Where is my home?

Where's My Home? – Short Films I.

Scent of Geranium

Naghmeh Farzaneh | United States | 2016 | 5 min

The autobiographical portrait Scent of Geranium is included in our international competition section; however, the film closely corresponds to the theme of this year’s Anifilm. The author tells her own story – as a young girl, she moved from Iran to USA. By using black drawing on a coloured background, she masterfully visualizes the feelings of being uprooted and searching for new home and identity.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

We 04/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Světozor Cinema

Th 05/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Sa 07/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Schwarzenberg Hall

Fences

Natalia Krawczuk | Poland | 2015 | 7 min

A bird in a cage, a toddler in a playpen, two dogs on either side of a fence. Partitions of various sorts accompany our lives from the beginning to the end. Each of us deals with them in their own way. Does it really make sense to separate ourselves from our neighbours with a wall? The film is a reflection on the role of "fences" in our lives.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Homeland

Juan de Dios Marfil Atienza | Czech Republic, Spain | 2009 | 7 min

The film is a metaphorical story about the feeling of having a home and leaving it. One day, a girl finds a weakly creature at her doorstep. She pities it and feels for it. The girl’s care and love is like a nourishing drink to the creature, which grows and grows… An impressive and moving film supported by emotionally charged music.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Journey Birds

Daphna Awadish | Israel | 2015 | 10 min

While abroad, the director spoke with many immigrants. Their stories were unique, but they all contained a longing for their homeland intertwined with curiosity and delight in their new home. The movie relates a visual and cinematic commentary, in which people appear as a hybrid between man and bird.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Bon Voyage

Fabio Friedli | Switzerland | 2011 | 6 min

This black and white tragicomedy by Fabio Friedli was made in 2011, however, given the current situation, it is once again very topical. A group of migrants travels in an overloaded truck to reach the Europe they dream of. When they eventually arrive after an arduous and dangerous journey, they are confronted by a different, brutal reality: Europe is definitely not welcoming them with open arms.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Within Within

Sharon Liu | United Kingdom | 2011 | 3 min

“The future of China depends on us,” says director Sharon Liu, quoting her father. Her graduation film, made when she was 23, depicts her feelings for her country; Liu said then: “Our memories last only 3 seconds; we are like fish in a small pond.” This very personal film expresses her love not only for Hong Kong but for the whole country she was born in.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

The Tulle Curtain

Inna Šilina, Darius Jaruševičius | Lithuania | 2010 | 7 min

A curtain senselessly divides an area into two halves. It is approached by various characters and objects, each seeing it as something else – it can be a triumphal arch for a poet, a veil for a tank bride, a barricade, and the frozen surface of a lake. The film is a metaphor of the Iron Curtain.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Lunik IX.

Michelle Coomber | Slovakia | 2010 | 4 min

This film is a bittersweet tale of childhood in Central Europe’s largest Roma ghetto. Named after the Soviet satellite, Lunik IX was created in the 1980s as a solution to the municipality’s problem with persons deemed “socially unacceptable”. What to do with them? Put them somewhere away from the “others”.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Random Walks

Borbála Tompa | Hungary | 2015 | 8 min

Random Walks is an experimental documentary short film that is based on informal talks with five migrants, or immigrants, who live in Budapest. It not only focuses on their lives and circumstances but also aims to build an intimate relationship with them.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Stowaway

Abi Feijó | Portugal | 2000 | 8 min

This suggestive, sand-animated film was made by one of the leading personalities of Portuguese animation Abi Feijó. The internationally acclaimed film, made in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada, is based on the story O Viajante Clandestino from the book Gente da terceira classe by José Rodrigues Miguéis.

We 04/05/2016
14.30-15.33

Světozor Cinema

Fr 06/05/2016
20.30-21.33

Schwarzenberg Hall

Where's My Home? – Short Films II.

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Borderlines

Hanka Nováková | Czech Republic | 2015 | 5 min

An artistically simple yet poignant allegory on a very topical problem – people and the borderlines of their world. What is more important in human lives – defining your own space, or coexistence and collaboration with others? The film also shows how a simple cause can trigger a whirlwind of quarrels and conflicts that cannot be stopped easily.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

We 04/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Světozor Cinema

Th 05/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Sa 07/05/2016
16.30-17.54

Schwarzenberg Hall

Estate

Ronny Trocker | France, Belgium | 2016 | 8 min

This experimental and disturbing “photo film” is set on a shiny Mediterranean beach where time seems to have frozen. A black man, out of strength, is crawling with difficulty to leave the beach. All around him, the regular bathers seem not to see him… Freely inspired by a photo of Juan Medina, taken on the beach of Grand Tarajal in Spain, in 2007.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

The Story of Luboš Jednorožec

Anna Krtičková | Czech Republic | 2011 | 6 min

In 1950, Luboš Jednorožec was arrested and sentenced to ten years imprisonment because he did not report a relative who was planning to emigrate. He managed to find a way to escape from a forced labour camp in a uranium mine. He tried to cross the border, but the Police arrested him again. Did he eventually manage to leave the country? The film was made for the Memory of Nation Awards 2011.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Heimatland

Marius Portmann, Loretta Arnold, Fabio Friedli, Andrea Schneider | Switzerland | 2009 | 7 min

Swiss patriot Housi lives a proper and happy life in his cosy flat. Everything is perfectly fine until a new neighbour moves in and turns Housi’s life upside down. Housi’s routines fall apart and he is driven by panic. This puppet film, made by four different directors, humorously presents the fear of the spread of Islam.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Holot

Einat Keshet | Israel | 2015 | 8 min

This film, based on real interviews with migrants, was made by several students in the DocuAnimation workshop at the Israeli Sapir College. Each author used his own artistic style and animation technique – from stop-motion animation through pixilation to computer animation.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Tunnel

Maryam Kashkoolinia | Iran | 2012 | 7 min

This thrilling journey of a man through a hand-dug tunnel was inspired by real events from the Gaza strip, where people needed such tunnels to satisfy basic needs. On his quest to obtain a sheep, a father faces several dangers. His journey is fittingly portrayed by means of sand animation and the viewers feel the fear of deadly confined spaces along with the hero.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Altneuland

Sariel Keslasi | Israel | 2012 | 6 min

At a place that seems to be the end of the world is a group of people waiting for a bus to take them to a place called Altneuland. No one knows, however, where Altneuland is, or if it even exists. The group is surrounded only by fallen electrical lines and the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness. The film is a meditative, artistically stylized allegory.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Villa Antropoff

Vladimir Leschiov, Kaspar Jancis | Latvia, Estonia | 2012 | 13 min

Two famous artists from the Baltic countries decided to visualise the theme of migrating to find a better life. They both masterfully applied their best techniques: absurd and black humour and an original, imaginative artistic style. The film portrays a migrant who overcomes obstacles but, when he gets to the land of his dreams, astonished, he finds out things are not what he imagined.

Th 05/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Schwarzenberg Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
14.00-14.59

Světozor Cinema

Paul Fierlinger – Exile Melancholy | Short Films I.

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And Then I’ll Stop... Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 1990 | 22 min

This film about the harmful effects of drinking alcohol was commissioned by US Healthcare and the director based it on six real interviews with members of Alcoholics Anonymous. By association he accompanies their stories about what it’s like to be addicted, what it’s like when they decide to quit, etc. with very original graphic ideas and animated drawings. And in the end, he adds his own story as well.

We 04/05/2016
17.00-18.18

J. K. Tyl Theatre

Drawn from Memory

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 1995 | 56 min

This autobiographical film tells the extraordinary story of Paul Fierlinger, from his birth in Japan, through his childhood in the USA and growing up in Czechoslovakia, to his escape back to the United States he dreamt of. The director depicted lingering images from his childhood in order to come to terms with painful memories and a complicated relationship with his parents.

We 04/05/2016
17.00-18.18

J. K. Tyl Theatre

Paul Fierlinger – Exile Melancholy | Short Films II.

zobrazit

Rainbowland

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 1978 | 14 min

Phil is the best harmonica player in the world, but he is bored in the perfect Rainbowland. One night he hears an excellent trumpet player in the streets. When he finds out that the trumpeter comes from a place called Blueland, where everybody plays the blues, he sets out immediately. The more Phil gets to know this different world, the more we come to realise Fierlinger’s allegory clearly alluding to his former homeland.

Fr 06/05/2016
14.00-15.09

Světozor Cinema

Marsh People

Sandra Fierlinger, Paul Fierlinger | United States | 1997 | 3 min

A story of a little boy growing up with a despotic father in the western American marshlands. Even though the boy and his mother try not to provoke the father, his choleric nature repeatedly drives him out into the marshlands full of anger. During one of the father’s rages, a tragic accident occurs. But in this hard-boiled film, it is merely an incident full of black humour.

Fr 06/05/2016
14.00-15.09

Světozor Cinema

Still life with animated dogs

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 2001 | 26 min

In his life, Paul Fierlinger had many dogs that now represent clear links to certain periods of his life. Dogs repeatedly helped him on his way through life enabling him to establish a deeper connection with nature and we, in turn, get to know something more from the director’s life thanks to the dogs.

Fr 06/05/2016
14.00-15.09

Světozor Cinema

A Room Nearby

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 2003 | 26 min

A collection of stories by people whose common thread is loneliness. The director interviews five people – each from a different background and representing different experiences. One of them is the director’s friend Miloš Forman. The interviews are separated by the testimony of the director himself which, much to his later regret, PBS production made him include.

Fr 06/05/2016
14.00-15.09

Světozor Cinema

Starting over Again

Paul Fierlinger, Sandra Fierlinger | United States | 2016 | 3 min

The latest addition to the extensive filmography of the Fierlingers will have its festival premiere at Anifilm. It is a melancholic music video for the song Start over Again. Also here, in this animated supplement to a moving song, the central theme is dog as a man’s best friend. A dog is left in a shelter but, as the title suggests, his new master will find him.

Fr 06/05/2016
14.00-15.09

Světozor Cinema

Lisa Limone & Maroc Orange: A Rapid Love Story

Mait Laas | Estonia | 2013 | 72 min

A full feature puppet opera by Mait Laas combines stop-motion puppet animation with 3D animation effects. Maroc Orange flees from his country along with other refugees in order to find freedom in the Lemon Land. Instead of finding freedom in a seemingly democratic land, he is immediately apprehended and becomes a slave in a ketchup factory. The bored daughter of the factory owner, Lisa, collects singing seashells and otherwise does not know what else to do. But when she meets Maroc, she decides to save him and thus prepares the ground for the other slaves who conduct an orange revolution of unexpected scale. The film is a truly extraordinary work in the field of puppet animation – in a feature length format it concentrates elaborate comic situations and video sequences, it deals in a socially critical way with the topics of racism, xenophobia and illegal immigrants fleeing from Africa to Europe and combines it all with the magic of hand animation added in the post-production.

Th 05/05/2016
16.30-17.42

Roháč - ČT Hall

Sa 07/05/2016
16.30-17.42

Zlatá Hvězda

Slocum at Sea with Himself

Paul Fierlinger | United States | 2015 | 120 min

An adaptation of an autobiography by American seaman Joshua Slocum, who was the first to sail single-handedly around the world. He recorded his voyage and experiences in a book called Sailing Alone Around the World (1900) that became an international bestseller and the constant companion of every ship and sailing aficionado. It was for that sizeable community as well that the directors made this film. They divided their film into four parts and chose the non-traditional route of internet distribution. The film uses fine-drawn backgrounds and the stylized drawing with thin lines typical of many of their short films. They have chosen several key moments from Slocum’s elaborate story and offer them up with gentle semantic humour. Instead of commentary, though, they once again rely on a non-traditional form – all communication between the characters is in comic book speech bubbles.

Th 05/05/2016
20.30-22.30

J. K. Tyl Theatre

Sa 07/05/2016
19.30-21.30

Světozor Cinema

True Štúr

Michal Baláž, Noro Držiak | Slovakia | 2015 | 57 min

The visually captivating docudrama True Štúr, inspired by the aesthetics of Sin City, connects stylized live-action sequences with animation. In their unusual film, writers Marián Prevendarčík, Michal Baláž and Zuzana Šajgalíková investigate the untimely death of Ľudovít Štúr. The film takes place over a single night and does not include the character of Štúr. The main hero of the film is Samuel Hronský, who comes to Štúr’s freshly-dug grave on January 15, 1856. The death of one of the most important Slovak national revivalists and prominent politician keeps him awake at night. A long, freezing night begins and Hronský decides that he will not rest until the truth is uncovered and myths about Štúr’s life and death (his alleged homosexuality and violent death) debunked. We see him slowly putting together the pieces of the unusual life story of a lonely, uncompromising and irreplaceable man seen through the eyes of his peers. The authors see their film as an opportunity for our generation to pay homage to a significant figure in Slovak history. True Štúr’s visual style was influenced by director Noro Držiak’s previous project, Alois Nebel, where he served as animation and VFX supervisor.

Fr 06/05/2016
11.00-11.52

Schwarzenberg Hall

Approved for Adoption

Laurent Boileau | Belgium, France, South Korea, Switzerland | 2012 | 75 min

He is 44 years old now according to his civil status, but the cartoonist Jung prefers to place his birth at the age of 5, when a policeman found him wandering alone on the streets of Seoul. He is one of those 200 000 adopted Koreans spread around the world. Jung decided to return, for the first time, in South Korea, in order to breathe the air of his home country, tread the land of his ancestors, and maybe find traces of his biological mother. This trip of reconciliation with his roots and with himself, shot as a documentary, leads our character to recall the child he once was and the winding path that made him grow up. This travel in time – the present of the trip and the memory of the past – will push him little by little towards a peaceful cohabitation between his inner diversities. A very original animated biographical documentary deals with adoption issues with tenderness and humour. The characters were developed and created in 3D, the landscapes and decorations are in 2D and the drawings are originally made by Jung.

Fr 06/05/2016
15.00-16.15

Roháč - ČT Hall