Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser

The Monkey King: Reborn

April 2021 •Chinese

When the irritable monkey king visits a temple together with his master Tang Monk, he feels offended because of a trifle and thereupon accidentally destroys a magic tree growing on the sacred ground. This brings an ancient demon king back to life, who promptly kidnaps Tang Monk to take revenge for his long imprisonment. The monkey king and his followers have only three days to not only save their master but also to prevent the demon king from regaining his full powers and destroying the world…

The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism

March 2017 •English

Taking its lead from French artists like Renoir and Monet, the American impressionist movement followed its own path which over a forty-year period reveals as much about America as a nation as it does about its art as a creative power-house. It’s a story closely tied to a love of gardens and a desire to preserve nature in a rapidly urbanizing nation. Travelling to studios, gardens and iconic locations throughout the United States, UK and France, this mesmerising film is a feast for the eyes. The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism features the sell-out exhibition The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement, 1887–1920 that began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and ended at the Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters - Predacons Rising

October 2013 •English

Autobots, Decepticons, Predaking and Predacons form an unlikely alliance to battle a resurrected Unicron.

James and the Giant Peach

April 1996 •English

When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strange lands.

Hold On

August 2023 •English

Years after immigrating to the United States, Matt (Gabriel Berm) grapples with the notion of family. A call from his sister, Callie (Callie Morken), becomes the catalyst for a realization: he learns that family transcends borders and manifests in varied forms. The deepest connections endure physical separation, teaching Matt that what truly matters is the unbreakable bond they share, echoing louder than any distance.

Miss Hokusai

May 2015 •Japanese

A daughter is constantly overshadowed by her famous father, but she is determined to make her own mark in the world.

A Few Pages From the Life of a Ghost

December 1992 •Russian

An American family stays overnight at a mansion run by a mysterious woman, but not all is as it seems and the eldest child uncovers the mystery behind the mansions hauntings.

Grid

October 2021 •Portuguese

A ritual of grids, reflections and chasms; a complete state of entropy; a space that devours itself; a vertigo that destroys the gravity of the Earth; a trap that captures us inside the voids of the screen of light: «That blank arena wherein converge at once the hundred spaces» (Hollis Frampton).

The Nightmare Before Christmas

October 1993 •English

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

October 2009 •English

The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.

Jason and the Argonauts

June 1963 •English

Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.

Double King

June 2017 •English

A king steals crowns from various other rulers.

The Past Is a Grotesque Animal

June 2014 •English

A personal, accessible look at an artist - Kevin Barnes, frontman of the endlessly versatile indie pop band of Montreal - whose pursuit to make transcendent music at all costs drives him to value art over human relationships. As he struggles with all of those around him, family and bandmates alike, he's forced to reconsider the future of the band, begging the question - is this really worth it?

Duel

January 1997 •Czech

An animation film about a clarinet and a trumpet that meet, clash, compete, compromise and harmonize.

The Canterville Ghost

September 2023 •English

An American family moves in to the Canterville Chase, a London mansion that has been haunted by ghost Sir Simon De Canterville for 300 years.

Hammam

January 1991 •

Story of a two woman who goes to the hammam for the first time.

Viva Maria!

November 1965 •French

An IRA operative escapes to the Americas and teams up with a circus singer to create a popular vaudeville act. When the singer falls for a rebel, they leave the circus behind to become fierce revolutionaries.

Chicken Run

June 2000 •English

The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

April 2005 •English

Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Ombr

June 2024 •