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Banner: the 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Animation


In a futuristic lobby, a purple robot with matching pigtails offers a wave.

Alone [short film]

Alex Weight  |   Australia
No Dialogue  
Animation, Family Friendly, Science Fiction

In this futuristic short, a cleaning robot is lonely on a long trip across space. So it constructs a companion. The pair grow close, but with only a single source of power, the question arises if both will be able to survive.

Claymation title card shows the words 'Artist on the go' on a painter's palette.

Artist on the Go! (DS Advanced Unreleased Gameplay) [short film]

Nathan William Frost  |   United States
English  
Animation, Art, Thriller

A surreal, nightmarish game in which the player (or the viewer) is confronted with abstract and frightening tasks to complete.

A white bunny in a field of flowers looks up towards the sky.

As the Sun Goes Down [short film]

Laurine Bocquet, Ilona Caucal, Inès Fechner, Jahnice Laurent, Sarah Robert, Emma Roussel et Kevin Vandenbeuck  |   France
No Dialogue  
Animation, Dramatic, Family Friendly

A fearful bunny discovers a dancing orb of light. When the light begins to move, he must follow the light through the uncertainty of night, leading him to a stunning mythical encounter.

Two small red creatures, with thin legs and arms and no face, lean into each other.

Butterfly Kiss [short film]

Zohar Dvir  |   Germany, Israel
Hebrew  
Animation, LGBTQ, Women-Centered

Carol bristles at an unexpected proposal from her girlfriend Ray. Matters worsen as disturbing changes take hold of Ray, and Carol must decide how to respond.

The face of a naked woman with red hair serves as the background for three upright clones of herself.

Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita [short film]

Catapreta  |   Brazil
Portuguese  
Animation, Art, Social Commentary

Through unique and fantastical imagery, the 17th-century Congolese heroine and prophetess Kimpa Vita comes to life in contemporary Brazil. In an effort to rescue her people from colonial oppression, Kimpa Vita methodically replicates herself.

A black cat with yellow eyes sits at the bow of a boat, it looks back curiously.

Flow

Gints Zilbalodis  |   Latvia, France, Belgium
No Dialogue  
Animation, Environmental, Family Friendly

When his home is devastated by a great flood, a courageous cat teams up with an unlikely band of animal friends in this thrilling animated spectacle.

In a restaurant, an old woman cross-stitching sits across from a younger a woman, who is drinking boba tea.

Have I Swallowed Your Dreams [short film]

Clara Chan  |   Canada
English  
Animation, Family Affairs, Family Friendly

An immigrant mother and daughter have a heartfelt conversation about the ways their hopes and dreams have changed over time, growing beyond their wildest imaginations. This compassionate story, told with boundless color and creativity, brings to life the power of intergenerational understanding.

In winter, three cone-shaped brown birds sit high in a tree.

Hoofs on Skates [short film]

Ignas Meilūnas  |   Lithuania
English  
Animation, Comedy, Family Friendly

When two best friends spend a frosty winter day ice skating on a lake, they encounter a surprise lurking beneath the surface. Delightfully exploring the power of overcoming a fear of the unknown, this charming romp captures the joy in unexpected friendships.

A claymation little fella, they wear a hat with googly eyes.

Memoir of a Snail

Adam Elliot  |   Australia
English  
Animation, Coming of Age, Drama

In this unique stop-motion animation, a melancholy misfit recounts the tragic but beautiful tale of her life to her pet snails.

At sunset, a child rides on the back of a large otter across a fallen tree in the forest.

Mû [short film]

Malin Neumann  |   Germany
Shorts  
Animation, Enviornmental, Family Friendly

With her loyal otter friend by her side, a brave child embarks on a mission to save her hometown from a water crisis. This calm and inspiring story is stylishly illustrated with beautiful 2-D animation.

In all black and white, a woman on her phone stands and looks out an office window.

On Hold [short film]

Delia Hess  |   Switzerland
German  
Animation, Social Commentary, Women-Centered

Hand drawn in charcoal, this short depicts a young woman stranded on a hotline call. Her surroundings begin to morph and change, exhibiting a surrealist resonance with her feelings of limbo.

A child wears the celebratory, oversized mask of a beautiful woman.

Reunion [short film]

Shiqi Xiao  |   China
Chinese  
Animation, Family Friendly, Fantasy

Alone at a lantern festival, young Yuan Yuan is pulled into the bustling realm of gods and spirits. After being swallowed by a dragon spirit, a powerful deity offers to grant her one true wish.

A woman stares at her vibrator with bright and eager eyes.

She and Her Good Vibrations [short film]

Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok  |   Singapore
Shorts  
Animation, Comedy, Sex and Sexuality

A package sent to the wrong address opens an addictive realm of pleasure for its recipient. A colorful and energetic examination of whether there can truly be too much of a good thing ensues.

On a clear day, a red hermit crab stares at an alabaster shell.

Shellfish [short film] (Coquille)

Justine Aubert, Cassandra Bouton, Grégoire Callies, Maud Chesneau, Anna Danton, Loic Girault, Gatien Peyrude, Justine Raux  |   France
Shorts  
Animation, Family Friendly, Road Movie

On the sandy beaches of France, a hermit crab loses his shell. Searching for a new home, he meets another crab. The two set off together, encountering good times and bad along the way.

A raccoon stares into a dumpster, where a decorated box lies amongst the trash.

So Long Memories [short film]

Ruihan Zhang, Wenzi Shan, Xingyi Chen  |   China
Chinese  
Animation, Family Affairs, Family Friendly

An old man accidentally throws away a precious item as he is moving out of his home. An observant raccoon rescues the memento, and the two share a special moment upon its return.

With a worried expression, a Black woman lies in bed with only her nightstand lamp on beside her.

Super High: A Period Piece [short film]

Bianca Lambert  |   United States
English  
Animation, Comedy, Women-Cenetered

Desperate to combat the pain of fibroids, Amanda steps into the world of edibles. When inanimate objects start speaking to her, she realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

An arm of royalty displays bracelets with a bow and the ornate dress of the subject.

The Painting [short film] (Le tableau)

Michèle Lemieux  |   Canada
English, French  
Animation, Art, Music

Using the shadow and light of the pinscreen animation technique, this film considers a portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria by Baroque painter Diego Velázquez. Forced to marry her uncle as a child, Queen Mariana’s traumatic life becomes a reminder of the cruelty of incest, as well as art’s deep resonance, in this delicately made work.

A star-shaped friend sits beside a friend with the face of a blue orb.

This World Is a Soda Can We Are Shaking It [short film]

Sera Mun  |   South Korea
Korean  
Animation, Family Friendly, Fantasy

At a summer music festival, a galactic burst leads to new dimensions. Two friends thrown apart by the blast try to make their way back together in this brilliantly prismatic short.

A hand-drawn robot boy stares, eye-twitching, body glitching, surrounded by pink-purple colour pencil strokes.

Trigonometry’s Ultimate Method to Putting the Fun Back in Your Own Funeral [short film]

April Aquino  |   United States
English  
Animation, Comedy, Science Fiction

Trigonometry’s untimely death inspires him to go out with one last hurrah, crashing his own funeral.

A tiny woman with gray hair sits atop a VCR, staring at the tv in front of her.

Wander to Wonder [short film]

Nina Gantz  |   The Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom
English  
Animation, Comedy, Thriller

Without their leader, a group of pocket-sized people must cope with increasingly harsh conditions while trying to maintain their sanity on an ’80s TV show. An absurd and humorous tale executed with exquisite stop-motion animation, this film asks what it takes to move on.

A boy with black hair and a girl with red hair pucker their glowing pink lips toward each other.

Yuck! [short film] (Beurk!)

Loïc Espuche  |   France
French  
Animation, Family Friendly, Romance

Leo lives in a world where those who want to kiss someone have glowing pink lips. At summer camp, he pokes fun at kissers alongside his friends. But his lips have started to glow as well.