Worldwide Short Film Festival Announced
Bill Plympton, Wallace and Gromit, Oktopodi in Toronto Festival
May 27, 2009
The Canadian Film Centre's 15th Annual Worldwide Short Film Festival is happening from June 16th to 21st in Toronto. Featuring 295 films from 46 countries, it's a buffet of short films from around the world.
Festival winners are automatically in contention for Oscar and Genie award nominations – if they haven't received them already – so there will be no shortage of quality shorts on display. From experimental works to the latest from the Aardman stop-motion factory, there will be plenty for animation fans. Here's what to look for at the festival.
Official Animated Selections at This Year's Festival
These animated shorts are in contention at this year's festival:
- "The Black Dog's Progress" (UK) is director Stephen Irwin's ominous flipbook animation.
- "The Spine" (Canada) Chris ("Ryan") Landreth's latest follows a man whose spine is disintegrating at the same rate as his marriage.
- "Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death" (UK) follows the award-winning duo as they negotiate the perils of love and pastry-obsessed serial killers. Certain to be an audience fave.
- "Amma" (Canada) is Aparna Kapur's meditation on a girl's relationship with her grandmother.
- "Boris" (Canada) follows a young man whose obsession with drumming drives his fellow villagers crazy.
- "Time" (Canada) compresses 100 years of Toronto history into 3 minutes.
- "Photograph of Jesus" (UK) follows an archivist who shares the most bizarre requests he's ever received.
- "El Empleo" (Argentina) is a brilliant short that shows a world where people are used as objects.
- "Robes of War" (Canada) features a holy woman who becomes a beacon of hope amidst war.
- "Slavar" (Sweden/Denmark) is a documentary about a pair of young Sudanese, Abouk and Machiek, who were enslaved by the Sudanese militia.
- "Der Jäger und Der Bär" (Germany) shows how a hunter really killed a polar bear.
- "Spare Change" (Canada) is troubled animator Ryan Larkin's final work, a psychedelic stew of dreams and memories about his life on the streets.
- "Gisela" (Germany) is the story of Gisela Werler, Germany's first female bank robber.
- "What's Fufu?" (Ireland) is about a Nigerian teenager who discusses growing up with a white foster family.
- "Intimate Game" (UK) features an overbearing mother getting her comeuppance.
- "The Surprise Demise of Francis Cooper's Mother" (2008) is a comedic tragedy about cat-sitting and car crashes.
- "Chicory n' Coffee" (Slovenia) about a woman who surreptitiously uses chicory instead of coffee in her husband's morning cup.
- "She Who Measures" (Croatia) is a sinister vision of constant consumerism.
- "On Time Off" (UK) shows the sun's resentment of a beachside ice cream stand.
- "Western Spaghetti" (USA) is a wonderful stop-motion film that uses everyday objects to stand in for food.
- "Batmilk" (Canada) is an anime about reanimation and reincarnation.
- "The Lost Tribes of New York City" (USA) shows manhole covers, newspaper boxes and street poles coming to life.
- "L'Ondée" (Canada) shows a city cowering from a rainstorm.
- "Rabbit Punch" (UK) Small town boys' tomfoolery becomes dangerous.
- "Cutecutecute" (Austria) is a super-short (2 minutes) that takes on GM foods and consumer capitalism.
- "The Website is Down: Sales Guy vs. Web Dude" (USA) stories from the front lines of IT hell.
- "Sea Dog's Devotion" (Austria) is the story of a tattooed sailor's grief over losing his bride.
- "Token Hunchback" (USA) is a claymation mockumentary about a hunchbacked actor trying not get typecast.
Trilogy of Trilogies: Bill Plympton, Adam Benjamin Elliot and Osbert Parker Serve Up Indie Cartoons
The Trilogy of Trilogies: Animation Extravaganza (9:30 pm, Saturday, June 20th at the Royal Ontario Museum) features 9 shorts from American animator Bill Plympton (Idiots and Angels), Adam Benjamin Elliot (Mary and Max) and Osbert Parker.
Plympton's offerings come from his "Dog" series, consisting of "Guide Dog" (2006), "Hot Dog" (2008), and the Oscar nominated "Guard Dog" (2005). Plympton – who has singlehandedly written, directed, and animated 5 feature-length films – will also be offering an animation master class on Friday, June 19th from 6 to 8 pm in the ROM Classroom 6. It's only open to 24 participants, so act fast if you want in.
British-based Elliot will also be showcasing 3 films from his sharply-observed stop-motion "Family" series: 1996's "Uncle," 1998's "Cousin," and 1999's "Brother."
Aussie director Parker serves up 1940's homages: experimental "Film Noir," the thriller "Yours Truly" and the jazz-inflected stop-motion short "Clothes."
Shorts for Shorties: Kid-Friendly Animated Shorts
Shorts for Shorties (12:15 pm, June 20th @ the ROM) showcases kid-friendly cartoons from around the world. Admission is free for kids under the age of 12.
- "Black and White" (Canada): 8 one-minute shorts from Canadian director Jon Izen.
- "Just Another Floor Kids Battle" (Canada): Jonathan Ng's tale of a disabled break dancer taking on his rival.
- "Jungle Beat: I Believe I Can Fly" (South Africa): Director Wayne Thornley's tale of an ostrich who tries to get off the ground.
- "Building World Peace" (USA): Beth Cloutier's clay animation featuring flags of the world uniting.
- "Oktapodi" (France): This brilliant Oscar-nominated short follows a pair of octopi as they try to outwit a villainous fishmonger.
- "Jungle Beat: You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (South Africa): Director Brent Dawes' tale of a springbok who will do anything to impress a comely gazelle.
- "Border" (Canada/Switzerland): Director Bastiaan van Rooden's tale of a goblin battling an automated border crossing.
- "Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death" (UK): It's Wallace and Gromit. How can you go wrong?
For more information, check out the festival's website.
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