World Animation Competition 2

As a man swims in the sea, memories from his past begin to surface. Each one, from his childhood to recent times, is linked to water. In this story we see his last swim, one that will take him from pools of happiness, to sorrow and emotions beyond retention.

Florence Miailhe | France | 2024 | 15 mins | Yorkshire Premiere

In the pastel palettes of Matto and Matto’s world, touch is prohibited. The pair offer a sanctuary for the lonely inhabitants of their dystopian home at the Hotel Vaip, where cravings are satisfied and surpassed, but only for visitors who pay the price.

Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp | Switzerland | 2023 | 10 mins | Yorkshire Premiere

The fear of being forgotten can be foreboding and oppressive. It can also charge us anxiously into action. This delightfully strange short tackles our inherent human need to make our mark on the world, through a series of experimental vignettes.

Cheyenne Goudswaard | Netherlands | 2023 | 5 mins | UK Premiere

Taking place in an airport swarmed with people, Shadows follows Ahlam; the youngest mother in the world, as she makes her escape from Baghdad. Fleeing the only home she has ever known, Ahlam contemplates the horrific events that have brought her here, in a resonant journey of self-reclamation.

Rand Beiruty | Jordan | 2024 | 12 mins | UK Premiere

When a girl breaks an ancient ceramic pot, its many secrets are released. Navigating a journey through her dystopian home and unfamiliar, parallel universes, the girl enters a moment of vital change, where her troubled world can finally be reborn.

Valentina Homem | Brazil | 2024 | 12 mins | UK Premiere

To relieve himself of torturous emotions, Mr. Ham has his heart surgically removed. He decides to keep the heart after its expulsion, to better understand its complicated sensations. This surrealist short discusses themes of influence and emotional health, in reflection of Mr. Ham’s ‘Take Tsubo’; broken heart syndrome.

Eva Pedroza & Fanny Sorgo | Not Specified | 2024 | 6 mins | England Premiere

Jeanie discovers that her freezer is completely frozen over, after walking straight into the puddle collecting under her fridge. Upon defrosting, she finds a single shrimp-like embryo. Her innate fear of pregnancy triggers a chain reaction, as all the items in her fridge slowly come to life.

Elina Huber, Noémi Knobil, Jill Vágner, Sven Bachmann | Switzerland | 2023 | 5 mins | Premiere

A Dadaist combination of stop-motion, paper and painted techniques, Aquatic shows the commercial misuse of one woman's ability to give birth to marine creatures. This expressive, dark fable tackles feminist ideologies with an animated study of gender exploitation.

Shiva Sadegh Asadi | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 2023 | 5 mins | UK Premiere

With the background of an Algarve seaside town, the complete cycle of a special barnacle called Percebes takes place. From sea to plate, the shellfish in this film cross through different environments that showcase their seasonal home of ambivalent tourists.

Alexandra Ramires, Laura Gonçalves | Portugal | 2024 | 12 mins | UK Premiere

The lives of a burnt-out robot vacuum and two ageing rabbits interlink, as they search for purpose in the quiet streets of LA Chinatown. The rhythm of life, tennis and oranges reverberate through anthropomorphic stop-motion characters, in a film about letting go of the past and embracing your present.

Sean Pecknold | United States | 2024 | 11 mins | Yorkshire Premiere