Animation IS magic. Giving inanimate objects the illusion of being alive can be extraordinary. Felted wool, scrolled paper, and transistors are just a few of the unusual materials “brought to life” this year.

Films and film order are subject to change without notice.

BATTERY MOMMY – Inside every electronic machine is a battery hard at work. Like so many of our mothers, Battery Mommy is unstoppable! (2023 / 8.5 min / Korea / dir. Seungbae Jeon / non-dialogue)

CRUMBLE – Chunks of a floating rock world break off, leaving the curious inhabitants separated until a fellow inhabitant finds and reunites them. (2023 / 2 min / Netherlands / dirs. Max Peterse and Eileen Boeijkens / non-dialogue)

GHARIBA & AJEEB – Two friends from opposing villages try to find their way across an un-bridged crevasse guarded by a crocodile. As with every relationship trust must be established to succeed. (2024 / 7 min / United Arab Emirates / dir. Boubaker Boukhari / in Arabic w/English subs)

GRANDPA MAZAY AND THE SUN BUNNIES – Beautiful animation of a Grandfather who takes to his hot air balloon to vacuum up the storm clouds in the sky. A little help from his Sun Bunny friends goes a long way. (2024 / 6 min / Russian Federation / dir. Kristina Shcherbakova/ non-dialogue)

HOOFS ON SKATES (Kanopos ir pačiūžos) – A pig and a cow go ice skating on a frozen pond. All is fun until they realize they are not alone. Sometimes fearing the unknown is not the best way to handle a situation. You might miss out on making new friends! (2024 / 12.5 min / Lithuania / dir. Ignas Meilūnas/ non-dialogue)

MA DOI (Ma Đói, hungry ghost) – In Vietnam, while the town of Hôi An invites the spirits during the Festival of Damned Souls, Linh, a playful little girl, provokes the arrival of a very mischievous spirit… Together they light up the festival (literally!) then save the day!  (2024 / 7.5 min / France-Vietnam / dirs. Ludivine Bidoire, Manon Etienne, Lisa Gazagne, Clémence Goin, Clara Grindatto, Lisa Cao (Guilhen), Leilani Meylan, Tuong-Vy Nguyen / non-dialogue)

MARIE – During the monotonous school lesson Frantisek lets his imagination run wild on the pages of his notebook. What becomes quite clear from the drawings he doodles is that he has a crush on a classmate named Marie! (2024 / 3.5 min / Czech Republic / dir. Jan B. Piskač / In Czech with English subs)

PASSENGER_#01_SHAPES – An adventurer decides to travel outside of the city to discover new sites and shapes. Imaginative, graphic, strange and beautiful. Suddenly, he spots a whale …!  (2023 / 5 min / Portugal / dir José Pedro Cavalheiro / In Portuguese w/English subtitles) 

NUMBER 8 OCEAN – Number 8 Ocean is a blast of underwater fun featuring a cheeky narrator and a cast of aquatic creatures, all teaching us the joy of counting to eight in the most playful way! (2023 / 1 min / USA / dir Matthew Sandager) 

RADIO INTERFERENCE – In this radio world a small transistor man is responsible for providing content on what the radio plays. This demanding work requires a day off now and then. But to get a day off can be more work than it’s worth! (2024 / 5 min / Russian Federation / dir Aleksey Pochivalov / in Russian w/Eng subs) 

TOUCHING DARKNESS – Ten-year-old Vítek has special abilities – he can feel and hear what others cannot. This animated documentary, made using the technique of sand animation, opens a door to his world and shows us that the absence of one sense (sight) can enhance the other senses.  (2024 / 5 min / Czech Republic / dir Jamaica Kindlová / in Czech w/Eng subs)