International Animated Shorts
Total Running Time: 90 MIN
This cavalcade of handcrafted, animated shorts illustrates the great forces that rule the universe, often thrumming just beneath the surface of our banal routines. The voices of artists from around the globe articulate their experiences through a vibrant tapestry of images, sound, and language.
My Favorites

International Animated Shorts
Cat and Moth
Directed by: India Barnardo
Canada/UK, 2021, 7m
A fluffy white cat yearns for the most comfortable spot in the universe. Little does she know someone else has their eye on it too.

International Animated Shorts
Black Slide
Directed by: Uri Lotan
Israel/UK, 2021, 11m
In Hebrew with English subtitles
Amidst puberty and turmoil, Eviah ascends the queue of the Aqua Fun’s infamous Black Slide. He stares into the dark tube, then vanishes, confronting the unknown.

International Animated Shorts
Eyes and Horns
Directed by: Chaerin Im
Germany/South Korea/USA, 2021, 6m
A minotaur endures a violent struggle between masculinity and femininity. Finally, lines blur and the boundary of sexes disappear. From the director of “Mate” (FFF 2020).

International Animated Shorts
Tap Runner
Directed by: Paolo Chianta
UK, 2021, 3m
It’s one man’s job to check the taps for leakage, but he is not permitted to fix them. Much as he might want to…

International Animated Shorts
Orgiastic Hyper-Plastic
Directed by: Paul Bush
Denmark/UK, 2021, 7m
An extravaganza of items collected from beaches, roadsides, attics, and junk shops. A fond farewell to that most beautiful material shackling our planet: plastic.

International Animated Shorts
Swallow the Universe
Directed by: Nieto
France, 2021, 12m
In Japanese with English subtitles
A Japanese Emaki manga (a hand-painted horizontal scroll) tells the exuberant blood-and-thunder saga of a beautiful child lost in Manchuria’s wild jungles.

International Animated Shorts
Night of the Living Dread
Directed by: Ida Melum
UK, 2021, 11m
When a power outage disrupts Ruby’s bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by unwanted guests. To get a peaceful night of sleep, she must confront them.

International Animated Shorts
Selection Process
Directed by: Carla Pereira
Spain, 2021, 4m
In Spanish with English subtitles
A cat goes to a job interview where his aptitudes are assessed by three mice. The situation becomes increasingly awkward for everyone involved.

International Animated Shorts
The Fourth Wall
Directed by: Mahboobeh Kalaee
Iran, 2021, 10m
In Persian with English subtitles
Home and family, relationships, and desires; everything is summarized in a kitchen. The stuttering boy is alone there, playing with his imagination.

International Animated Shorts
Freedom Swimmer
Directed by: Olivia Martin-McGuire
France/Australia/UK/Hong Kong, 2021, 15m
In Cantonese with English subtitles
Interweaving hand-drawn animation illustrates a grandfather’s perilous swim from China to Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution—a rhythmic parallel of the present.

International Animated Shorts
Sweet Nothing
Directed by: Joana Fischer and Marie Kenov
Switzerland, 2021, 4m
Sunbathing in the garden on a hot summer afternoon, Rosa is set ablaze by her neighbor’s tender touch with his flowers.