DC Showcase: The Losers

Forest Tales

December 1997 •Russian

A poetic tale directed by Elena Petkevich for children on a small grasshopper, which is trying to learn the secret of life.

The Hunger Artist

June 2002 •English

Set in a city both past and present, on a deserted street where only the distant sounds of life blow by. The Hunger Artist stands alone, locked in his cage. Once famous and adored by the crowds, he now performs alone.

Through My Thick Glasses

June 2004 •Norwegian

An elderly man tells his granddaughter his personal story of the Second World War. His life as a child and all the strange characters he populates it with takes the little girl to a bizarre world she doesn't understand.

Hen Hop

January 1942 •English

This joyful short animation features a dancing hen that transforms into an egg. The film was made without a camera by Norman McLaren, who drew directly onto 35 mm movie stock with ordinary pen and ink. Colour was added optically.

Örjan – Den höjdrädde örnen

February 1999 •Swedish

Regal is an eagle who is afraid to fly. A little bird offers to help him, but Regal does not believe he can. Will the eagle finally learn to fly?

Little Pig Is Flying

February 2005 •Swedish

A little pig dreams of being able to fly, but, try as he might, he fails to get up into the air. All the other pigs are heartily amused by his hapless efforts and so, the little pig has no choice but to go out into the big wide world in search of someone who can teach him how to fly.

From Our Family to Yours

November 2020 •English

A granddaughter brings joy on Christmas morning by mending her Filipina grandmother’s beloved Mickey plush and decorating her house with Filipino Christmas lanterns ‘parols’; reviving a family tradition and evoking memories of Christmas past. In partnership with Make-A-Wish. Featuring "Love Is A Compass" by Griff.

Causes and effects

September 1956 •Latvian

Telescope

July 2013 •English

A cosmic archaeologist journeys through space and time to capture evidence of a forgotten Earth.

Punching

June 2013 •English

In a gritty underworld, a young man with a broken brain is lured into an underground fight tournament, where he must win to save his brother.

Experimental Animation

January 1933 •English

Len Lye scraped together enough funding and borrowed equipment to produce a two-minute short featuring his self-made monkey, singing and dancing to 'Peanut Vendor', a 1931 jazz hit for Red Nichols. The two foot high monkey had bolted, moveable joints and some 50 interchangeable mouths to convey the singing. To get the movements right, Lye filmed his new wife, Jane, a prize-winning rumba dancer.

Love on the Wing

January 1939 •English

Animation featuring dancing black and white shadows.

The Outlaws

May 1994 •Portuguese

In the 40's, after the Spanish Civil War, many republicans defeated by the nationalist forces of Franco found refuge on the bordering mountains in the north of Portugal. Some saw them as brigands, others gave them shelter and helped them on the sly to police forces of Salazar. They were... the Outlaws.

The Tribulation of the Mountain God

January 2023 •Chinese

Unknowingly saving the mountain god she devoutly worships, novice healer, An Qi, tries to nurse the god back to full health.

Similo

January 2010 •Spanish

Similo is a science fiction love story set in Antarctica, in the year 2064. The story of Similo deals with artificial beings designed to be the perfect lovers for the fortunate few during a time of drought and poverty.

Minion Scouts

August 2019 •English

When Margo, Agnes and Edith return from Badger Scout camp, three of the Minions are entranced by the girls' merit badges. Their own attempt at scout camp results in attracting a bear, eating poison berries and eventually blowing up a dam, creating a massive flood. But, when they arrive back home, the girls share their badges, encouraging the rest of the Minions to try their hand at scouting.

One Rat short

January 2006 •English

A city rat pursues a nearly empty bag of cheese snacks that's drifting in the breeze. His journey takes him through a vent into a highly mechanized rat lab, where one particular white female gets his attention.

Ambush

April 2001 •English

While escorting an elderly man to an undisclosed location, The Driver is confronted by a van full of armed men and is warned that the old man has stolen a large amount of diamonds. The old man claims to have swallowed the diamonds and that the men will likely cut him open to retrieve them. The Driver decides at the last minute to help him, participating in a car chase and shootout with the van. The Driver eventually evades his pursuers and watches their destruction. He then delivers the old man to a town nearby and asks the merchant if he did indeed swallowed the diamonds. The client merely chuckles and walks away. The Driver then leaves.

Hostage

October 2002 •English

The Driver is hired by the FBI to help defuse a hostage situation. A disgruntled employee has kidnapped a CEO and has hidden her, demanding $5,088,042. The Driver delivers the money, writing the sum on his hand as instructed by the hostage taker. After he is told that he holds the life of a person in his hand, he is ordered to burn the money. As he complies, the federal agents break in and attempt to subdue the man, who shoots himself in the head before he reveals where the woman is hidden. The Driver then tries to find the hostage before she drowns in the trunk of a sinking car. As a twist, the kidnapped woman is revealed to be the hostage taker's lover. She coldly taunts the dying man in the hospital.

Powder Keg

June 2001 •English

The Driver is drafted by the UN to rescue a wounded war photographer named Harvey Jacobs from out of hostile territory. While they are leaving Jacobs tells the Driver about the horrors he saw as a photographer, but he regrets his inability to help war victims. Jacobs answers the driver curiosity about why he is a photographer by saying how his mother taught him to see. He gives the Driver the film needed for a New York Times story and also his dog tags to give to his mother. When they reach the border, they are confronted by a guard who begins to draw arms as Jacobs begins taking pictures, trying to get himself killed. The Driver drives through a hail of gunfire to the border, but finds Jacobs killed by a bullet through the seat. The Driver arrives in America to visit Jacobs' mother and share the news of him winning the Pulitzer prize and hand over the dog tags, only to discover that she is blind.