The Physics of Sorrow

Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square

October 1998 •English

This film illustrates the life of the film director, Shui-Bo Wang in The People's Republic of China. We learn of the life of the director in his own words and images from a child steeped in the values of Chinese communism exemplified by Chairman Mao, to a young man striving to live up to those ideals both as an artist and a soldier.

Diary of Childhood

July 2009 •Lithuanian

Narrates the story of the friendship between an injured girl and a ladybird, reflecting a special relationship between the child and nature.

The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein

January 1992 •English

The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein is a 1992 short animated documentary directed by Joyce Borenstein about her father, the Canadian painter Sam Borenstein. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. In Canada, it was named best short documentary at the 12th Genie Awards.

Lorenzo

March 2004 •English

A cat named Lorenzo is dismayed to discover that his tail has developed a personality of its own.

Roubada!

July 2000 •Portuguese

The Beauty

September 2020 •English

What if plastic could be integrated into sea life? Take a deep breath and dive into a world, where feelings of guilt dissolve amongst the mysterious depths of the ocean. A world where we encounter bizarre creatures and discover eerily beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately, our air doesn’t last forever and we have to realize that nature alone can't solve this issue.

Acid Rain

January 2019 •Polish

After running away from her depressing village in eastern Europe, a teenage girl meets a new friend under a bridge.

Nebula

September 2014 •French

In a forest in the mountains, a little girl makes a mysterious encounter.

Neverwhere

July 1968 •English

A meek office worker finds himself flung into a fantasy world as a naked muscleman. An early version of the Den character, known from the comic magazine Heavy Metal and the movie by the same name.

One Day

September 2012 •English

One man always on the move will have an encounter that puts into question everything he knows.

Fastening Days

October 2014 •Japanese

Yoji and Kei, a boy and girl, live in a town in the not-so-distant future with their foster parent, Anna. But these seemingly ordinary children have a secret hidden even from their unsuspecting mother. Yoji and Kei are superhero defenders of their town! With a flap of their capes, the two of them and their robot bear sidekick, Oscar, protect the citizens in their town with their handmade high-tech machinery. But from what menace? And will our little heroes be able to overcome the crisis about to threaten the town's peaceful everyday serenity?

But Milk Is Important

September 2012 •English

A man with social anxiety gets followed by a naive and clumsy creature. Terrified the man tries to escape, unaware that the creature is actually a helper with slightly unconventional methods.

Alarm

June 2009 •Korean

Snooze buttons, sunlight…the inescapable cacophony of alarm alerts: waking up in the morning is a battle between the present and the future state of mind. A dream-like war with yourself and other objects that seem to take a life of its own.

Masks

January 1999 •English

A humanlike figure without a face constantly changes masks in search of its identity. It is not happy with any of them.

Dokidoki Gakuen Kessen!! Youki Daimashiro

September 1988 •Japanese

Four heroes set out to rescue girls taken by ayakashi.

Carabosse

January 1980 •English

Animation, also of a new order in the recent series of short works. Mostly on black space, the figures in blue perform a very compact and jewel-like opera in surreal form, again to Satie’s piano music. Ideally, the film should be projected on a 30" wide white card sitting on a music stand, center stage of a large auditorium or music hall, with sound from the projector piped into the big speaker system. The film is most effective this way, but can be shown normal-size also

Affairs of the Art

January 2021 •English

Look out: Beryl's back. With Affairs of the Art, British animator Joanna Quinn recounts another gloriously unhinged chapter in the adventures of Beryl, the comic everywoman she unleashed upon the world with her debut film, Girls' Night Out, which took home three major awards from Annecy in 1987.

Flowing Home

November 2021 •French

The intertwining fates of two Vietnamese sisters who sustain a wartime relationship through written correspondence.

The Flying Sailor

June 2022 •English

The Flying Sailor is based on the Halifax Explosion of 1917 when two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour causing the largest accidental explosion in history. Among the tragic stories of the disaster is the remarkable account of a sailor who, blown skyward from the deck of a British cargo steamer, flew over 2 km before landing completely unharmed, but naked except for his boots.

The Fourfold

June 2020 •Mongolian

Based on the shamanic rituals in Mongolia and Siberia, this is a testament to the need to reclaim the ideas of animism for planetary health and non-human materialities.