I Died in Irpin
Countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine
Directed by: Lucia Kajánková
Produced by: Alena Vandasová, Martin Vandas, Juraj Krasnohorsky, Anastasiia Falileieva; MAUR film, Artichoke, Plastic Bag Films
Synopsis: On February 24th in the morning my boyfriend and I decided to go from Kyiv to Irpin to see his parents. It is hard for me to recall the chronology of those days, my mind blocks and minimizes all the memories, erases them, but the only thing I know for sure is that every day everything rapidly became worse.
Inkwo for When the Starving Return
Country: Canada
Directed by: Amanda Strong
Produced by: Amanda Strong, Maral Mohammadian, Nina Werewka; Spotted Fawn Productions, National Film Board of Canada
Synopsis: Two lifetimes from now the world hangs in the balance. Dove, a young warrior, receives and begins to understand the gifts and burdens of their Inkwo (medicine) to defend against an army of starving creatures.
Qualified by exhibition.
Inside, the Valley Sings
Country: Ireland
Directed by: Nathan Fagan
Produced by: Seamus Waters; Wonderbread
Synopsis: Secluded in 6 x 9′ cells year after year with little or no human contact, three individuals in prisons across the U.S. experience the tedium, loneliness and psychological despair of long-term solitary confinement. Over time, they begin to construct elaborate fantasy worlds to escape their daily reality.
Qualifying win: Best Short (Non-Fiction Inside) at Short Shorts Film Festival (Japan)
Larval
Country: United Kingdom
Directed by: Alice Bloomfield
Produced by: Alice Bloomfield
Synopsis: Living life in isolation, a girl dreams of luxury and beauty, fantasizing about possessing the looks of her celebrity idol and winning the heart of her unrequited love. However, she discovers that she should have been more careful what she wished for.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short at Raindance Film Festival (U.K.)
Les Bêtes
Country: United States
Directed by: Michael Granberry
Produced by: Michael Granberry
Synopsis: A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.
Qualifying wins: Best Animated Short at AmDocs; Best Jury Award (Short Films Competition) at Annecy (France)
Long Distance
Country: France
Directed by: Iulia Voitova
Produced by: Valentin Maupin, Aristote Douroudakis
Synopsis: An astronaut prepares for a flight into space, and a diver descends into the depths. The further apart they are, the closer they are.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short Film at Imaginaria Film Festival (Italy)
Loop Line
Country: India
Directed by: Renuka Shahane
Produced by: Renuka Shahane
Synopsis: In the heart of Mumbai, a middle-aged Maharashtrian housewife, endures her husband’s chauvinism and the tedium of her relentless chores. She finds solace in her rich fantasies. After a particularly demeaning remark from her husband, she fantasizes about serving them “brain pakoras” made from her brain.
Qualifying win: Best Film in Animated Section at Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (India)
Los Carpinchos (Capybaras)
Countries: France, Uruguay, Chile
Directed by: Alfredo Soderguit
Produced by: Autour de Minuit, Palermo Estudio, Pajaro
Synopsis: A family of capybaras seek refuge in a chicken coop, but the hens don’t trust them. The curiosity of the youngest members of the families will create a union with unexpected consequences.
Qualifying win: Latin American Animated Short Film at Chilemonos International Animation Festival (Chile)
Luz Diabla (Devil’s Beacon)
Countries: Argentina, Canada
Directed by: Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo, Patricio Plaza
Produced by: Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo, Patricio Plaza, Courtney Wolfson; Ojo Raro, Lakeside Animation
Synopsis: Martin, a flamboyant urban raver, is involved in a strange car accident on his way to a party in the middle of the Argentine Pampas.
Qualifying win: Rigo Mora Award for Best International Animated Short Film at Guadalajara International Film Festival (Mexico)
Mawtini
Country: Switzerland
Directed by: Tabarak Abbas
Produced by: Misam Ghadiali, Delphine Jeanneret, Nicolas Wadimoff; Size Media, Haute école d’art et de design — Genève (HEAD — Genève) Département Cinéma, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse
Synopsis: In early-’90s Baghdad, in a reality where humans have given way to cyborgs, a young couple and their newborn baby try to flee their country where war has just broken out. This animated film tells a true story and plunges viewers into a futuristic world.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short Film at Warsaw International Film Festival (Poland)
Moral Support
Countries: Germany, Croatia
Directed by: Vuk Jevremović
Produced by: Vuk Jevremović
Synopsis: The film is inspired by the music of the Slovenian band Laibach, and the song “Moral Support.” It’s about a clash between communists (striking miners) and Yugoslav nationalists in Trbovlje in which dozens of people died. At that time (1924), Slovenia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The film evokes echoes of the first decades of the 20th century through artistic movements. It’s about the eternal fight between different political concepts and the tragedy of the human victims behind it.
Qualifying win: Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film at Ann Arbor Film Festival
Mother’s Child
Country: Netherlands
Directed by: Naomi Noir
Produced by: Naomi Noir, Sanne Versteeg
Synopsis: Wading through the bureaucratic mess that comes with caregiving, a loving mother feels isolated, unsupported and sleep deprived. She also struggles to fully understand her disabled, nonverbal son’s needs. After being dealt another blow by an obtuse administrator, her reality begins to blur.
Qualifying wins: Best Animated Short at Atlanta Film Festival; Grand Jury Prize (Best Animated Short Film) at Dallas International Film Festival
