Raw technique, nightmare imagery and themes of race and madness made Icelandic director/animator Einar Baldvin‘s intense USC thesis film “The Pride of Strathmoor” a favorite on the fest circuit: recognized at Annecy and Ottawa and awarded the Jury Prize for Best Animated Short at Slamdance 2015. [Watch]
A heart-wrenching narrative becomes exponentially more emotional when the hero is a child. Witness “Pete’s Story,” a new chapter in the powerful body of ad work commissioned by UK children’s charity NSPCC. [Watch]
The spankin’ new Blend festival launched late last week in Vancouver with this hyper-active happy meal of clever wordplay and characters created by Gareth O’Brien and crew at Buck‘s new Sydney studio with nicely-caffeinated music and sound design from Antfood. [Watch]
Rendered in visceral, expressionistic oil pastels and backed by layered audio fragments, Marcus Armitage‘s BAFTA nominated graduation film “My Dad,” looks, feels and sounds like an edgy and experimental NFB short from the 70’s. That’s a good thing. [Watch]
Madison, Wisconsin doesn’t leap to mind as a hotbed of animation or road rage but local director/animator Nate Theis transcends such petty limitations for his first indie film “Driving,” channeling the style of mid-20th century studios like UPA and the intense fury of big city commuters. [Watch]
Wonderful mix of styles and techniques add up to a whole lot of quirky charm in this self-referential short film from director/animator Jon Boutin, currently in his third year at the EMCA in Angoulême, France. [Watch]
