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CineYouth Program

Key Frames: Animation

  Ireland, Poland, Tajikistan, United States     12 shorts | 56 minutes

Screenings & Events

In-Person Screening

Sat, Apr 26 @ 1:00pm CDT

at Facets

Virtual Screening

Available to stream Mon, April 28 @ 12:00pm CT through Sun, May 4 @ 11:59pm CT for a 48-hour watch window.

Synopsis

A wide range of animation forms and topics swirl together in this jam-packed program of 12 inventive works. Whether expressed by hand-drawn images, clay figures in stop-motion, or digital tools, these films are filled with creativity, emotion, and authenticity.

Please note: Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages.

Films

A woman wearing an apron in a dark hallway looks up in awe, her face is lit up.

Perfect Casting

Autumn English | Chicago, Illinois | Age 22

Told through dynamic visuals and quirky character designs, this animated tale follows the founding of an unlikely friendship. A skilled costume designer struggles to collaborate with an asocial creature actor who is scarily good at playing his monster character.

A claymation man and woman stare at each other in front of a nighttime backdrop.

Eggs Benedict

Johnny White | Evergreen, Colorado | Age 17

This offbeat claymation cleverly recounts a man’s relationship through a stage performance, an apt setting for the sometimes overwhelming feelings of new romance.

Paper cut-outs of various creatures crowd the frame, one holds a broken heart.

Paper Love

Jeremi Rzadowski | Poland | Age 9

When a princess decides to escape from a possessive ruler, she wonders if her desire for freedom will triumph over the king’s despotic visions. Paper Love is brought to life through animated paper cut-outs and an entrancing score that together showcase the filmmaker’s inventive imagination at just nine years old.

A tired man sits on his bed with a yellow bird on his shoulder.

Stay

Dylan Kaufmann | Chicago, Illinois | Age 19

On his birthday, a young man reflects on the lonely, mundane life that he shares with his beloved pet bird. This touching story depicted through artful 2D animation, coalesces into an unexpected revelation about their bond and explores themes of grief and healing.

An array of animals and plants float into space from Earth in a wavy trail.

Atlas

Max Hendrickson | Ireland | Age 18

Experience an alternate world where gravity is reversed in this meditative mood piece that will leave you on cloud nine. Utilizing multiple animation styles and serene sound design, Atlas’s observational opening methodically swells toward a euphoric conclusion.

A young witch, sitting beside countless rolled-up papers and potions, glances over at her non-human floating friend.

A Spell to Break

Ash Liang, Dorothy Vu, & Isabella Johnson | Chicago, Illinois | Age 22

As countless summoning requests begin to pile up, an overexerted young witch makes a crucial mistake in this 2D animated tale about the power of community and friendship.

A hand-drawn family shares a meal together in the middle of a live-action, dilapidated town.

Voices of the Mountains

Laboratory for visual storytelling | Tajikistan | Age 18–22

Past and present collide in this intimate look into a town destroyed by mudslides. Blending animation with live action, Voices of the Mountains dissects our complex relationship with nature.

Purchasing a bundle of clothes and tools, a confident young female athlete hands her credit card to a supermarket employee

With Tits

Delia Morchesky | Savannah, Georgia | Age 21

Young women on a high school basketball team fight their principal to change their sexist team name in this raunchy comedy.

A 2D drawing of a woman with long hair and antlers looking profile.

A Chance Meeting with My Divine

Julz Feit | Evanston, Illinois | Age 21

Duine, an Irish teenager, grapples with their gender identity and reflects on their past while walking alone at night. Their reverie is interrupted by Féiniúlacht, a divine spirit.

A girl with pigtails stands in front of a gallery wall looking at a painting of a starry cat.

Illumination

Charlotte Anthony | Menlo Park, California | Age 16

When a man returns home exhausted from work, his daughter picks up his laser pointer and uses her imagination to help him rediscover his passions.

A 2D drawing of a room, cluttered with furniture and its walls lined with art and windows.

The Vickerilla Family Reunion

Charles Lay | Boston, Massachusetts | Age 22

A mellow and charming reflection on 10 years of family reunions is told through watercolor illustration and evocative sound clips.

An old man with a big nose and mustache looks at himself in the medicine cabinet mirror.

The GOAT

Dean Eliades Kobs | New York, New York | Age 22

When two beloved animators and former friends announce new films on the same day, one of them makes it his mission to finish his film first. As the deadline approaches, the animator spirals out of control.