Shorts Programs

This delightful collection of short films showcases the power of animation to transport audiences to new realms of imagination, transcending the limitations of the physical world and bringing unique stories to life through a wide variety of styles.

Living With a Visionary

Directed by Stephen P. Neary 
USA, 15 min.
Georgia premiere

A true story. After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. 

Producers: Stephen P. Neary, Mireia Vilanova 
Writer: Stephen P. Neary
Animator: Stephen P. Neary 
Cast: James Cromwell, Katherine LaVictoire 

How Not to Die on an Alien Planet

Directed by Carlos Fernandez Puertolas 
USA/Spain, 9 min.
Southeast premiere

Stranded on a distant world, a small, worn-out robot named Helen wanders through strange and beautiful landscapes, guided only by a song and the quiet weight of an unfinished mission. 

Producer: Paige Johnstone 
Writers: Anthony Hodgson, Carlos Fernandez Puertolas 

Paper Daughter

Directed by Cami Kwan 
USA, 15 min.
Georgia premiere

Joy, an immigrant from China, enters the U.S. under a false identity as a “Paper Daughter,” memorizing details of a deceased girl named Mae and creating a paper mask in her likeness. Arriving at Angel Island, she faces detention and interrogation, discovering carved poems that echo the struggles of immigrants before her. 

Producer: Brandon Diep Bui 
Cast: Rebecca Wang, Amy Clover 

Cartoon Physics

Directed by Ru Kuwahata
France/The Netherlands/Switzerland, 11 min.
Georgia premiere

When a four-year-old child discovers a dead bird in the backyard, her mother is drawn into a world where reality follows the logic of old cartoons. Inspired by a poem by Nick Flynn, Cartoon Physics is a quiet meditation on a mother’s attempt to protect her daughter’s sense of wonder.

El Cuerpo del Cristo

Directed by Carmen Cambrils and Mauro Paván 
Spain, 13 min.
Georgia premiere

With an unacknowledged mental disorder, Adela seeks answers in popular rituals. She feels that something is watching and harming her, and only religion seems to understand her. During a visit to a healer, she confesses the disturbing origin of her suffering. 

Virgin Fandango

Directed by Marcy Page 
Canada/Portugal, 11 min.
Georgia premiere

The short musical Virgin Fandango uses a novel technique of animated azulejos (painted tiles), that features a rebellious Mary joining her voice to celebrated women of history in the struggle for equality. 

Producers: Marcy Page, Normand Roger 
Cast:  Braga Fora — Coro Comunitário de Mulheres, organized and directed by Catarina Silva and Rebeca Rego

The Undying Pain of Existence

Directed by Oscar Jacobson
Germany, 6 min.

A nude model poses with statuesque stillness for an elite drawing class – until an unfortunate mosquito bite challenges his self-control. Driven to madness by the itch, he’s caught between the ruthless demand for perfection and his most unhinged, animalistic impulses.

Producers: Franz Rügamer, Nadiia Yunatska 
Animators: Ilya Barrett, Adina Barth, Amy Bruchner, Angelina Damm, Iris Feyrer, Liam Hallhuber, Louis Hartmann, Oscar Jacobson

Sundays

Directed by Ashley Gerst 
USA, 7 min.
Georgia premiere

In this intimate 2D animated memoir, a daughter navigates the aftermath of loss as she reflects on the weekly rituals she once shared with her father. 

9 Million Colors

Directed by Bara Anna Stejskalova 
Czech Republic/Norway/Germany, 15 min.
Georgia premiere

The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. Her deadly claws take whatever they desire. For the blind fish Milva, it’s a daily fight to survive. Fran sees her as beautiful and wants her to see the ocean in the same way. Can they overcome their differences? 

Producers: Jakub Kostal, Vratislav Slajer 
Cast: Tomas Dvorak, Kristoffer Endresen, Bara Anna Stejskalova, Barbora Kindlova