Animalia Paradoxa

Niles Atallah conjures an astonishingly rich post-apocalyptic world in which a strange, human-amphibian creature struggles to survive.

In a post-apocalyptic world, Animalia, a mutant creature, wanders through the ruins of a city. To survive it requires immersion in water, but the sea is out of reach. Director Niles Atallah, an American filmmaker and artist based in Chile, has created an astonishingly rich world, combining visual arts, dance, animation, puppetry and film. Atallah questions how much of ourselves we may be prepared to give to exist in an unforgiving world, whilst exploring class inequalities against the backdrop of a climate catastrophe. A truly unique, original, and poetic piece that’s unexpectedly poignant.

“Using a blend of stop-motion animation and live-action, Niles Atallah gorgeously crafts a mesmeric, dying world of analogue detritus and vestiges of magical knowledge.” – Carmen Gray, The Film Verdict