: 4:36
United Kingdom
Something More is an experimental animated documentary that explores the causes of youth violence, and more specifically the impact of knife crime in London. Through the lens of a
mother raising her 8 year old son in South East London, the film combines a variety of perspectives and stories from those that have been connected to the issue. The documentary engages with the epidemic on a deeper level. It endeavours to ignite further conversations that question both the criminal justice system and the current political climate, all of which point to youth knife crime as a symptom of a wider societal
All Those Sensations in My Belly
Director: Marko Djeska
Duration: 13:19
Croatia
While transitioning from male to female gender, Matia struggles with finding a genuine intimate relationship with a heterosexual man.
The Unfair Sex
Director: Serafima Serafimova
Duration: 01:09
United Kingdom
Women live with outdated, binary societal pressures, dictating the way we look, where we go and even how we procreate. In the meantime our rights are fast eroding, and girls and women continue to disappear, get raped and murdered. I made The Unfair Sex to channel my frustration,
The Chimney Swift
Director: Frédéric Schuld
Duration: 5:00
Germany
19th century in Europe. A child climbs up a chimney while a bird sails down into it to build a nest. An encounter with no way back.
A British chimney sweeper describes his everyday routine of forcing young kids to become workers. While we observe a kid cleaning a chimney, the master’s statement gets more personal with every sentence until we understand, that he is speaking about his own past.
Toddler Talks
Director: Diana Reichenbach
Duration: 3:33
United States
A documentary animated short based on audio recordings of a toddler-aged boy named Henry. The film is animated in a way that mimics the development of language and emotions—which aren’t always clear and articulated at first.
