World Animation Competition 1

Animation is a beautiful endeavour, where diverse artistry, craft, passion and unique visions combine, to create a film format that - to our minds - remains unsurpassed. This year’s Academy Award-qualifying World Animation Competition once again offers fantastic examples of brand new animated shorts for LIFF audiences to enjoy. From the painterly forms of Jenny Jokela’s Sweet like Lemons or the delicate drawings of dangerous children in La Saison pourpre, to the odd, watery moving statues of Such Miracles Do Happen and the galactic majesty of Neeraj Bhattacharjee’s Record. Play. Stop.

La Saison Pourpre | Clémence Bouchereau | France | 2023 | 9mins

On the edge of a mangrove, a group of girls live to the rhythm of the climate. Rivalries and jealousy arise as they watch each other grow up, hunt the wild geese and discover themselves, in their delicately drawn world.

There Are People in the Forest | Szymon Ruczynski | Poland | 2023 | 9mins

An animated documentary which draws on the director’s own experience of providing aid to refugees on the border between Poland and Belarus. He shows how Białowieża Forest, Europe’s oldest natural forest, has become a site of human conflict and struggle.

Sweet Like Lemons | Jenny Jokela | United Kingdom | 2023 | 5mins

In a riff on that saying ‘when life gives you lemons’, Finnish-British artist Jenny Jokela takes the ending of a (bad) relationship as a source of renewal and joy. These emotions shine through her bright, hand-painted frames with startling effect.

The Great Arc | Camille Authouart | France | 2022 | 11mins

Amongst the skyscrapers in La Défense, in Paris, are dozens of public sculptures. Compelled to immerse herself in drawing these forms, artist Camille Authouart began to notice that the drawings had a story of their own to tell.

Ashkasha | Lara Maltz | Spain | 2022 | 6mins

If you fall through the looking glass, you must be careful not to lose your head. A spectacular story of self-reinvention told through paint, sculpture, fabrics and jewels in this surreal new stop-motion short from Buenos Aires.

Record. Play. Stop. | Neeraj Bhattacharjee | India | 2023 | 6mins

A paean to the harmony of the universe and our place within it, a lone probe has been traversing the galaxies, collecting music amongst the infinite. Now facing destruction, still the probe leaves a trail of sound waves in it’s wake.

**Such Miracles Do Happen **| Barbara Rupik | Poland | 2022 | 13mins

One day, a boneless village girl witnesses all the local statues come to life and set off together. None of them knows why, or where they go. This utterly distinctive and watery animated folk tale is tactile, strange and haunting.

**Cornucopia **| Ani Antonova, Dimiter Ovtcharov | Austria | 2022 | 7mins

Inspired by possibly the oldest animation in the world, painted on a 5,200-year-old bowl found in Iran, we discover the mythical tale of the cornucopia, man entranced by power and plenty, and the ancient goats, all in endless pursuit.

Our Uniform | Yegane Moghaddam | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 2023 | 6mins

“Uniform is more than just a piece of clothing. It is a text”. Director Yegane Moghaddam recalls her school days in Iran and depicts the scenes directly onto the same fabric that she used to wear, using an improvised technique.

**A Kind of Testament **| Stephen Vuillemin | France | 2023 | 16mins

A young woman’s personal online pictures are transformed into animations by an unknown older woman with the same name. Death stalks every image as, faced with the indifference of life, stories, identities and generations intertwine with the choices we make.

This shorts programme is screening in venues during LIFF 2023. To see a full listing of our film programme please visit our What’s On Page.