Online catalogue

The 2021 Oscar nominations encompassed a varied selection of genres and animation and artistic techniques. In this showcase, we will see Joanna Quinn’s eccentric animated hero Beryl, an ageing factory worker obsessed with drawing. The Chilean puppet film Bestia couldn’t be farther from comedy. The film is inspired by real events and tells the story of a secret police agent, her twisted inner world and the circumstances of the society she lives in. The story of Boxballet focuses on two protagonists and the different worlds of the ballerina Olya and the boxer Evgenyi, who have to cope with their feelings in a harsh reality. Another film (this one for children) was made by the famous studio Aardman Animations and portrays a story of great courage and exploration. The protagonist, a bird named Robin who was brought up by mice, sets out to find her roots and herself. The last Oscar-nominated film, Windshield Wiper, stars a meditative hero. Sitting in a café with a cigarette in his hand, he ponders an important and timeless question: ‘What is love?‘. Our block of Oscar-nominated films was put together in collaboration with iShorts.

The academic year 2021/22 marks the 70th anniversary of the Animation Studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM). In collaboration with the National Film Archive, many short films that haven’t been seen on the big screen since their completion have been digitally restored. The showcase includes genuine rarities such as Václav Mergl’s Chameleon, Vratislav Hlavatý’s Hey Hop and Svatopluk Pitra’s Hat in the Bush. The last two films are screened in a revived premiere. The selection also reflects this year’s festival theme of humour.

Wunderbaum

 

What does the taxi driver Ruslan experience during his endless shift? Six episodes using various film and television genres portray stories from his life. Each episode was directed by two directors who were in charge of the story, animation and artistic design. Join us on a wild ride through a wide range of animation and artistic approaches. The series was made as exclusive content for Czech Television’s online broadcast. We will also screen bonus episodes.

In March 2002, several members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement decided to counter the Chinese government’s false reports vilifying the group. In Changchung city, they managed to hack the broadcast of the Chinese state TV and for several brief moments, the viewers could see what Falun Gong truly stood for. Consequently, the police started cruelly pursuing the members of the small resistance group as well as their supporters. Comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falung Gong practitioner, was forced to flee the city. He himself thought that hacking the broadcast was counterproductive as it only worsened the situation. In North America, he met the lone surviving participant to have escaped China. Their dialogue revealing other circumstances, details and the fates of individual participants forms the backbone of this ani-doc. Its authors combine live footage with animated sequences inspired by Daxiong’s work and map the fight for freedom of expression and religion in a captivating way. The authors of this documentary felt the pressure of the Chinese government themselves when government officials contacted their colleagues and tried to persuade them to cease cooperation.