This fresh film from Ukraine made by Mykyta Lyskov, graduate of the Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, is full of absurd scenes which the author uses to interpret the contemporary Ukrainian society. Lyskov relentlessly lines up one scene full of black humour after another and stylises everything in a distinct artistic expression.
A disturbing story set in the near future. People are holed up in their small dwellings and live in a virtual world. Everyone films and streams various videos. They don’t have a clue that they’re not free until one of them goes outside. But the discovery of the outer reality is something their virtual masters aren’t happy to see.
A collection of audio-visual Haiku poems. Stop-motion poetry, oscillating between animation, documentary and experiment. Transforming Haiku poetry based on 5-7-5 syllables to the audio-visual form using a 5-7-5 second shot structure. The author made the film during a two-month art residency in Japan and uses typical local motifs, which he often puts in unusual contexts.
The film follows Irma and her weird neighbours during the final days before the world is supposed to end. This farcical story full of black humour is highly topical and shows us that it is possible to find friendship and understanding among all sorts of people.
A time-lapse oil-painting animated film about an insomniac guy and what he dreams when he finally falls asleep. In addition to atypical animation techniques, this conceptually daring film also uses enhanced naturalistic sound, making the protagonist’s insomnia even more unbearable and the whole film more disturbing.
This film, commissioned by the Hussite Museum in Tábor, commemorates the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Žižka. Using a humorous and detached perspective, it follows the life of the famed military leader and introduces the origins and puts the whole Hussite movement into context. Director Jan Míka presents historical facts in an entertaining way, helping children to understand them without any difficulties.
What happens if idioms acquire concrete and literal visual forms? Will their meanings withstand such transformations? What new meanings and jokes can they incorporate in their new visual forms? Will they survive? The director of this playful film reflects on the consequences of literality. These puns are, however, almost non-transferrable to a different language.
Much like in the real world, everything in the latest film by the classic of Czech hand-drawn animation has its dark side. The author elaborates on that quite literally as his film has two parts: an optimistic part taking place on one side of the paper and a pessimistic part taking place on the other.
Mr. Rabbit’s life isn’t easy. One night, an unexpected scene outside his window forces him to make a major decision. But just like everyone else, Mr. Rabbit makes mistakes from time to time. And when he realises he has made a mistake, it’s unclear whether he will be able to make up for it in time, or at all. A crazy film about frustration, love, jealousy and belief in science.
Compound animation loops filmed on a single canvas depict an immensely playful, colourful and abstract whirlwind of various particles perfectly harmonised with Bach’s excellent composition. This one-minute-long abstract film in which Josh Shaffner made good use of his experience with painting was made at CalArts in a programme for experimental animation.
