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.