Animation can! And may! And simply does! Even at the edge of madness and beyond.
Wild living, stories about growing up, the state of body and soul, and everyday madness are this year’s defining themes. Established schools from countries with a tradition of animation present themselves in their usual strong way, while brilliant newcomers broaden the spectrum in terms of geography and content. This results in fascinating insights into the politics and society of a wide range of cultures. Visual trips ranging from sensitive and humorous to satirically sharp round off the programme.
This film tells the story of a young child desperately trying to survive in a dark, abandoned city with a huge dog being her only source of comfort. The duo does not only need to find food but also has to escape the monster trailing them. A series of events leaves the protagonist completely alone with horrible repercussions. In the end, she has to decide whether to stay in darkness or turn towards the light.
Gooseville is close to nothing and far away from everything. It’s the place where Goosevillers lead themselves to destruction. The inhabitants live off the farming of different species, everything from geese to tadpoles, that they overexploit every time. Each new management and self consuming community is presented through low budget homemade TV shows.
A crooked twig wants to fit in with the straight beams of wood, but constantly gets rejected. In a desperate last attempt it completely transforms itself. Finally it gets accepted, but the price to fit in is high.
This film is a short animated essay that explores the stages of the creative process through the voices of different creators from all fields of art. To convey the message, the film employs a combination of every possible animation technique with an equally rich soundscape.
Deutschlandpremiere
A violent stop motion cabaret for the cynical and depraved. Guilt, alcoholic apathy and the inevitable, looming apocalypse threaten to push a young man “To the Brink”.
Deutschlandpremiere
During a flight to his dream vacation, Johnny, a compulsive gambler and notorious crook, finds himself propelled to Hell with his wife Monica. To save their souls, they will have to confront and beat the devil at his own game in Hell’s Casino.
In 1831, accidents mount on a British merchant ship weighed down by too much cargo. As James Franklin dies and leaves behind his grieving lover, old grievances arise between sailors Callen and Gigi. Can they get over there their differences and be able to show up for one another?
Rita works in a crowded and oppressive open space office. Her day is turned upside down by a violent anxiety attack. She finally manages to isolate herself and travels to her inner world to regain control of herself.
Deutschlandpremiere
This phonotrope animation is the outcome of a two-week workshop in which first-year students of Visual Communications at the Kunsthochschule Kassel participated. They visited the animation class with the aim of creating a short film that explored the theme of ‘revolution’ through their individual perspectives and ideas.
Weltpremiere
An observation about the differences in perceptions of time. The main character is rushing forward while the crowd is frozen waiting for the green traffic light.
In Singapore, politics is often described as a dance: one step forward and two steps back; a city where socio-economic change moves with incremental cautiousness. However, in this animated film, the quiet city-state transforms into a rowdy street parade synthesised by a manic flurry of pop culture, karaoke and colour.
Deutschlandpremiere
Oliver is a giant boy who is living on a little planet with other humans who are very small by comparison. Thus, Oliver doesn’t realize his own triviality until a huge shadow appears from out of nowhere.
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The one born from Chaos abandons his origins tries to find peace and in turn creates his own planet.