Competition 3

Cast-Outs / Στο Γύψο 15:00
Greece 2020
Directed by: Alexandros Romanos Lizardos, Akis Melachris
Screenplay: Alexandros Romanos Lizardos, Giorgos Komiotis
Animation: Michalis Loukianos, Giorgos Melissaropoulos
Technique: 2D animation
Music: Giorgos Sitotis
Production/School: Aris Asimakopoulos
Dialogue language: Modern Greek (1453-)


Through faulty handling that leads to the collapse of a penitentiary and mass escapes, newly appointed Jail-R suffers multiple fractures and loses his job. While convalescing, he is hired as a bank security guard. When the three masterminds behind the prison break hit the branch on his morning shift. Jail-R is called to rise to the occasion, with plaster cast and all.




Polar Bear Bears Boredom 07:00
Japan 2021
Directed by: Koji Yamamura
Screenplay: Koji Yamamura
Animation: Koji Yamamura
Technique: Drawing on paper
Music: CASIO Toruko Onsen
Production/School: Koji Yamamura
Dialogue language: English, Japanese
Subtitles language: English


A polar bear who is very bored with various marine animals in the deep blue sea. It continues an ancient tradition of "Caricatures of Frolicking animals" in scroll painting-style; this time, "Frolicking Sea Animals," in animation form, with a play on Japanese and English language word-plays: "Hokyoku-Guma Suggoku Hima. / Polar bear bears boredom", "Kawauso Kawaisou. / Other otter, poor otter," etc.



NORA 04:55
2021
Directed by: Peter Böving
Screenplay: Peter Böving
Production/School: Peter Böving


A peaceful afternoon in the parc. An exotic butterfly catches a young woman's attention - and with this a series of events is set off, which once again demonstrates the rightfulness of man's expulsion from paradise. Un après-midi paisible au parc. Un papillon exotique attire l’attention d’une jeune fille – entraînant ainsi toute une série d’événements qui, une fois de plus, ne sont pas sans conséquences et confirmant ainsi que l’Homme fut, à juste titre, chassé du paradis. Una tarde tranquila en el parque. Una exótica mariposa llama la atención de una chica, dando inicio a una serie de eventos que confirman una vez más, que el hombre fue expulsado con justa razón del paraíso.



Cool The Climate! 28:39
United States 2020
Directed by: Denis Thomopoulos
Screenplay: Denis Thomopoulos
Production/School: Denis Thomopoulos, Adam Kulakow
Dialogue language: English


Simon the Hippo and friends go on a song-filled adventure while learning about the world's changing climate, the role that carbon dioxide and methane play, and the good green habits we can all develop to help cool the climate. Along their way the animals find out about topics such as the Greenhouse Effect, the Food Chain, the "Three Rs" (Reducing, Reusing, Recycling), Composting, and Carbon Offsetting. Willing to face the climate crisis, the animal friends then take the steps to help cool the climate – and urge us humans to do the same!



The School Bell 03:59
Canada 2021
Directed by: Delaram Majdzadeh
Screenplay: Delaram Majdzadeh
Animation: Delaram Majdzadeh
Technique: 2D Digital
Music: YAT Communication
Production/School: Sheridan College
Dialogue language: English

Based on a true story (kind of...). A young girl goes to an all-girls middle school in Iran while secretly bringing in her manga with her. One day her friend finds out and chaos ensues.



Trapped 01:34
United States of America 2021
Directed by: Jethro tai
Screenplay: Jethro tai
Animation: Jethro tai
Technique: Jethro tai
Music: N/A
Production/School: California Institute of the Arts


Forced at gunpoint, a cowboy digs up treasure for a group of bandits. He must find a way to escape... before he ceases to be useful.



Water,Water 02:10
Japan 2020
Directed by: WANG JUNJIE
Screenplay: KUROSAKA KEITAI
Animation: WANG JUNJIE
Technique: analog
Music: WANG JUNJIE
Production/School: musashino art university
Dialogue language: Japanese


It express that there is a connection between water and even the smallest unit of humankind – its cells.



Dear Viruses 03:15
Japan 2021
Directed by: WANG JUNJIE
Screenplay: WANG JUNJIE
Animation: WANG JUNJIE
Technique: analog
Music: Yuria
Production/School: FUYAMA TARUTO
Dialogue language: Japanese


This work is a missive to the life form we call viruses in the hope that we can coexist. The relationship between humans and viruses is poetically expressed from a different perspective.



Return 02:38
United States 2021
Directed by: Hongying Chen
Dialogue language: English


Falling from heaven to the sea, I was so scared that I wanted to escape from the sea. I was reborn after repeated failures, which make me realize the joy of being alive.



The Bear 03:48
China 2021
Directed by: Yongtao Hu
Dialogue language: English


The Bear is a three-minute stop-motion animation that visualizes the love of a mother for her daughter. Although the old lady's Alzheimer's disease is getting worse and worse, she tries her best to remake a toy teddy bear for her daughter. The mother has forgotten everything but not her daughter.



True Sound Façade 02:30
United Kingdom 2020
Directed by: Laura N-Tamara
Screenplay: Laura N-Tamara
Animation: Laura N-Tamara, Chiara Sgatti, Matthias Cucciniello, Laura Spark, Sujay Narayan
Technique: 2D Digital / Live action
Music: Narae Chung
Production/School: The Smalls
Dialogue language: n/a
Subtitles language: n/a


"True Sound Facade" is a poetic dance and animation film in which a dancer realises their digital self feels truer than their real world self. It was commissioned by the Barbican museum in London and stars dancer Kino McHugh. By combining live-action and animation, the film becomes a celebration of how our inner and outer lives merge with each other playfully in the act of artistic creation. It takes inspiration from the japanese notions of 'Honne' - the true sound, one's true feelings - and Tatemae - the façade we put up to live in society.




A Bite of Bone 09:45
Japan 2021
Directed by: Honami Yano
Screenplay: Honami Yano
Animation: Honami Yano
Technique: Dotting on paper, Hand Drawing
Music: -
Production/School: Koji Yamamura, sanae
Dialogue language: Japanese
Subtitles language: English


A little girl reflects on her last summer with her father at his funeral.



The World's Greatest Home 02:51
India 2021
Directed by: Zubair Pradhan
Screenplay: Zubair Pradhan
Animation: 3D Animation
Technique: 3D Animation
Music: Zubair Pradhan
Production/School: Zubair Pradhan
Dialogue language: English


The 'World's Greatest Home' is a beautiful story about the journey of two children from remarkably different backgrounds and the exquisite world they build together. Set in Guerrero, Mexico, it begins with the protagonist Levi, a child separated from his family in Guerrero, who is now forced to scrummage through scraps to put a meal on his table. As he encounters David, a hometown boy from a seemingly high income family, he is introduced to a stunning world filled with superheroes, delicious food, swimming pools, amusement games and lots of color.



Soulbrew 02:10
Canada 2021
Directed by: Phoebe Mao
Screenplay: Phoebe Mao
Animation: Phoebe Mao
Technique: Phoebe Mao
Music: Jacob Slous
Production/School: Sheridan College
Dialogue language: English
Subtitles language: English

In a futuristic bar, a rude customer refuses to pay his bill and attacks the waiter robot who send him the bill. However, the bartender is not mad about this chaos because this is what she expects to see...


The Dalang's Tale 06:10
Malaysia 2021
Directed by: Irwan Junaidy, Maizura Abas, Atiqah Mohd Abu Bakar
Screenplay: Irwan Junaidy, Maizura Abas
Animation: Julia Azureen, Atiqah Mohd Abu Bakar
Technique: 2D
Music: Andrew Bong
Production/School: Irwan Junaidy, Zuhri Aziz, Ervin Han, Bernard Toh
Dialogue language: Non-dialogue


The Dalang's Tale is an animated short film about domestic violence with visuals inspired by Malaysian traditional wayang kulit or shadowpuppets. Two stories intertwine: one of a workaholic father and his growing impatience with his young son as they make their way to watch a shadow puppet master or dalang's show and the other of a man who dotes on his son but secretly inflicts acts of abuse on his wife before he disappears after a violent incident.




Dad's Hibiscus 04:45
United States of America 2021
Directed by: Jiamu Tao
Screenplay: Jiamu Tao
Animation: Jiamu Tao
Technique: 2D Hand-drawn Animation
Music: Meghan Rose Scott
Production/School: School of Visual Arts
Dialogue language: English


10-year-old Sammie tries to make the sun stay in the sky in order to save his hibiscus that only lives for one day.




Locked inn 02:58
Greece 2021
Directed by: Stavrina Kykalou
Screenplay: Stavrina Kykalou
Animation: Stavrina Kykalou
Technique: Stop motion puppet animation
Music: Nick Dimakidis
Production/School: -

Due to Covid 19 pandemic, this is the 2nd lockdown in Greece and Fofo has to stay at home all alone. This time she's gonna do everything right. She'll take care of herself, exercise, read all those books she hasn't read, watch the films she didn't have the time to watch. But first of all, she won't get bored. Or will she?


The Show 01:33
2021
Directed by: Robertson Tirado
Screenplay: Robertson Tirado, Dario Segui (composer)


A old fashion gas station pump sings his heart out with a company of small bots.



The Coincidental Killing of a Cat by an Unworldly Tune 02:33
Turkey 2021
Directed by: Maya Kurdoglu
Screenplay: Zeynep Naz Kecelioglu
Animation: Maya Kurdoglu
Technique: cel animation, cut out animation, stop motion
Music: Turgut Mavuk
Production/School: Zeynep Naz Kecelioglu

A cat wanders into a house where a mysterious musician plays a song that no mortal can bear to hear.


URSA - The song of the Northern Lights 10:20
Norway 2021
Directed by: Natalia Malykhina
Screenplay: Natalia Malykhina
Animation: Masta Volkova, Natalia Malykhina
Technique: 2D data
Music: MAndy Senger, Band Jarnna
Production/School: Ulvenfilm
Dialogue language: No Dialogue


A little polar bear Ursa is alone in the cold dark Arctic and looking for his mum. He walks through a blizzard, through icy cold tundra and sharp ice hummocks, towards the northern lights and the magic song in hope to find his mother. On his way Ursa meets different Arctic animals - friends and enemies, and after many challenges comes to the edge of the earth. In front of him is only the sea and the northern lights. And there in the distance, in the northern lights he sees his mum. Little polar bear is floating to her on an ice floe, and a big blue whale pushes him ahead. The floe becomes smaller and smaller and eventually melts. But Ursa still manages to reach the edge of the northern lights and there he meets his mum.