Fantoche 2018 Kicks off September Sept. 4

‘COYOTE’ by Lorenz Wunderle (2018) to screen in the Swiss Competition at Fantoche 2018.

The Fantoche International Animation Film Festival, running September 4-9 in Baden, Switzerland, promises to deliver a remarkable selection of some of the best animated short films from around the world.

This year festival organizers received nearly 2,350 submissions, selecting 73 short films to compete across three categories -- International, Swiss and Kids -- as well as an additional 30 films to screen out of competition in the Hors Concours program.

Notable in this year’s selection is the relatively strong presence of the “usual suspects”: namely, works by filmmakers whose earlier films had already been screened in the competition programs.

“We are not only pleased that the festival has been able to contribute to these film-makers’ careers, but also that they continue to have the opportunity to create independent short films and develop their creativity further,” festival director Annette Schindler commented. “This is not to be taken for granted. By contrast, roughly half of the films that won over the selection team in 2018 are from filmmakers whose names are new to the festival. Fantoche is delighted about these ‘discoveries’ and is looking forward to keeping track of their future careers as well.”

Twenty-nine short films have been selected to screen in the International Competition:

• Caterpillarplasty David Barlow-Krelina, CA 2018, 5'
• Crossing over Lotti Bauer, CH 2018, 3'50''
• Solar Walk Réka Bucsi, DK 2018, 20'55''
• RIDE Paul Bush, PT 2018, 5'42''
• (Fool Time) JOB Gilles Cuvellier, FR 2017, 4'28''
• Bloeistraat II Nienke Deutz, BE 2018, 9'41''
• Fest Nikita Diakur, DE 2018, 2'55''
• Cat Days Jon Frickey, DE 2018, 11'09''
• SELFIES Claudius Gentinetta, CH 2018, 3'40''
• Weaker Sex Nicolas Jacquet, FR 2017, 14'52''
• Wildebeest Nicolas Keppens, Matthias Phlips, BE 2017, 19'08''
• Trespassers, Beyond the Veil Pernille Kjær, DK 2018, 8'26''
• Lachute Boris Labbé, FR 2017, 14'
• Babalon Temple Mauri Lehtonen, CZ 2018, 3'13''
• Electrician’s Day Vladimir Leschiov, LV 2018, 8'44''
• Flower Found! Jorn Leeuwerink, NL 2017, 6'46''
• L’homme aux oiseaux Quentin Marcault, FR 2017, 4'28'
• Enough Anna Mantzaris, GB 2017, 2'19''
• Räuber & Gendarm Florian Maubach, DE 2017, 8'15''
• Dogs minds Peter Millard, GB 2018, 6'08''
• Five Minutes to Sea Natalia Mirzoyan, RU 2018, 7'10''
• Dreamland Mirai Mizue, FR 2017, 4'45''
• Rabbit’s Blood Sarina Nihei, GB 2017, 4'42''
• Everything David OReilly, US 2017, 10'41''
• III Marta Pajek, PL 2018, 12'
• The Breath Deer Anders Ramsell, SE 2018 10'30''
• Pearfall Leonid Shmelkov, EE 2017, 3'
• Maybe It’s Me Dimitris Simou, GB 2017, 6'08''
• Mermaids and Rhinos Viktoria Traub, HU 2017, 15'33''
• Maria and 7 Drafts Riho Unt, EE 2018, 12'30''

Demonstrating that Switzerland offers favorable conditions as a location for producing animated short films within and beyond educational contexts, 22 short films were selected for the Swiss competition:

• Proxy Ramon Arango, Nina Hoffmann, Haidi Marburger, CH 2017, 5'35''
• Uno strano processo Marcel Barelli, CH 2018, 9'58''
• Crossing over Lotti Bauer, CH 2018, 3'50''
• CONCRETE Pirmin Bieri, Aira Joana, Nicolas Roth, Luca Struchen, CH 2018, 7'13''
• Bolero Station Rolf Brönnimann, CH 2018, 9'40''
• Le monde d’ailleurs Gregory Casares, CH 2018, 7'
• Drôle de poisson Krishna Chandran A. Nair, FR/CH 2017, 6'20''
• 59 Seconds Mauro Carraro, CH 2017, 15'50''
• Intimity Elodie Dermange, CH 2017, 5'
• Dimanche Fanny Dreyer, Gael Kyriakidis, CH 2017, 10'21''
• SELFIES Claudius Gentinetta, CH 2018, 3'40''
• Dust Marion Fredembach, CH 2017, 2'41''
• KUAP Nils Hedinger, CH 2018, 7'38''
• Circuit Delia Hess, CH 2018, 8'41''
• Shamâne Hasan Hulaj, Nicolas Moreau, Stéphan Nappez, CH 2017, 6'
• Elise Valentine Moser, CH 2018, 5'28''
• Perforato Hannes Oehen, Andrea Giovanni Sidoti, CH 2018, 4'40''
• Travelogue Tel Aviv Samuel Patthey, CH 2017, 6'
• Bouge ton coeur Andrea Schneider, CH 2017, 3'15''
• Mind Invaders – Too Mad Frederic Siegel, Kilian Vilim, CH 2018, 4'12''
• The Cannonball Woman David Toutevoix, Albertine Zullo, CH/FR/CA 2017, 14'25''
• COYOTE Lorenz Wunderle, CH 2018, 9'55''

The 22 films in the Kids Film Competition reveal an exceptional diversity, both in technical and narrative or emotional terms:

• Tuning Giovanni Aguilar, Gaspare Savio Lo Vacco, Juan Velásquez, Ferran Viura, ES 2017, 2'16''
• Planet z – Surprise Egg Maria Björklund, FI 2017, 6'51''
• Whiteland Ira Elshansky, RU 2018, 6'43''
• Do not Touch! Pavel Endrle, CZ 2017, 0'49''
• Gone with the Rain Siniša Ercegovac, HR 2018, 14'11''
• Wilder Life Grace Evetts, GB 2017, 3'30''
• Drachennest Lynn Gerlach, CH 2018, 7'
• Wanda Denise Hauser, NO 2018, 13'05''
• An old Lady Stepped out for some Bread and a Pastry Anastasiya Jakulina, RU 2017, 3'38''
• The First Feather Sine Aaroe Juhl, DK 2017, 4'14''
• Fruits of Clouds Kateřina Karhánková, CZ 2017, 10'
• Dubak Anna Kritskaya, RU 2017, 6'40''
• Washing Day Claire Lamond, GB 2018, 2'43''
• Muggins and Tuggins: SEED David McKenna, GB 2017, 1'38''
• Löwe Julia Ocker, DE 2017, 3'37''
• Pinguin Julia Ocker, DE 2017, 3'37''
• Bei Mir bist Du schön Bouwine Pool, NL 2017, 12'
• The Pangolin and the Hedgehog Paolo Russo, GB 2017, 4'
• Night Moves Falk Schuster, DE 2018, 4'28''
• Welcome Laura Stewart, CA 2018, 2'30''
• Look Meinardas Valkevičius, LT 2017, 3'30''
• Mr. Dinosaur Cai-Rong Zhuang, TW 2017, 3'30''

In addition to the short film competitions, Fantoche 2018 will celebrate 100 years of Latvian animation with three short film programs showcasing the history of animation in Latvia. In the curated focus “Doucement Sexy” program, Czech curator Eliška Děcká will present the erotic and sensual sides of animated short films in three short film programs. The festival will also present a multimedia program exploring Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and other emerging storytelling mediums, as well as an exhibition providing a unique behind-the-scenes look into the studios of 25 different Swiss animation artists.

Source: Fantoche International Animation Film Festival

AWN Staff Editor