95 minutesNew work by 21st-century masters of animation that prove they're at the height of their craft.
They've co-shaped the language of animation, pushed some boundaries here and there, and inspirid others to do the same. Now, these 21st-century masters of animation return with bold new works that prove they're far from done. Estonian pair Priit & Olga Pärn continue to question reality with their complex narratives, while Izabela Plucińska molds another ton of clay into a darkly comic and political tale. Gianluigi Toccafondo brings his trademark painted rotoscope style to the sea, and Don Hertzfeldt once again ponders on our human existence in his signature stick-figure animation. The films in this programme are playful and profound, and unmistakably the work of masters at the heigth of their craft. A unique opportunity to witness works by seasoned top talents - still innovating, still surprising, still essential.
Showing in this program
Joko
Joko is a young man supporting his family on a dead end factory job. One day on his way to work, someone jumps on his back, and orders him to transport them around the city. At first, he rebels against this humiliation, but relents under peer pressure and the promise of money. Slowly, this new work dominates him completely. Based on a story by Roland Topor, Izabela Plucińska's latest claymation dark comedy Joko is a grotesque vision of eternal exploitation and domination of man over man, full of absurd and macabre humour.
Luna Rossa
Despite the surveillance cameras and security checks at the airport, a group of activists succeed in carrying out their diabolical plan. That's all you need to know about Priit and Olga Pärn's latest film. It took almost four years to complete, it was worth the wait. The legendary Estonian animators have crafted another deliberately weird and complex story that leaves ample room for different interpretations. The film marks the pair's first use of motion capture, combining recorded movements of actors to 3D puppets, in turn rotoscoped using hand-drawn animation.
ME
If you've never seen a Don Hertzfeldt film, you have been missing out! Since the 1990s, Hertzfeldt has been asking existential questions about humanity through simple stick figures. From early films like Rejected and Billy's Balloon, to 2012's It's Such a Beautiful Day (which ranks amongst the greatest animation films of the 21st century) and the poignant World of Tomorrow trilogy, the American animator has proven that simple lines can tell beautiful things. His new film, ME, is a musical and dystopian odyssey that centers on a peanut-shaped figure who becomes obsessed with an invention. A wordless satire of our individualistic modern age, Hertzfeldt's latest is yet again a masterstroke.
The Voice of the Sirens
In the heart of the seabed, between rocks and corals primitive seaweed ripples, cradled by the muffled sound of roiling currents. Up there, on the surface of the water, something extraordinary has just appeared: a voice. So soft and seductive that it's unlike anything we've heard before. In his trademark style of painted rotoscope, Gianluigi Toccafondo sings us a wordless song of the sea. Another enchanting entry in the extraordinary oeuvre of the Italian animator.
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