ANIMATION
SCREENING
Block 1 – Thursday 26 June – 14.00
PARAGON
4 Paragon, Ramsgate
CT11 9JX
IN HALF
(Spain)
SYNOPSIS
“Only when we have the courage to own our history are we able to write a brave new ending to our story.” Through a child’s imagination it tells the journey of a man who after falling prey to his fears, he must cross a strange world, a universe full of magic, where he will be confronted with his own fears and conflicts from the past and where he must find solutions for the future to discover his self-identity.
Writer/Director/Producer: Jorge Morais Valle
Writers: Silvia Pazos, Cuco Fernández
Cast: Jake Walters, Jared Peterson, Daniel Ledo
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Jorge Morais Valle is an independent filmmaker and artist from Vigo (Spain). From a very young age he has been linked to some of the main artistic disciplines such as drawing, painting and sculpture, the latter being the one he has developed and highlighted most naturally at a very early age.
He started very young in the world of graffiti and mural painting, where he soon found a very personal form of expression that attracted the attention of commercial brands to make artistic and advertising interventions. He quickly found the opportunity to extend his interests beyond the walls to the world of decoration and stage design in theatres, having the opportunity to lead work teams both in Spain and Portugal, even when he had not yet finished his secondary school studies.
He combined his career in Fine Arts exploring different professional areas with the world of scenography, painting and illustration both in Galicia and Portugal, which would lead him to participate in different projects, painting exhibitions and advertising campaigns, leading a young group of artists, New Order Productions, which gave him great artistic knowledge about plasticity and leadership, qualities that gave him the confidence to enter the world of animation after graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts.
In 2010 he released his first animated short film, The painter of skies, as the final project of his Master’s degree in animation, achieving great national and international recognition, being a project that was selected in more than 300 festivals and receiving 125 awards worldwide. After this experience he began a cycle of trips to different studios and production companies in Portugal, England, Italy and finally Germany, jumping from project to project and where he had the opportunity to deepen his knowledge in different areas of production, especially in production design, modelling and kinematics.
LIGHTS
(Czech Republic)
SYNOPSIS
Lightbulbs are throwing a party for growing up flames to welcome them in the system that will let them shine and protect them. But one flames likes to play with fire and rebels against the system.
Writer/Director: Jitka Nemikinsová
Producers: Veronika Kührová, Michal Kráčmer
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Jitka Nemikinsová was born in 1996 she studied at Václav Hollar secondary school, specializing in Advertising Graphic Design. and then at FAMU, specializing in Animation. During her studies, she made a film 1938 (2018), which received support from the Czech television. As a part of her exams, she also directed films Bait bite (2018), That escalated quickly (2017) and Feel leaf (2017).
She has always drawn and painted. Now, she mainly focuses on graphic design and illustration. She keeps educating herself in these fields and she keeps expanding her skillset. The film Lights is her undergraduation project. In 2020, Lights received an Animation Espresso Award at the Anifilm festival.
She worked as a concept artist/ storyboard maker in the company AheadVR. She participated in the development of a multi-platform videogame Somnium Space. In 2018, her animations appeared in the Sempé gallery as a part of the exhibition of Jean-Jacques Sempé.
THE BRIGHTEST STAR
(Finland)
SYNOPSIS
When a curious child falls into a long-forgotten cave, she is confronted by a mysterious spirit and must decide whether the being is kindhearted or something more perilous.
Writer/Director:/Producer: Tompswell
Cast: Annika Lintala
MEET THE DIRECTOR
The 30-year-old writer-director Tompswell (given name Tuomas Tuppurainen) comes from Southern Finland. He has been interested in photoshop and video editing since he was in elementary school, and later pursued a degree in Media Content Design. After graduation, Tompswell worked as an editor for the film production company ‘Iron Sky Universe’ while also working on his own animation projects in his free time. His directorial debut was a long documentary called “Shoot for the Moon,” and he has recently returned to fiction with his latest animated short “The Brightest Star” for which this one-person-production-company did almost everything himself. Tompswell is inspired by classic animations and aims to create emotional and eye-catching films. His ultimate career goal is to direct an animated feature film and win an Academy Award for it.
DEADLINE
(Israel)
SYNOPSIS
Deadline is a black comedy Stop-motion short that explores the power balance between bureaucracy, death and feline devotion of the elderly.
At its center is a story of a brave friendship and solidarity between two senior ladies sickened by society’s disregard and disrespect.
Writer/Director/Producer: Idan Gilboa
Writer: Shahar Fux
Idan Gilboa graduated from the Department of Visual Communication in Bezalel. He studied stop motion animation and illustration as part of a student exchange at SVA New York. An animator at heart, art director/creative manager at major advertising agencies for a living. He created several music videos that won awards and recognition.Block 2 – Thursday 26 June – 15.30
PARAGON
4 Paragon, Ramsgate
CT11 9JX
MANNY
(USA)
SYNOPSIS
We stumble into the world of “MANNY”, a wooden art mannequin, who dearly wants to draw — but is bound, by an iron stick up the rear, to a wooden pedestal! We follow MANNY’s daring — if clumsy — attempts at achieving the power of creation he has watched and wished for, for so very long.
Director: Pierre Alexandre Ducos
Pierre Alexandre Ducos is a full-time student from Eagle Mountain, Utah! He has been reading stories with his dad for as long as he can remember, and has always loved the beauty and joy of a good story. During a religious calling as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Ducos learned a 3D graphics program called “Blender” which gave him a voice for telling stories in a way he could finally share. He hopes to make and share good stories every day, and to become a loud voice for joy through the stories people will share with him.INSIDE THE BOX
(Nicaragua)
SYNOPSIS
A cherished doll given to Alejandra on her 7th birthday is suddenly taken from her. While she embarks on a quest to find it, her country grapples with a social uprising and she is forced to leave her homeland, always hoping to get it back.
Based on the true story of the daughter of a political prisoner in Nicaragua.
Writer/Director: Ricardo Zambrana
Producer: Lianet Rodríguez
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Ricardo Zambrana was born in Managua, Nicaragua in 1984. He is a graduate of the International Film and TV School of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, specializing in Directing. He has directed fiction and documentary short films, some shot in digital and others in 35mm.
He was a professor of Directing for Film and Directing Actores in workshops for the Nicaraguan Association of Cinematography (ANCI) from 2014 to 2018.
He was co-organizer of the Muestra de Cine Iberoamericano in Nicaragua held annually by ANCI (from 2013 to 2017).
Editor of the documentaries “Daysirí (2006)” and “YCAZA (2008)” by Rossana Lacayo.
Writer and Director of the animated web series “Artemisa” (5 episodes, 2020).
Editor and animatic designer for the animated documentary short film: “Leaces of K. (2021)” by Gloria Carrión (Open Doors Screening, Locarno Film Festival 2022).
After protesting against government repression in Nicaragua, he had to flee the country because of death threats. He now lives in Mexico, where he works producing corporate audiovisual content for companies, and directing commercials and music videos.
BOBA GIRLS
(USA)
SYNOPSIS
A 2D animated original K-Pop music video about how a trip to get boba milk tea takes two girlfriends on a wild fantasy adventure across Hollywood.
Writer/Director: Sydney Chen
Producer: Kaitlin Goldstein
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Pinghsin “Sydney” Chen is a visual development artist and illustrator based in LA. Sydney loves storytelling and creating lovable, stylized backgrounds/characters that touch people’s hearts. Sydney recently graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s John C. Hench Division of Animation. She will continue to pursue her dream of becoming a visual development artist in the animation industry.TO THE BRINK
(UK)
SYNOPSIS
A violent stop motion cabaret for the cynical and depraved. Guilt, alcoholic apathy and the inevitable, looming apocalypse threaten to push a young man “To the Brink”.
Writer/Director/Producer: Hugo Docking
Writer/Producer: Henry Blackaller
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Hugo Docking is a stop motion filmmaker with a penchant for the mischievous and macabre. He uses unsettling imagery, dark humour and unusual materials to create short films that are eerie, theatrical, twisted and bizarre.
ADDHUMARE
(Italy)
SYNOPSIS
The short film is the story of a secret love in Gallipoli (south of italy), in the early 1900s: he is a humble fisherman, she is the daughter of the local baron. Their meeting place is in the vegetation of the Purità beach, under the ramparts of the Ionian city. One evening, however, the two lovers are discovered. She is imprisoned by her family in a place out of sight of her beloved and of the whole city. But the desperation and the desire of the two lovers will be stronger than adversity. They will be able to communicate, thanks to the power of music and “light”.
Writer/Director: Hermes Mangialardo
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Hermes Mangialardo is a Cartoonist, videomaker, visual artist, 3D videomapper and visual design teacher.
He began his activity as a director of music videos and then he focused on the production of short films and commercials, especially in the social field, such as ONE DAY IN JULY (30 international awards) or FRONTIERS.
He created the Urban Jungle series for MTV, a mix of documentary and irony that investigates all the phenomena of “urban wildlife”. The series becomes a cult on the web with millions of views on YouTube, becoming the subject of university lectures and TV programs.
After winning the title of Best Italian VJ in 2009, he combines the production of animations and video clips with his activity as a visual artist and 3D mapper, creating Architectural mapping around Europe, winning among others the Berlin festival of Light on TV tower of the German capital, the Spotlight of Bucharest, the first prize at the Pescara Mapping, the audience award at the Zsolnay Videomapping contest in Hungary.
His videomappings have illuminated some of the most important buildings around Europe (such as the Colosseum, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Pecs Cathedral or the 360 degree work on the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome).
In 2021 and 2023 he created 2 shorts film against women’s and children abuse with Pope Francis, and many light and museum installations, including DIVINE STANZE, dedicated to the Divine Comedy.
BLOOD & FLOWERS
(Poland)
SYNOPSIS
Once upon a time there was a Girl that had enough. So she decided to kill everyone she knew and went on a journey of self-discovery with a ghost of her beloved dog.
Writer/Director/Producer: Sabina
Cast: Sabina, Balbina
MEET THE DIRECTOR
Poor Girl’s Production aka Sabina is a Polish artist that specialises in animation, experimental films and collages. Her works focus on feminism, the end of civilization, celebrity culture, “teenage dream/drama”, anger management, fear, the bounds of what it means to be human and general freedom.