Animated Journeys

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020
Programme
Shorts Panorama

Some of the things that we recently learned not to take for granted – but are still definitely needed – are our journeys, in their personal and cultural signification.

They need to be physical even if they involve a coming-of-age procedure, or present an identity-forming experience. They cannot but involve other people, even if they are journeys of self-discovery. They are filled in with exciting, dramatic, hallucinating, bittersweet experiences. They take place in defining settings: a junkyard, the big sea and the still important river, the draught and the desert, the forest and the town. The theatres of movement and action lead to preconceptions being overturned, to challenges that cannot remain unanswered, and point out the relations that need to be redefined.

Amazingly, all the different films, authors, and countries tell a very familiar story: whatever the place is that you are being attached to, there are really no strings attached – just grab your old backpack and explore the films.

Films

CANDY CAN

Local title
KOMMIPURK
Director
Octavian Anton
Country
Romania
Year
2020

A vulnerable boy works very hard to escape from a stark reality. He surrounds himself by a world of toys and games but as the truth starts to emerge his refuge might turn out to be a trap.

Director
Octavian Anton
Runtime

Baltic premiere

NESTOR

Local title
NESTOR
Director
João Gonzalez
Country
United Kingdom
Year
2019

Nestor, a man with several obsessive-compulsive behaviours lives in an unstable houseboat which never stops oscillating.

Director
João Gonzalez
Runtime

To the Dusty Sea

Local title
Hallikale merele
Director
Héloïse Ferlay
Country
France
Year
2020

Left alone in the deepest of the summer, Malo and Zoe are trying their best to catch their mother’s elusive eye…

Director
Héloïse Ferlay
Runtime
Language
French

Baltic premiere

Step Into the River

Local title
Astu jõkke
Director
MA Weijia
Country
China
Year
2020

Lu and Wei are two young girls living in a village nestled on the banks of a river. As the one-child policy has led some families to drown baby girls, they both have a special relationship with this river, which looks like a cradle of tragic stories.

Director
MA Weijia
Runtime
Language
Chinese

Baltic premiere

Wade

Local title
Sumamine
Director
Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Kalp Sanghvi
Country
India
Year
2019

In a version of Kolkata, India rendered unliveable by sea level rise, things take a dark turn when a family of climate change refugees are ambushed by a tiger on the flooded streets.

Director
Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Kalp Sanghvi
Runtime

Baltic premiere

BORRACHERO

Local title
INGLITROMPET
Director
Gustavo Cerquera Benjumea
Country
Canada
Year
2019

"Borrachero" is an experimental animation that tells a story of psychotropic plants, crime, and Colombian society.This Colombian-Noir begins with a woman involved with a criminal gang that uses a powerful concoction made from the Borrachero tree to rob unsuspecting victims. After a job goes wrong, she flees to her hometown in southern Colombia. Along the way, she encounters a mysterious figure, which might be the embodied spirit of an ancient plant.“Borrachero” is also a genre-piece about the resilience and mysterious power of these plants.

Director
Gustavo Cerquera Benjumea
Runtime
Language
Spanish, English

Baltic premiere

Chado

Local title
Laps
Director
Dominica Harrison
Country
United Kingdom
Year
2020

During a long hot summer in the forest, Child is forced to grow up. First her Dog becomes ill, then out of the blue her Mother returns with a new lover in tow. Child’s world is turned upside down. A coming of age story, set in an enchanted Russian wilderness.

Director
Dominica Harrison
Runtime

Baltic premiere

Ties

Local title
Sidemed
Director
Dina Velikovskaya
Country
Russian Federation
Year
2019

There is a strong connection between parents and their child. A young woman leaves the parental home to see the world. But the world of her parents is so tightly connected with her that by leaving, she puts it at risk. It turns out that this connection can be also destructive.

Director
Dina Velikovskaya
Runtime