There is never an old age in itself -but only in comparison to what you were (young), what you might be (old), with an always interesting relational story to be told. The animation shorts here materialize and visualize this in spades. The sudden step-by-step age decline would be a study case of moral support, helped with a warm color palette. Past secrets and remote cultures can actually be a lesson for the youngest ones. Age might be just an old man getting a deep breath and dive into his own memories; or a young person who needs to connect with his own traumatic history -in fragmented shots. A puppet girl has to rediscover her own roots, and a linear, rapidly accelerating transition into the future we seem to fear surprises; that’s why some agents comically try to avoid it. A strong current of silent complicity runs through the films; we want just the old age wisdom without the rest -and we can have it all in animation.
West Question, East Answer, Dal Park, United Kingdom 2018, 6'26''
West Question East Answer is an experimental documentary that explores communication problems between two generations (a Korean grandmother and her German granddaughter) based on their cultural and historical background. This film is based on a true event I had with my grandmother one summer.
Danielle, Anthony Cerniello, USA 2013, 5'
I attempted to create a person in order to emulate the aging process. The idea was that something is happening but you can't see it but you can feel it, like aging itself.
The River's Lazy Flow, Joël Vaudreuil, Canada 2013, 8'49''
Starszy mężczyzna zostawia rodzinę w chatce i oddala się na moment nad rzekę, by zapalić papierosa. Tu powraca do niego wspomnienie dziewczyny, z którą przyszedł w to miejsce, gdy miał 13 lat. Chciał wtedy stać się mężczyzną, a ona pragnęła wyjawić mu swój bolesny sekret. Żadne z nich nie zrealizowało swojego planu.
Gerascophobia, Shuangshuang Hao, United Kingdom 2014, 4’15’’
Gerascophobia' is about a boy called 'Mo' who has fears for growing up and ageing. Mo does many ridiculous things to avoid growing up. The animation describes his mundane life moments, shows his fears of separation, mortality, taking responsibility, and standing out as an independent individual.
How My Grandmother Became A Chair, Nicolas Fattouh, Lebanon 2020, 9'55''
An ageing grandmother loses her five senses one after the other before finally becoming a wooden chair. Throughout her transformation she realizes that her African housekeeper is not the wild animal she once thought she was but the caring and loyal family member she was sadly lacking. A poignant story about illness and growing old which employs imagination and metaphor to show the difficult and painful process of departing.
Close The Shutters, Ynon Lan, Israel 2016, 4'51''
A young man tries to hold on to the image of his sick grandfather, by piecing together fragments of memories he has of him.
Cerulia, Sofia Carillo, Mexico 2017, 13'
Cerulia comes back home to bid her final farewell, but her childhood memories and grandparents presence won´t let her go.
Vassilis Kroustallis is a Greek film and animation professional based in Estonia. He runs (since 2011) animation news online journal Zippy Frames, and currently serves as Animation Programme director at PÖFF Shorts, Estonia. His affiliations include an Annie Awards membership. He's written research articles on film and animation, and he's currently preparing a PhD on contemporary European feature animation (Ionian University, Greece). He's written two short film scripts, The Hotel and Mar(t)y, which have participated in international competition (Mar[t]y being a finalist at London Greek Film Festival 2020), and has acted as a consultant for animated film festival submissions. He has just finished his first directed short film, Homespital.
