The World Cup is over. Messi finally won. But this is the real deal: Kaboom's International Short Film Competition.
Once upon a time ... Films from all over the world came together on a glorious battlefield. Victory would be for one of them. But there would be no losers, because talent and art are there to be celebrated, to be loved, to be remembered and to be devoured by you ... the audience. The battle would forever be known as Kaboom's International Short Film Competition. And we are honoured to organise that competition year in year out. In 2023, a large number of short films battle it out for our coveted awards!
In a very clear and simple style German animator and cartoonist Andreas Hykade asks a very important question: what does power do to us? Despite its short length and almost childlike design, Dealing with War is an impressive film featuring two peaceful sheep and one violent dog.
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Ice Merchants is the touching story of a father and his son who, every day, jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house to go to the village on the ground where they sell the ice they produce. The first ever Portuguese animation to be awarded in Cannes, João Gonzalez's short soulfully deals with grief. Unique and heartfelt.
Nominated for the 2023 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
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Originally a 360° video installation commissioned by the Nagano Art Museum, Iizuna Fair is a true meditative experience and marriage between the art of painting and film. In the midst of a frenzy night a man finds himself lost in the crevasse of time. A phantom. Inexplicably sad and beguiling, this moving painting is a poetic profusion of faces, bodies and colours.
What would happen if mum was always right? Do mums always tell their children the truth? If I squint, will I stay cross-eyed forever? If I eat the seeds, will a watermelon grow in my belly? Based on established parental sayings that are meant to warn children not to do certain things, filmmaker Marie Urbánková takes the consequences of these actions to absurd and grotesque extremes.
A music video for a song by the band Sobotni Rosol made in an art brut style. The lyrics are a commentary on life in the big city, stating that we pass other people on the streets but that we hardly notice each other. More and more, we are becoming invisible to each other.
Woops, somebody lost a shoe! Go searching together with three colourful apartment dwellers when one of them loses his tap dance shoe. However, the search leaves the building topsy-turvy. The design, the colour, the spaces, the characters ... They all start to shake and change! This fascinating student short reveals a keen eye for playful animation.
Hang in tight for a lovely bizarre and surprisingly violent hand-painted story about a spirited young woman who persuades a hyena from London Zoo to take her place at a dinner dance held in her honour. Based on a short story by British surrealist writer Leonora Carrington, Elizabeth Hobbs' commentary on elitist society celebrates the emancipation of women and of hand-painted animation.
The bell tower rings and the birds fly away. In the countryside on the outskirts of a small village, a dog tied to very long yellow rope, watches them disappear in the horizon. It's time for him to go. How far will his rope allow him to go? A hand-drawn student film like no other.
You know those true stories that are almost impossible to believe? This is one of them. In 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour in Canada, causing the largest accidental explosion in history. Among the tragic stories of the disaster is the remarkable account of a sailor who, blown skyward from the docks, flew a distance of two kilometres before landing, naked and unharmed. Contemplating on near-death experiences, duo Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis have made another bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy.
Nominated for the 2023 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
"Think of something nice." Yeah, right Mr/Mrs Dentist, like that's gonna help! In acclaimed director Claudius Gentinetta's latest short, he lets a patient takes refuge in a fantasised story of fishermen and the sea. An equally beautiful and painful experience, the film follows the rhythm of the horrifying sounds in the dental practice as we learn that even the best distractions are fleeting.
Memories of a world that perhaps doesn't exist anymore. Yet, they are invaluable because they play an important role in the construction of identity and self-awareness. Dedicated to her grandpa, Alexandra Dzhiganskaya tells a personal story about her childhood memories in Ukraine; memories that have acquired a special value since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Kaboom Animation Festival is the one-stop-shop for the latest and greatest in all things animated. Ranging from cutting-edge experimental arthouse to colorful stories for families and kids, Kaboom will cater to the animation needs of all. Yes, even yours, my amazing weirdo friend!
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