Nine Nation Animation

A cat and a mouse carry on a dysfunctional relationship in a futuristic landscape. A Chinese monk sets out on foot with a tiger during the Tang dynasty and happens upon the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two bluecollar workers dissect the meaning of "normal" life as the world crumbles around them. A box of matches succumb, to their detriment, to the appeal of a cigarette. Four people recount their various encounters -- triumphant or terrifying, euphoric or down-to-earth -- with an unforgettable rite of passage. The World According to Shorts presents a selection of recent award-winning animated short films from the world's most renowned festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand and others.

Titles include “Deconstruction Workers” by Kajsa Naess (Norway); “Average 40 Matches” by Burkay Doğan, & M.Şakir Arslan (Turkey); “Bâmiyân” by Patrick Pleutin (France); “Please Say Something” by David O’Reilly (Ireland/Germany); “Flatlife” by Jonas Geirnaert (Belgium); “She Who Measures” by Veljko Popoviç (Croatia); “Home Road Movies” by Robert Bradbrook (United Kingdom); “The Tale of How” by The Blackheart Gang (South Africa); and “Never Like the First Time!” by Jonas Odell (Sweden).

“NINE NATION ANIMATION proves that there’s a lot more to the animator’s art than either the cutting-edge ultra-realism of Pixar or the flat functionality of sitcoms like The Simpsons… offers a virtual catalog of the tools available to the animator—stop-motion, CGI, rotoscoping—with the techniques often combined in a single imposing display…mind-bending visuals.” (Andrew Schenker, Village Voice)

“The sheer variety of visual approaches here is dazzling… take[s] us places we’ve never been, only to reaffirm our commonality” (Ty Burr, Boston Globe)

“Illustrates the most provocative characteristic of all animation: the ability to approach the darkest of subjects with levity and amusement.” (Ryan Prendiville, San Francisco Bay Guardian)