The One-Minute Memoir
When Academy Award®–winning animator and painter Joan Gratz asked eleven filmmakers if they would contribute to an omnibus film, she wasn’t sure what to expect—after prompting them to make a “one-minute memoir,” she let them figure out the rest. The One-Minute Memoir is the exuberant result: eleven stories ranging from the heartfelt to the absurd, all reflective of each director’s personal style.
Paul Driessen
Marv Newland
Bill Plympton
Chel White
Theodore Ushev
Jim Blashfield
Janet Perlman
Joan C. Gratz
Dennis Tupicoff
Diane Obomsawin
Chris Hinton
Also Directed by Paul Driessen
An erotic and painful allegory of dark desire featuring blazing performances by its lead actors. Stew, a guitarist and intellectual, is traveling to the country with his girlfriend Carrie and their dog, Max, to Stew's recently-deceased grandmother's home to deal with her estate. Just as death is palpable in the house with its eerily silent rooms filled with boxes of decaying furniture and old photographs to be auctioned off, so too is the couple's relationship creeping toward an unspoken demise. Stew, who suffers from an unknown ailment and is in a perpetual state of denial, frantically clutches at his over-sexed girlfriend, who resents being tied down by any man. She sets her designs on an unwitting local gardener and uses him as a pawn in her game of sexual manipulation and destruction. Through voyeuristic imagery and a deafening silence, the tension builds to a climax.
A castaway on a desert island loses himself in his imagination.
An animated cartoon envisaging the kind of world that children of the future may well inherit when the last vestige of blue is blotted from the sky by the spreading mantle of smog. In this story a little boy sets out, equipped with celestial wings, to discover whether what an old man has told him is actually true, that there is blue above the grey. When he finds it he concludes that blue is where paradise is; the grimy earth is the netherworld.
A short animation about a boy who sees an iceberg coming. Will he be in time to warn the captain?
Things are not quite as they appear in this love story by Dutch director Paul Driessen, as the attraction between two people is thwarted by unexpected geometric complications.
A couple lives in a house situated on the railway tracks. They lead a peaceful domestic life, despite the periodic interruptions of the train passing through their living room; but when the husband - a gold prospector - falls down on his luck, the train comes to assume a more ominous significance.
During Christmastime, a bum discovers a magical box.
A man expresses his individuality in a conformist society.
In this zany tale, three storybook characters experience the dangers and temptations of life while trying to maintain physical and moral integrity. Three well-known animators collaborated to create this potpourri, and though each section was animated independently of the others, recurring threads of story and theme weave the whole into a unified moral fable. Film without words.
Uncles and aunts and otherwise related people. Revealing snapshots of their lives and times. As long as they hold out, a series to be continued… -http://www.sndfilms.com/uncles-aunts-ii-iii/
Also Directed by Marv Newland
Directed by Marv Newland.
Tête à Tête à Tête takes place in another realm, where three heads sharing a single body live in idyllic harmony... until one of them begins to have a mind of its own. The film playfully explores how we're all "connected" but at the same time need to think for ourselves and respect differences.
Animated short film.
Animated short by Marv Newland
A series of Gary Larsen's "Far Side" gags are turned into short animated gags, such as a Frankenstein cow; an insect airline's in-flight movie; deers, hunters, and ufos; wolf home-movies; egg horror flicks; and cowboys & aliens.
The bizarre adventures of the cartoon character Foska, drawn by 22 animators working in collaboration. Each animator worked on his or her own sequence only and did not know what action preceded or followed his or her sequence, except that the first drawing of a sequence is the last drawing from the previous sequence.
Bambi is nibbling the grass, unaware of the upcoming encounter with Godzilla. Who will win when they finally meet?
A dirge-like hula song illustrates humanity's woes.
KATALOG OF FLAWS is a fever dream. There are many false endings, keep watching.
An animated short.
Also Directed by Bill Plympton
In a fateful bumper car collision, Jake and Ella meet and become the most loving couple in the long history of romance. But when a scheming "other" woman drives a wedge of jealousy into their perfect courtship, insecurity and hatred spell out an untimely fate. With only the help of a disgraced magician and his forbidden "soul machine", Ella takes the form of Jake's numerous lovers, desperately fighting through the malfunction and deceit as they try to reclaim their destiny.
This twisted sequel to the Oscar-nominated film "Guard Dog" details the continuing adventures of an eager canine. This time he takes a job helping the blind, but still leaves a path of destruction in his wake.
A children's fable about the power of advertising, the meaning of life and ultimately the test of a mother's love.
Why do dogs bark at such innocent creatures as pigeons and squirrels... what are they afraid of? This film answers that eternal question.
Bill Plympton's gothic '50s high-school comedy about a love-triangle that goes terribly wrong. Two murdered teens return from the grave, then go to their prom to get revenge.
A country song about life on the highway, searching for lost love.
A man about to go swimming imagines what horrors could be lurking deep in in the waters of his backyard pool.
As a brave couple demonstrates, the narrator uses quotes, examples and advice to help us all reach the highest heights in the art of kissing.
The story of Lucas, a young ear of corn, from his days in the cornfield with his mother to the moment he ultimately meets his fate as a meal for a young boy.
A man preoccupied with reading his Wall Street Journal goes into an antique store looking for a one-year-anniversary present for his wife. The old lady behind the counter gives him a bottle of perfume and warns him that it is "powerful," but he doesn't listen... - ccthemovieman-1
Also Directed by Chel White
In a small, wooded town, a young man struggles to leave a secret militia started by his father.
Sequence of images created using a photocopier.
When young Rudolph is teased for his red nose and runs away from Christmastown, he sets off on a series of adventures, meets new friends Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius along the way, and escapes the clutches of the Abominable Snow Monster. When an epic snowstorm threatens Christmas, can he rescue his family and friends and help Santa save the holiday?
A look at the mechanized nature of modern times.
A first love is corrupted as a man recalls his affair with a beautiful circus contortionist in this stop-motion animation of wooden mannequins.
A spirited Husky puppy looking for a home at a Christmas tree farm instantly bonds with a young boy visiting with his parents. As the boy rides away, unable to keep him, the pup escapes and embarks on a snowy journey to find his friend again.
Short avant garde film. Views of rippling water.
A man's strange obsession with dirt starts as a childhood game but eventually manifests on a surreal level.
A dark parody of the 1975 made-for-TV horror film Trilogy of Terror starring Karen Black. However, rather than being terrorized by fetish doll, it is Donald Trump.
Also Directed by Theodore Ushev
With the shade around her waist, she dreams on her balcony. Under the gypsy moon, all things are watching her, and she cannot see them. A surrealist journey through colors and shapes inspired by the poem Romance Sonambulo by Federico Garcia Lorca. Visual poetry in the rhythm of fantastic dreams and passionate nights.
A deep dive into a snowstorm of structural chaos and a blizzard of exploding gestural animation.
Made with the filmmaker’s blood, a testament to the ideals that we fight and die for.
Theodore Ushev Shuts Himself Up In 'Living In A Box'
Theodore Ushev’s acclaimed 20th century trilogy concludes with this brilliant fusion of 3D and Russian constructivist-styled animation. Recycling elements of surrealism and cubism, this animated short by Theodore Ushev focuses on the relationship between art and war. Propelled by the exalting “invasion” theme from Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony (No. 7), the film presents imagery of combat fronts and massacres, leading us from Dresden to Guernica, from the Spanish Civil War to Star Wars. It is at once a symphony that serves the war machine, that stirs the masses, and art that mourns the dead, voices its outrage and calls for peace.
This metaphorical surrealist tale is an allusion. NIGHTINGALES IN DECEMBER is a trip into the memories, and the fields of the current realities. What if the Nightingales were working, instead of singing and going south? Is the innocence the only savior of birdsongs? There are no Nightingales in December... What is left, is only the history of our beginning, and our end.
Three books: a film festival catalogue, a dictionary, the Bible. Three works whose materiality has become obsolete by the digital dematerialization. A commentary on the fragility of culture.
A descent into the maelstrom of anguish that tormented Arthur Lipsett, a famed Canadian experimental filmmaker who died at 49. A diary transmuted into a clash of images and sounds charting a prodigious frenzy of creation, a tableau depicting an artist’s dizzying descent into depression and madness: with LIPSETT DIARIES, Theodore Ushev renews his filmmaking aesthetic and explores what happens when genius is on a first-name basis with madness.
An interpretation of French Cancan by Renoir.
A short animation edited from photos of disposed COVID-19 pandemic gloves and masks.
Also Directed by Jim Blashfield
A movie that starts out with the "Man in the Mirror" music video, it then changes to a montage of video clips of Michael's career. Next comes a parody of his Bad video by children, and then Michael is chased by fans in a fantasy sequence. 2 more videos are shown, and then a movie in which Michael plays a hero with magical powers. In it he is chased by drug dealer Mr. Big and saves three children. Videos included in the movie are "Smooth Criminal" and "Come Together".
Stop motion animation with creepy violin music.
Storytelling Giant was a 1988 compilation of ten music videos produced by Talking Heads during the 1980s. The videos are linked by apparently real people (not actors) telling stories from their lives. The stories have no logical connection to the videos. The film has been released on VHS tape. A DVD version was released as part of Rhino's Once in a Lifetime box set, with three additional videos.
Also Directed by Janet Perlman
Penguins Behind Bars is an Adult Swim special, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Janet Perlman, that aired only once on July 20th 2003. The Short follows Doris Fairfeather, a female penguin who is famed for robbery by her boyfriend and sent to an all-girl prison.
20 years special edition of the movie program "L'enfant au grelot", containing Jacques-Rémy Girerd's masterpiece in a remastered version. The tale is preceded by three short films selected by Folimage.
A collection of 7 animation short films inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Each NFB award-winning film, in their peculiar way, deals with children's rights and addresses various aspects of the Convention. - From IMDB
Who is Monsieur Pug? Why, a dog with bad cholesterol and high blood pressure! And a dog who loves his pie and ice cream. Who relaxes by making origami. In other words, definitely not your ordinary pooch! For he’s also a paranoiac, convinced he’s the target in a vast conspiracy, and pretending to be a pet, the better to hide from his pursuers. Schizoid, perhaps? Hmm… but is Monsieur Pug even a real dog to begin with?
Everyone loves Egg! Egg is a super-cool barely-moving quality cartoon property dude with no feet and no face. Along with his trusty invisible sidekicks Druid Droid and Spirit Spork, Egg travels the galaxy looking for zany adventures with other quality cartoon properties. Who knows what crazy thing will happen next? This is Egg's first screen test. Watch it over and over! New exciting adventures are coming soon!
When an advanced race of giant lobsters from outer space land on Earth, no one can figure out why they've come. A complete failure to communicate on both ends leads to panic and pandemonium. Why are they here? What do they want? In this clever throwback to the ‘50s B-movie, a small neighbourhood learns the value of clear communication.
Animators were asked to submit ideas based on the theme, "Do the Right Thing". This story is based on the director's experience of losing her chair while working in the National Film Board's animation studio. This film also explores the many uses for a carrot.
Herb won’t share his chemistry set with Jimmy. Do you think that’s right? I don’t.
The official signal film for Anima Mundi 2019
This short film brings together animated interpretations of 4 poems by great Canadian wordsmiths: “From the Hazel Bough” by Earle Birney, “Travellers Palm” by P.K. Page, “Death by Streetcar” by Raymond Souster, and “A Said Poem” by John Robert Colombo.
Also Directed by Joan C. Gratz
Two-dimensional clay animations melding and merging the work of 35 famous artists.
2001 Joan C. Gratz animated short
Metamorphosing images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life.
Candyjam is a whimsical, animated collaboration by 10 animators from four countries: David Anderson (England), Karen Aqua (USA), Craig Bartlett (USA), Elizabeth Buttler (USA), Paul Driessen (Holland), Tom Gasek (USA), Joan Gratz (USA), Christine Panushka (USA), Joanna Priestley (USA) and Marv Newland (Canada).
1993 Joan C. Gratz animated short
Six directors independently imagine the Department of Perpetual Exhaustion. The participating directors are Chris Hinton, Jim Blashfield, Marv Newland, Martin Cooper, Chel White, and myself as producer/director. The film was inspired by my internet service provider who has such a department. It is a place of last resort when there is no hope and never a solution.
1995 Joan C. Gratz claymation short film
Works inspired by artists Basquiat, Banksy, Haring, and Ai Weiwei represent Bukowski's poem's theme of self-invention.
Also Directed by Dennis Tupicoff
Confronted by his daughter's wish to own a dog, award-winning animator Dennis Tupicoff recalls the dogs of his childhood, in the industrial outer Brisbane suburb of Darra. Every household seemed to have a dog. Some were friends who shared his explorations and roamed free on adventures of their own before meeting an untimely death or simply disappearing. Some were huge, savage beasts who prowled around like the hounds of hell. This film is his memorial to those times, those feelings and to the dogs themselves.
A bank robber flies in to a tropical town where the only conversation is: ”It's not the heat, it's the humidity”. First the weather wrecks his plans; then it destroys him.
An animated satire on television violence, set in a world where the skeletal Don Death runs a popular variety show called “Dance of Death”.
During a family outing to a cinema, a young boy falls asleep. His mind flashes back to an early memory where, as a toddler, his family try to take a photo of him in their backyard. As he drifts in and out of sleep, his memory and the present begin to merge. Dennis Tupicoff's 2017 short film premiered at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The film's combination of hand-drawn animation with live action clips of the 1950 Film Noir D.O.A,, awakeness with sleep, and past with present creates a surreal quality that emanates throughout the film.
In the world's first media interview, shot in Paris in August 1886, the great photographer Nadar interviews the famous scientist and sceptic Chevreul on his 100th birthday. In their own words - originally recorded in shorthand - they discuss photography, colour theory, Moliere, the scientific method, the crazy ideas of balloonists, and - of course - how to live for 100 years. These two legends of the 19th century have a lively and interesting conversation. One was born before the French revolution; the other was destined to see the marvels of the aeroplane and the movies.
Death sings to celebrate the God that moves him - and then encounters Something in the darkness.
Romance is like a chainsaw: a very dangerous beast indeed.
As a man dies, his mind drifts back to the evenings of his childhood.
One of Australia’s leading landscape artists, William Robinson has twice won the Archibald Prize for his self-portraits. SILLY & SERIOUS presents Robinson at work, playing Debussy, and discussing his work: his love for old Laurel and Hardy movies; how humour and sadness can exist in the same portrait
On 25 April 1995 16 year old Matthew Easdale was shot in Brisbane. His mother was interviewed on the radio. Using rotoscoped animation the film presents the story in two very different ways.
Also Directed by Diane Obomsawin
A fashion-conscious shopper sees beautiful coats advertised in the newspaper. The next day, he's the first in line to get his at the store. But they won't sell him one! "These are women's coats," the store owner says. "For women only!" On the grounds that the newspaper ad constitutes a contract, the customer takes the vendor to court to win his right to the coat. Understanding the Law: The Coat is episode one in a series of short, funny films designed to demystify everyday aspects of Canadian civil law. Wry humour and a whimsical style make this informative series lively and memorable.
In this animated short, Mrs. Popcorn is shocked to discover a worm in her canned drink. When the beverage company refuses to accept the blame, she's outraged! An intrepid consumer, Mrs. Popcorn takes the company to court for negligence. Understanding the Law: The Worm is episode two in a series of short films designed to demystify everyday aspects of Canadian civil law. Wry humour and a whimsical style make this informative series lively and memorable.
Cinema archetypes are reinterpreted by a gang of waggish monsters.
Living alone in darkness, Kaspar has experienced little oflife until he’s discovered by a man in black and brought outinto the world. Animator Diane Obomsawin’s affecting fableis based on the tale of the nineteenth century’s most famous wild child.
Four women share funny and intimate tales of one-sided infatuation, mutual attraction, erotic moments, and fumbling attempts at sexual expression. For them, discovering that they’re attracted to other women comes hand-in-hand with a deeper understanding of their personal identity and a joyful new self-awareness.
This animated short tackles the subjects of personal space, conflict and conflict resolution in the workplace. At the office, tempers flare as two coworkers who are sitting dangerously close find themselves bumping elbows and spilling ink. The film demonstrates four common approaches to interpersonal tensions: retreat, aggression, denial and - finally - negotiation.
In this animated short, filmmaker Diane Obomsawin shows how childhood can be a chaotic time, especially if you're bouncing back and forth between two continents. With engaging candour and gentle humour, Obomsawin fleshes out an uncertain identity and takes control of her life. Using drawings on paper and digitized snippets of fabric, she creates a whimsical world of simple lines and pastel tones.