Fantastic Animation and Where to Find It
There's no need to go too far. From May 26 to June 1 audiences will be able to find it at the festival's cinema halls. The International Competition of Short Animations for Children of the 62nd Zlín Film Festival will present 50 films from 22 countries around the world.
Just as the character from the German film Avant Card jumps from postcard to postcard, so the authors use the endless space of fantasy to tell original stories not only for children, but also for parents and fans of animated film.
Fictional worlds alternate with legends, such as in the Swiss film Idodo (IDODO), which is based on stories of the Ziag Zagaz tribe from Papua New Guinea, and the ancient story of an African mask in the Belgian-American co-production Birth of Form.
Films based on real events are interesting achievements as well. For example, the German film Little Karl and the Elephants depicts an incident during the First World War when circus elephants walked the streets of Dresden. The theme of heroism during the Second World War was chosen by the makers of the Norwegian-Belgian film Frydenlund Hair Parlour.
The heroes of the films Troll Girl, The Singing Shadows, and A Stone in the Shoe will put an end to fear and prejudice.
These themes in the series for older children are complemented by environmental warnings in the film Green, bullying in Tell Me a Story, and the frequent problem of self-reflection in the Dutch film Reflections.
The Czech Republic is represented in this year's competition by six films, four of which were produced by the well-known MAUR film company. The new film directed by Lucie Sunková, Suzie in the Garden, had its premiere at this year's Generation festival in Berlin and, like her previous film The Tree, was created using the demanding technique of painting on glass. The very imaginative film Mom Is Always Right by Marie Urbánková was supported by the FILMTALENT ZLÍN Foundation and plays with the premise of what would happen if mothers' tales were true, like "Don't drink so much water or you'll end up with frogs in your belly." Among the Czech productions, we cannot forget those from the Zlín school, namely Sun by Jakub Brokl and Befriend the Wind by Aneta Paulina.
These fantastic animated films for festival audiences were discovered by dramaturges Jaroslava Hynštová and Zuzana Oharek Bahulová.
Short Animation Tip
Little Karl and the Elephants (2021, Germany, dir. Friedrich Kießling)
It's 1915 and 9-year-old Karl lives on the streets of Dresden. He has one big dream. To one day see the famous elephants of the Sarrasani circus. To earn money, he carts potatos at the market. Just as his dream is within reach, everything turns out unexpected. This is based on true events.
Elevator Alone (Greece, 2022, dir. Anastasia Papadopoulou)
Four people and time spent in an elevator. Inspired by everyday life and how differently people behave when they are alone versus the socially acceptable behavior that individuals learn in public spaces – especially in the limited and always unpleasant environment of an elevator.
The Cloudmaker (Netherlands, 2020, dir. Hanna van Niekerk)
A plane gets stuck in the clouds. When little Fabiola looks outside, she sees a bright dot on the horizon getting closer and closer. It's Hipólito, an old man who has lived in the sky for decades. Using magic gloves, he transforms clouds into wondrous creatures. But he's grown tired in recent years. Shaping clouds is a lonely occupation. That's why Hipólito wants to retire and return to Earth. Can he find a worthy successor?
List of animated short films in competition at the 62nd Zlín Film Festival 2022
A Day Out (CRO, 2021, Ana Horvat)
A History of the World in 10,000 Bricks (GER, 2021, Matthias Daenschel)
A Stone in the Shoe (FRA/SUI, 2020, Eric Montchaud)
META (GER, 2022, Antje Heyn)
Aeronaut (NLD, 2022, Leon Golterman)
Avant Card (GER, 2020, Stella Raith)
Befriend the Wind (CZE, 2021, Aneta Paulíny)
Birth (SPA, 2021, Roberto Valle)
Mishou (GER, 2020, Milen Vitanov)
Birth of Form (BEL/USA, 2022, Ekaterina Ogorodnikova)
Black & White (SUI/GER, 2020, Gerd Gockell, Jesús Pérez)
Bristles (NLD, 2022, Quentin Haberham)
Dream in Color (BEL, 2022, Marijn Raeven)
Elevator Alone (GRE, 2021, Anastasia Papadopoulou)
The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World (GER, 2022, Damaris Zielke)
Forgive (CZE, 2022, Alžběta Mačáková Mišejková)
Franzy´s Soup-Kitchen (FRA/GEO, 2021, Ana Chubinidze)
Frydenlund Hair Parlour (NOR/BEL, 2021, Hanne Berkaak)
A Girl Behind the Mirror (BRA, 2022, Iuri Moreno)
Green (FRA, 2021, Arielle Cohen, Louis Florean, Theo Fratissier, Camille Poiriez, Eloïse Thibaut)
Hello Stranger (GER, 2021, Julia Ocker)
Hush Hush Little Bear (LAT, 2022, Māra Liniņa)
Hypo-gravity (ISR, 2021, Jacob Arenber)
I'm Not Afraid! (GER/NOR, 2022, Marita Mayer)
IDODO (SUI, 2022, Ursula Ulmi)
Kiwi & Strit (DNK, 2021, Esben Toft Jacobsen)
Little Karl and the Elephants (GER, 2021, Friedrich Kießling)
Mouse House (SLO, 2021, Timon Leder)
Mum is Always Right (CZE, 2022, Marie Urbánková)
My Name is Fear (GER, 2021, Eliza Plocieniak-Alvarez)
Nounours (CAN, 2021, Lou Rigoudy)
Oddland (BEL, 2022, An Vrombaut)
Paolo´s Happiness (GER/SUI/CZE, 2022, Thorsten Droessler, Manuel Schroeder)
Papa is Big, I am Small (ITA, 2021, Anya Ru, Masha Rumyantseva)
A Piece of Art (NLD, 2022, Erik Verkerk, Joost van den Bosch)
Piropiro (KOR, 2021, Miyoung Baek)
Reflections (NLD, 2021, Sanna de Vries)
Spring Always Comes Back (SPA, 2021, Alicia Núñez Puerto)
Spuffies (SLO, 2021, Jaka Ivanc)
Sun (CZE, 2021, Jakub Brokl)
Suzie in the Garden (CZE, 2022, Lucie Sunková)
Swop – Dentist (NLD, 2022, Job, Joris & Marieke)
Tell Me a Story (FRA, 2021, Sara Arzalier, Albane Brenci, Lucie Daniel, Sacha Duru, Anaëlle Gil, Alice Jacob, Laura Munos, Inès Tchirikhtchian)
The Big Tantrum (FRA/BEL, 2022, Célia Tisserant, Arnaud Demuynck)
The Cloudmaker (NLD, 2020, Hanna van Niekerk)
The Queen of the Foxes (SUI, 2022, Marina Rosset)
The Sausage Run (GER/BEL, 2021, Thomas Stellmach)
The Singing Shadows (FRA, 2021, Louna Pette, Srushti Kakade, Myrtil Lapierre, Manon Bernard-Vigne, Marine Guarnaccia, Astride Laouette, Virginie Pellet)
Troll Girl (JAR, 2022, Kay Carmichael)
Water Drop (FRA, 2021, Anjun Zou, Melodie Leger Rimbert, Yu Liu, Kevin Hamimi)