International Competition 4 (Rep.)

The International Competition (IC) is the beating heart of the festival. The best of current animated shorts from around the world are shown in this section. Films are humorous, contemplative, creative, or critical. An international jury selects the best animated short film of the year which will be honoured in the grand awards ceremony on Sunday. But you get to vote as well: Choose your favourite film for the SWR Audience Award!

Min Börda (The Burden)

Regie Director: Niki Lindroth von Bahr / Schweden / 2017 / 00:14:15 min. / Verleih Distribution: / Weltvertrieb World Sales: New Europe Film Sales

A dark musical enacted in a modern market place, situated next to a large freeway. The employees of the various commercialvenues, portrayed as animals, deal with boredom and existential anxiety by performing cheerful musical turns. The apocalypse is a tempting liberator.

Esmark – Husby-klit Bk. (Esmark – Husby-klit Bk.)

Regie Director: Robert Seidel / Deutschland / 07/2017 / 00:05:00 min.

The music video is based on a live video performance, in which a modular video synthesizer generates mental spaces between floating and overwriting realities. The visual material is based on a convolute of geographical impressions fused into a continuous stream of dissolving memories.

(Fool Time) JOB ((Fool Time) JOB)

Regie Director: Gilles Cuvelier / Frankreich / 09/2017 / 00:16:31 min. / Weltvertrieb World Sales: Papy3D Productions

Pedro has found a new job. A kind of strange one, but these days, he can’t afford to be fussy. It’s a real chance! Anyway, he’s never been the kind of getting cold feet…

Kuckuck (Cuckoo)

Regie Director: Aline Höchli / Schweiz / 05/2017 / 00:03:10 min.

The skinny, young girl spends her time alone feeding pigeons in the park. But even they fly away from her. Suddenly, company turns up. But the beanpole feels uneasy about the new companionship, so she sets about going to a specialist for parasites.

Goose in High Heels (Goose in High Heels)

Regie Director: John R. Dilworth / USA / 09/2017 / 00:21:50 min.

A tale told in three intertwined stories focused on a writer driven by glory. He struggles to complete a masterpiece, with inspiration from a life-long muse, about love, betrayal and horror based on childhood memories. After an encounter with an unnatural force, the writer realizes his true prize.

59 Seconds (59 Seconds)

Regie Director: Mauro Carraro / Frankreich, Schweiz / 07/2017 / 00:15:50 min.

The love story of Bruno and Tiziana is turned upside down by the 59 seconds that wrote one of the most tragic pages of Italy’s history – the earthquake that devastated Friuli in May 1976.

Island (Island)

Regie Director: Robert Löbel, Max Mörtl / Deutschland / 05/2017 / 00:02:30 min. / Verleih Distribution:

On a small island a bunch of exotic creatures run across each other.

Persistence of Vision III (Persistence of Vision III)

Regie Director: Ismael Sanz-Pena / Norwegen / 12/2016 / 00:01:45 min.

A short animated film made from one image exploring the dancing potential of the still sculptures at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.

Enough (Enough)

Regie Director: Anna Mantzaris / Großbritannien / 09/2017 / 00:02:19 min.

A film about impulses we all can feel but never act upon. Glimpses of emotional anarchy and moments of lost self-control.