International Program #3 [2023]
The International Competition Programs are the backbone of the entire MIAF mission. Drawn from more than 2,000 submissions they showcase the best, most imaginative animating talent on the planet in a series of programs in which the only rule is diversity.
The program kicks off with the incredible new film by the splendid Lizzie Hobbs, an animator with a uniquely, utterly electric painting style. “The Debutante” is a firey, alive work of art channelling what turns out to be a pretty strange story. In the middle of the program is “Water Lullaby”, a film made by probably the youngest ever filmmaker to appear in our line-up, the 16 year old Piotr Kazmierczak. The second last film is “Cricket”, the new film by Natalia Ryss which just simply fills every inch of the screen with a bold, impossible-to-ignore tsunami of imagery. It’s been a while since master British animator Emma Calder completed her film. “Beware Of Trains” takes us down tunnels that get darker and darker as we progress. She masterfully weaves an aura of the macabre around all of the non-stop action, bringing an ending nobody could possibly see coming. This film had to be the closer.
The Debutante
Elizabeth Hobbs
UK, 8’07, 2021
Trace
Asparuh Petrov
Bulgaria, 6’42, 2022
The Eastern Rain
Milly Yenchken
Estonia, 9’07, 2023
Water Lullaby
Piotr Kazmierczak
Poland, 3’39, 2022
Sergey Slonimsky. The Bells
Dmitry Naumov
Russia, 3’58, 2022
Shadow Of The Butterflies
Sofia El Khyari
France, 9’00, 2022
Cricket
Natalia Ryss
Israel, 8’00, 2023
Beware Of Trains
Emma Calder
UK, 12’47, 2022
This session is classified: Unclassified (M) Mature, not recommended for viewers under 15 years.
Please note that Backlot is NOT fully accessible. There are stairs with handrails, but no lift to the second floor where the cinema is located.