In their latest short film, Oscar-nominated animation studio Job, Joris & Marieke reveal both their passion for tackling the climate crisis and their talent for delivering an important message with style and wit.

Job, Joris & Marieke: “All three of us try to do what’s best for the climate, we don’t own a car, we don’t eat meat, and we don’t fly. For a while now, we’ve been looking for a way to incorporate our views on the climate into a film. But we feared it would only lead to something preachy and we really hate that.

“But one day we were talking about carbon footprints and how there are ways to calculate your own CO2 emissions, we discussed how it would be fair if everyone got a designated CO2 quota. What would happen when you surpassed your quota?

“The first challenge was keeping the film to just 2.5 minutes as required by the Netherlands Film Fund Ultrakort (Ultra Short) program. We had a lot of shots, and each one had to be incredibly brief. We were literally cutting frames from one shot just to add a few frames to another.
 

“For a while now, we’ve been looking for a way to incorporate our views on the climate into a film. But we feared it would only lead to something preachy and we really hate that.”

 
“Another challenge was the story. The CO2 emitting situations needed to be accurate, recognizable, but also funny. And the situations also had to be understandable for people who aren’t too familiar with their own impact on the climate crisis.

“We are a CGI studio with a background in stop-motion, so it was natural for us to make Quota in CGI. However, we wanted a different approach to the visual style, aiming for a more graphic look. In the end, we created a very flat style of 3D and used a focal lens with minimal perspective.

“Animating in this flat world, we had to focus on creating strong silhouettes and avoid poses where the characters’ hands were in front of their bodies. Plus, they could only move along one axis, which added an extra layer of challenge.

“We wanted to share Quota online to spread its important message so we waited for Earth Overshoot Day (July 24 in 2025), which is the date when humans use more ecological resources than the Earth can regenerate in a year. It means we’ve reached our quota.”

Watch the Q&A video with the directors:
 

 
 

 
Production: Studio Job, Joris & Marieke
Director: Studio Job, Joris & Marieke
Animation trainee: Lucas Tepper

Music: Studio Job, Joris & Marieke
Mix: Mailmen studio
Foley/sound FX/5.1 mix: Bob Kommer Studios
Recording studio: Bob Kommer Studios, Posta

Voices: Carice van Houten, Lucas Tepper, Jonathan Barnett

Financial support: The Netherlands Film Fund