Faces and Fortunes

The Circus

August 2010 •French

In the vestibule of a hospital room, a young boy waits to see his dying mother. The clamor and spiralling movements of bodies around him intensify, forming a grotesque circus—a cacophonous circle that pushes the child back, depriving him of one final touch of his mother's hand. Using rotoscoped drawings suggestive of charcoal sketches, as well as 3D and object animation techniques, The Circus compels viewing with its unsettling realism. Colour is employed metaphorically to subtly express the promise and the memory of maternal affection. Nicolas Brault's highly personal film, suffused with poetic modesty, casts a poignantly sincere gaze on the heartbreak of a child facing the fearful, mysterious experience of his mother's death.

El Triste

March 2020 •Spanish

On the backstage of a marionette show, El Triste, a poorly crafted marionette, is going through an existential crisis and decides to do all it takes to prove to himself and his fellow poppets that he is valuable but, as in life, not everything turns out the way he expected.

A Grand Day Out

May 1990 •English

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

The Wrong Trousers

December 1993 •English

Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno pants created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

A Close Shave

March 1996 •English

Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.

Carmen Torero z „Carmen-Suity”

July 1996 •Polish

Utterly astounding, iridescent sand animation from Aleksandra Korejwo based around Bizet's Carmen.

La Danse Macabre

December 1990 •Polish

A beautifully fluid sand animation inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns' piece, 'Danse Macabre.'

Morning as a Mayfly

August 2022 •English

After a night of heavy drinking a young man has a dream where an angel tells him the world will end if he doesn't make a sacrifice.

Acoustic Kitty

November 2014 •English

Dreams into Drawing

August 2019 •Japanese

The painter Kuwagata Keisai lived over 200 years ago. He created 'Ways to Sketch', a series of picture books illustrating humans and animals, all richly expressed. One day he was sketching out a carp, just at that moment he slept and he became a carp in dream. A carp was enjoy to swimming, but a fisherman caught that carp...

Puddles

August 2019 •English

An adventurous young boy discovers that puddles can be portals to a fantastical world, but struggles to get his sister's attention away from her phone to see the magic in the world around her.

The Race

August 2019 •English

Grim desperately needs one more soul to win his work competition, but his last scheduled collection at a rigorous bike race turns his world upside-down. At the finish line, he learns that life is not always about the trophy at the end of the race.

The Magic Flute

October 1946 •French

Animated short about the tale of the Magic Flute

The Scarecrow

August 1943 •French

Animated short originally produced in France by Paul Grimault.

Giraffe

November 2018 •English

The little giraffe wants some leaves from the trees, but she can't reach and the big giraffes won't share.

An Ant Work

June 2017 •English

We have a cold autumn day, a bear catches a cold while taking a bath in the river. Back to his cave, he sneezes so hard that a huge rock falls in the entrance, trapping him inside. Even with the help of an ant passing by and the badger, wolf, moose, and buffalo can't move the rock. But the ant has a better idea... Based on the children book "An Ant Work" by Zemanel and Vanessa Gautier, published by Flammarion Jeunesse.

Sheep

October 2018 •English

The sheep jumps in from risky adventure to another. The flock would never take such risk!

A Tiger With No Stripes

December 2018 •French

A little tiger decides to take a long journey in search of his stripes.

Second to None

July 2016 •

Frederick Butterfield has always been runner up to his twin brother Herman. When Herman, the older by a mere minute, becomes the world's oldest man, Frederick finally sees an opportunity to be first place.

Big Fish & Chinese Flowering Crabapple

May 2004 •Chinese

In 2004, Liang Xuan produced a flash short film which was the prototype of the animated film Da Yu Hai Tang, which won the DIGIID Award of Intel 2004 China Digital Festival.