These meticulously animated works of art follow a wide range of fascinating characters, from an Olympic swimmer who survived the Holocaust to an intrepid kid bravely attempting to rescue her village.
Butterfly
Dir. Florence Miailhe
France, 15min
A poignant retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache’s life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, presented as memories flashing back during his final swim.
Forevergreen
Dirs. Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears
US, 13min
A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Dirs. Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski
Canada, 17min
A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.
Retirement Plan
Dir. John Kelly
Ireland, 7min
Ray (voiced by Domhall Gleeson) fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”
The Three Sisters
Dir. Konstantin Bronzit
Israel & Cyprus, 14min
Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances change, and they are forced to rent out one of the houses.
Also screening in this program:
Éiru
Dir. Giovanna Ferrari
Ireland, 13min
When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it. Éiru is the story of a kid in search of a challenge and a goddess in search of a champion.
