September 7th, 7:00 P.M.
Duration 65’42”
DREAMER
Bulgaria, 2020, 16’05”, 2D
director Vladimir Todorov
Planet Earth is a deserted island in an ocean of darkness and silence. Stranded on it, and the sole survivor of an apocalyptic disaster, is a child, desperately trying to get back to civilization. Dreamer is a dystopian fairytale, exploring the fear and anxiety felt by millions of young children growing up in a world full of uncertainty. What does the future hold for them? Can they dare hope for something good? A young boy’s nightmare may hold the key.
MY CROW DON’T KNOW TO FISH
India, 2021, 4‘46‘‘, 2D
director Divakar SK
A melodramatic animation film adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan lake based on a vague relationship between a crow and a man in a dystopian world.
THE WALTZ
United States, 2022, 5’, 2D
director Yulia Ruditskaya
Shadows from an interwar Yiddish poem by A. Lutzky waltz at the edge of a modern world as it crumbles under their feet.
SLOW LIGHT
Poland, 2022, 11’, cutout animation
director Katarzyna Kijek, Przemysław Adamski
A boy who was born blind, suddenly at the age of seven sees a light. A medical examination reveals that his eyes are so dense that it takes seven years for the light to reach the retina and hence for the image to reach his consciousness. The consequence of the eye defect translates into the mental immaturity of the man, lack of understanding of the present and belated reflections on long-gone facts. The man is never mature enough for his age and constantly lingers on the past. Film made in original technique representing the tactile reality of the present and 2D animation showing the past.
DIES IRAE
Australia, 2022, 7’37’’, 2D
director Maru Collective
Two playful angels, seven sinful pigs, and one poor righteous soul.
BEAR HUG
France, 2021, 10’33’’, stop-motion
director Margrethe Danielsen
An eager little bear is waiting for his birthday guests to arrive. Slowly he realizes that he has been rejected. But the determination to celebrate his birthday is still strong, and, free as a bird, his hunt for company begins.
BIRD IN PENINSULA
France, 2022, 16’, 2D
director Atsushi Wada
Children are dancing to the music under the supervision of their teacher. A young lady witnesses the scene and disrupts their rituals.
September 8th, 7:00 P.M.
Duration 67’36”
PASSENGER
Argentina, 2022, 10‘, stop motion
director Juan Pablo Zaramella
A journey through the conflictive relationship between a man, his social environment and codes.
THE GARBAGE MAN
Portugal,2022,11’50’’, 2D
director Laura Gonçalves
On a hot August afternoon, the family gathered at the table remembering uncle Botão: the Colonial War, emigration to France, where he lived and worked thirty years as a garbage man. Memories of each are crossed to tell the story of a man who lived a hard life through humor and fantasy, like when he returned to Belmonte, in a van full of trash, turned into a real treasure.
TILL WE MEET AGAIN
Estonia, 2022, 14’09’’, stop motion
director Ülo Pikkov
It’s hard to think it’s gonna be good, it’s much Animation short “‘Till We Meet Again” talks about the tragic history of a small Ruhnu Island. Fearing for their lives, its entire population abandoned their homes while escaping the war in 1944. Decades later they had a chance to finally return, only to find out that the strangers had settled in. In addition to the twists and turns of the story, “‘Til We Meet Again” looks deeper into the meaning of home – is it merely a location or a place that gives one a peace of mind.
MEAL ON THE PLATE
USA, 2021, 7‘, 2D
director Chenglin Xie
Finally, VaYou are what you eat. In a world where people start to look like the thing they eat the most of, you can take this quite literally. When a newcomer prefers different eating habits, the visible consequences turn the world upside down. It’s a battle between desire and rationality.
TIE
Portugal, 2020, 11’, 2D
director Alexandra Ramires
Under a gloomy sun, two characters with symmetrical handicaps look for adaptation.
YOUR BAD ANIMALS
Israel, 2022, 11‘15‘‘, 2D
director Ido Shapira, Amit Cohen
Rachel, a rebellious young mouse who lives with her depressed mother in a burrow, starts dating the most dangerous animals in the city above the ground.
DAMN IT!
Germany, 2021, 1’09’’, 2D
director Elena Walf
The ancient struggle between good and evil.
September 9th, 7:00 P.M.
Duration 64′
THE LOVE WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT
France, 2020, 10’ 2D
director Gospodin Nedelchev
Stuck in the falsehood of our consumer life and hypocritical empathy for fictional screen characters, we do not notice those little creatures around us who need help. We even get annoyed by them… Can we open our hearts to true love and mercy?
STEAKHOUSE
Slovenia, 2021, 9’30’’, cutout animation
director Špela Čadež
The steak has been marinating for a few days now. The pan is heated. Franc’s stomach is rumbling. But Liza’s co-workers surprise her with a birthday party. Will she be home on time?
FORTRESS
Poland, 2021, 12’24’’, 2D
director Slawek Zalewski
The story is set somewhere in the East under communist rule. The authoritarian authorities declare a state of siege, manipulating the inhabitants to find an enemy. A visually impaired old man becomes the commander of the defense. The city becomes a closed fortress. The inhabitants, united by the promise of victory, believe the propaganda and follow the absurd orders. Decline and degradation progresses in the isolated city. To emphasize the state of emergency, the authorities decide to fire a cannon at the supposed enemy. Although there is nothing left of the city, everything remains under the control of the authorities. The fortress is consigned to history, but the demons of war remain…
INTERIOR
Bulgaria, 2022, 8’, 2D
director Anna Haralampieva
A film about the memories of an old woman, shadows from the past, part of the family album. A snippet of life from the calendar of bygone years.
HOLD ME TIGHT
Belgium, 2021, 6’06’’, 2D
director Leoluna Robert-Tourneur
In the heart of a dark forest, two silhouettes meet, attract and repel each other in an explosive bridal parade. “Hold Me Tight” is a bittersweet romance.
IMPOSSIBLE FIGURES AND OTHER STORIES I
Poland, 2021, 16’10’’, 2D
director Marta Pajek
After a huge explosion, only an old couple remains in an abandoned city. An old woman wanders tediously through empty streets. She passes by the statues of some now completely irrelevant and long-forgotten victories. In the shop windows, she sees some abandoned and dead mannequins. In short flashback, we get to see those, who will never return to the city. Marta Pajek’s film is a post-apocalyptic portrait of the world where the human being and its existence means no more than a split second. The film is the missing part of the trilogy “Impossible Figures and other stories”.
September 10th, 7:00 P.M.
Duration 66’40”
WAR
Bulgaria, 2022, 6’17’’, 2D
director Dimitar Dimitrov
A little girl named WAR, with surreal abilities, grows up isolated in a foster home. Flowers wither, trees dry up, objects are set on fire by the proximity and her touch. One day WAR escapes from the orphanage, unfolding to extreme her gift, causing all sorts of disasters to humanity. When everything seems hopeless and the world is in flames and ashes, on the last unburned island, in a ray of light, WAR meets love in the face of a boy named PEACE.
THE BLIND WRITER
France, 2022, 10’, drawings on paper
director George Sifianos
The drawings of this film were made blindfolded, that is, without looking at them while drawing but using only tactile cues. This constraint deconstructs the individual drawings, which are then assembled into a whole in the viewer’s mind. The film gropes along like a blind man. This reflects the writer’s perplexity, who questions dogmas and certainties. Faced with the complexity of the world, eternal questions concerning the relationships among people, political and metaphysical questions arise: – Who created the universe? – God. – And who created God? Faced with ready-made ideological answers, the writer admits his helplessness, his blindness is more metaphorical than real. What does “see” mean? Does what we see, the appearance, reflect reality? The viewer is called to provide his/her own answer. S/he is the one who will have to decide, as his perception does, by assembling the disparate lines of the drawings in order to make them meaningful. In a world where communication has acquired special significance, where images and views are constructed in order, how can one discern what is substantial? Is the candy edible or its colorful wrapping? The orange or its peel? Paradoxically, the answer is not as simple as it appears.
BESTIA
Chile, 2021, 15’, stop-motion
director Hugo Covarrubias
Based on true events, “Bestia” explores the life of a secret police agent during the military dictatorship in Chile. Her relationship with her dog, her body, her fears and frustrations reveals a grim fracture of her mind and of the country.
LETTER TO A PIG
France, 2022, 16’40’’, mixed media
director Tal KANTOR
The traumatic memory of a Holocaust survivor sends a young schoolgirl on an inner journey, searching for her own path as the boundary between animal and human nature blurs.
NOIR-SOLEIL
France, 2021, 20’, drawings on paper
director Marie Larrivé
After an earthquake in Naples bay, the body of a man is found. While Dino and his daughter, Victoria, travel to Italy for a DNA test, the past catches up with them. other.