My key when choosing these animated films was their freshness; they were pretty surprising to me, when I first came across them. Each of the films surprised me with something else: subtle horror and melancholy in “Another Season” by Anna Lytton, hypnotic rhythm and fascinating technique in “La Chute” by Boris Labbe, humour and teasing in “Rejected” by Don Hertzfeld, and perfect observation capabilities in “Nightclub” by Johnathan Hodgson.
I have come back to each of the films a dozen times and they are still incredibly interesting and inspiring to me, which is probably the best evidence of their exceptional quality.
Another Season, Anna Lytton, Germany 2015, 4’27’’
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A figure that is both tree and woman, slowly being explored as it continuously breaks and grows and takes on different forms. Like leaves that leave the nimble limbs on tiptoe, the timid barks of timber cut to shape.
You Could Sunbathe in this Storm, Alice Dunseath, United Kingdom, 2014, 6’
You Could Sunbathe in this Storm'
Space, forms colours and sounds symbolise a recognisable world.
New beginnings put an end to familiar patterns.
Do we shape as much as we are shaped?
Fugu, Robert Proch, Poland, 2008, 1’23”
Short animation about hard rules of nature. Drawings and sound by Robert Proch.
Rejected, Don Hertzfeldt, USA, 2000, 9’17”
A hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.
Birthday, Renata Gąsiorowska, Poland 2013, 3’44’’
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A music video for Alphabets Heaven.
La Chute, Boris Labbé, France, 2018, 14’22”
As celestial beings descend to Earth vitiating its population, the world’s order imbalances. Initiated by these terms, a tragic fall leads to the parturition of crucial opposites: Hell and Heaven’s circles.
Shugo Tokumaru / Katachi, Kijek/Adamski, Poland, 2013, 3’04”
Official music video for Shugo Tokumru's 'Katachi'. Katachi means shape. The video consists of ca. 2,000 silhouettes, forming a kind of stream of consciousness.
Small People With Hats, Sarina Nihei, Romania, 2014, 6’51”
There are small people wearing hats in the society.
Pociąg na kółkach / Train on wheels, Patrych Grochowicki, Poland, 2009, 1’57’’
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A student etude from 2009, realized in the animation studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań.
NightClub, Johnathan Hodgson, United Kingdom, 1983, 6’02”
Made while studying Film and TV dept at the RCA. Based on sketches made in Liverpool drinking clubs. The film observes human behaviour in a social situation, hinting at the loneliness felt by the individual lost in the crowd.
Old English, Ruffmercy, United Kingdom, 2015, 3'22''
Music video to "Old English" song by Young Thug, Freddie Gibbs & A$AP Ferg.
Curator: Ola Szmida
Ola Szmida, b. in 1987 in Myszków. Illustrator, director of animated films and comics artist. She studied animation at the University of Arts in Poznań and Kunsthochschule für Medien in Cologne (DAAD scholarship). Her main interest is drawing. She has cooperated with, among others: BBC, Ermenegildo Zegna, Boiler Room, Southbank Center, Häagen-Dazs, Disney Polska. Her animated films and illustrations have been shown and awarded at many international exhibitions and fest-ivals. He is currently working on a new film in Munk's studio as part of the Young Animation pro-gram.
