Animated shorts at Edinburgh International Film Festival
Wonderful that EIFF returns to Edinburgh this August after a challenging period of uncertainty. I’m so pleased to have been asked by the new Artistic Director Kate Taylor to pull together an animated shorts programme for this year’s festival. Catch the programme on 23 August at the Vue – tickets here.
Whilst the McLaren Award is on hiatus, this programme recognises some of the extraordinary animation that has been produced by the UK animation community over the last year. At the heart of this is a contemplation on the curious condition of being human – how we govern our emotions, navigate knotty relationships, connect to our surroundings, and find the strength to reject others’ perceptions and live as our true selves. The makers work with a mix of paint, print, found objects, real footage, models, and drawings to create these cathartic and compelling tales for the screen.
The selected films are:
Sweet Like Lemons, Jenny Jokela, 5,UK/Finland, 2023 – A vivid dive into a psyche seeking release from memories of a damaging relationship.
Wolf of Custer, Tanya Scott, 7, UK, 2023 – In a tavern a man recounts the tale of his encounter with this fabled beast.
World to Roam, Stephen Irwin, 12, 2023 – Adoring parents try to hold on to a child who is determined to wander.
A Float, Isabel Barfod, 3, UK, 2023 – Imagining a more pleasurable experience for marginalised people at the public swimming baths.
Living with It, Holly Summerson, 7, UK, 2023 – Whilst Lee seeks to transform her surroundings, she can’t change her wearisome lodger.
The Perpetrators, Richard Squires, 14, UK, 2022 – Considering how queerness has been pathologised historically, at a time of rising right-wing moral panic.
Fuar: A Counter-Memory, Ezgi Özbakkaloğlu, 2, UK, 2022 – Layered printmaking techniques are employed to memorialise a forgotten site of destruction and exile.
Mum’s Spaghetti, Lisa Kenney, 10, UK, 2023 – Eager to belong, Poppy changes her tune, impressing the cool kids with her battle raps.
Waldeinsamkeit, Silvana Roth, 4, UK, 2023 – An ECA graduation film that meditates on the joys of finding oneself in a forest.
She’s My Best Friend (and I Hate Her), Candy Guard, 4, UK, 2023 – A wonderfully wicked and wryly observed short from an icon of UK animation.
A Taste For Music, Jordan Antonowicz-Behnan, 5, UK, 2022 – In a time of grief, finding connection and joy through a shared love for music.
Shackle, Ainslie Henderson, 10, UK, 2022 – From one of Edinburgh’s finest animation talents, witness the melodious rituals of the woodland spirits.
Header image: World to Roam, Stephen Irwin