Student Competition 2

1. Bench 02:43 Russian Federation 2022
   

   Directed:	Vera Pavlova
   Screenplay:	Vera Pavlova
   Production:	Boris Mashkovtsev
   Dialogue Language:	Russian

   
   

   Grumpy old fellows are set to relax on their favorite bench, but suddenly find themselves in a sticky situation.

2. Once means forever / Co raz to na zawsze 03:37 Poland 2023
   

   Directed:	Katarzyna Bińko
   Screenplay:	Katarzyna Bińko
   Dialogue Language:	Polish

   
   

   "Once means forever" is short animated film, which shows us, without delusion, story of young women. Girl who could be any other women. Looking by her's eyes, we will be troubled by her one day. The day which will change her life forever.

3. MOBIUS / 莫比烏斯 08:52 Taiwan 2023
   

   Directed:	Yancang LI
   Screenplay:	Yancang LI
   Production:	Helin LUO
   Dialogue Language:	Chinese

   
   

   Mobius, the endless loop. There is no beginning and no end. An endless road that never ends and never stops. The progress brought about by the rapid development of science and technology has brought more diverse and richer possibilities to human life. However, behind the "goodness" of indulging in technology, there are hidden threats and crises that you and I are all too familiar with, overwriting the world. It is both imprisonment and liberation. It is both a beginning and an end.

4. The Closet 04:35 United Kingdom 2023
   

   Directed:	Thomas Walters, Charlotte Cousins
   Screenplay:	Thomas Walters
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   One Evening, Quinn's wardrobe bursts open, filling his room with dazzling rainbow lights. He finds himself in a mysterious world where he must come to terms with his biggest secret.

5. Bug 08:23 Brazil 2022
   

   Directed:	Studio 003
   Dialogue Language:	No Dialogue

   
   

   In a desolate dystopian world where humanity has long been extinct, a robot scavenges for parts to rebuild a companion while tending to a treasured oasis - a radiant greenhouse that stands as a fragile testament to the beauty that once graced the Earth. On his journey, he encounters a beetle, forming a valuable friendship. Together, they embark on a journey filled with discovery, bringing hope and connection in the midst of desolation.

6. A Show of Curiosities 03:14 Germany 2023
   

   Directed:	Jan Klingner
   Screenplay:	Jan Klingner
   Production:	Franz Rügamer
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   Imagine a world of the past, where social media exists (not like today) but is presented in vintage curiosity shows. Would you watch the lovely photos from all over the world - or turn away from pictures, that interrupts your comforts zone. And what will that do to the presented platform?

7. Forget Me Not 07:25 United States 2022
   

   Directed:	Denver Colorado, Xime Garcia
   Screenplay:	Denver Colorado, Xime Garcia
   Production:	Denver Colorado, Xime Garcia
   Dialogue Language:	Spanish

   
   

   While visiting the botanical gardens with her father and baby sister, a young girl named Ophelia runs away deeper into the gardens when she begins to feel unwanted by her family.

8. Read the Signs 02:26 United States 2022
   

   Directed:	Samantha Yvonne Ames
   Screenplay:	Samantha Yvonne Ames
   Production:	Samantha Yvonne Ames
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   The start of a new school year, a young girl attempts to help an unfamiliar student after he gets shoved by bullies. She is endeared and distracted at first glance, fumbling up her words for a proper introduction. With a newfound determination to befriend this boy, will she even be able to get his attention?

9. That Doesn't Fit 03:10 India 2023
   3rd Place - International Student Short Animation - Jury
   

   Directed:	Ackshaj Anand
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   "That Doesnʼt Fit" is a 2D animated slapstick miscellany depicting various uncomfortable scenarios where people fit in too much, rife with satire and social commentary.

10. Pipás 08:58 Hungary 2023
    

    Directed:

    Lili Tóth

    
    

    The notorious assassin of the Great Hungarian Plains, Pipás, was sought out by abused women to make their husbands disappear. As he gets more and more experienced in his trade, he is haunted by the murder victims and memories of when he himself was a victim of abuse. Since he started his life as a woman and went on to become a man and an assassin...

11. Left Behind 04:20 Costa Rica 2023
    

    Directed:	Rodrigo Gargollo, Letner Hernández
    Screenplay:	Rodrigo Gargollo, Letner Hernández, Francesca Barrantes
    Production:	Letner Hernández Gómez
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    "Left Behind" immerses us in an animated short film with a moving story. Devastated by the loss of his beloved partner, Kya, Leo finds himself swept up in the destructive current of grief. As the abyss of sadness engulfs him, Leo turns to alcohol to escape reality and plunges into isolation. His struggle to overcome his loss leads him to confront the demons within him, we see his harrowing transition as he slowly crumbles, piece by piece, until he is completely broken.

12. The Current 04:15 Germany 2023
    International Student Short Animation - Audience Award
    

    Directed:	Julia Alena Schneider
    Screenplay:	Dang An Tran, Julia Alena Schneider
    Production:	Julia Alena Schneider
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    THE CURRENT metaphorically portrays how a perfectionist with low self-esteem can experience criticism of his creative work: While various points of criticism are enumerated during a feedback session, a small rabbit sinks deeper and deeper into a self-destructive thought vortex of self-doubt and misinterpretation.

13. DOPPELGÄNGER - Sea Power 04:37 Austria 2023
    

    Directed:

    J.S. Schönbauer, Moritz Höll, Mia Cain

    
    

    This hand-animated music video for Sea Power's 2021 song "Doppelgänger" plays with themes of isolation and dissociation under capitalism, as the protagonist's perception of reality crumbles and he is chased by his own reflection.

14. Singularity / 奇点 07:44 China 2023
    

    Directed:	Chenyu Liu
    Screenplay:	Chenyu Liu
    Dialogue Language:	Chinese, English

    
    

    The story originated from a human experiment. The protagonist, as an artificial human, lands on an unknown planet and begins exploration. Based on the desire to treat artificial humans equally, the protagonist chooses to conceal the facts he discovered. However, the protagonist just had a designed "dream" in the laboratory. Scientists simulated such a rigorous scene just to observe the birth of the "singularity".

15. 1 2 3 Red light, Green light / 123 木頭人 05:07 Taiwan 2023
    

    Directed:	Liangyu Chen
    Screenplay:	Liangyu Chen
    Production:	Liangyu yu
    Dialogue Language:	Chinese

    
    

    Grandpa capybara traveled from South America to Taiwan in Asia. He likes the life of soaking in hot springs in the forest, and his grandchild Gogou likes Taiwanese food. Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for hot springs, and Grandpa has traveled from the south to the north to soak in all kinds of hot springs, cold springs, and turbid springs. ..as they walking and walking, Gogou often gets hit by the fruit, which came from trees planted by predecessors; soaking and soaking, the grandpa capybara and grandchild capybara seeing that the forest is getting smaller and smaller, and the homeland is in jeopardy... "1 2 3 Red light, Green light", Look back and see who moved? A global citizen must see, nobody can avoid it. This is an animated movie that cares for the ecology and blood ties, and is inseparable from our lives.——Nternational Animation Awards Winning Director Chen Liang Yu Scenarist-director, drawn, dubbed, soundtracked, independent production. This film is part of Chen Liang Yu's ecological art series, echoing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

16. Flooding 04:10 China 2023
    

    Directed:	Yuxi Dai
    Screenplay:	Yuxi Dai
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    "Flooding" is a film that combines 2D digital animation with stop-motion animation using puppets made from shrinking plastic. It tells the story of a middle-aged woman trapped in her memories. In her seemingly exquisite house, she often lives alone, and whenever she starts reminiscing about the past, the house becomes flooded with water. The water in the kitchen at the beginning of the film, as well as the water that eventually submerges the entire house, serves as a metaphor, representing the woman being immersed in her memories of the past. The flashback sequences in the film are depicted using stop-motion animation with a different medium from the present-day scenes. These flashbacks tell the story of the woman's encounter with and marriage to her husband when they were younger. The flashback ends with the man's heartfelt vows, and as the woman opens a window, the story returns to the present. However, at the end of the film, the woman once again falls into her memories. This time, she returns to the happiest moment of her life, where she becomes young again and cuddles in her husband's arms, both eagerly awaiting the birth of a new life. I want to dedicate the entire film to my mother. The set designs throughout the film are inspired by photographs of my childhood home taken by my mother.

17. RONG RONG / 融融 06:34 China 2022
    Honorary Mention - International Student Short Animation- Jury
    

    Directed:	Zihan Qin
    Dialogue Language:	Chinese

    
    

    A story of domestic cold violence ......

18. Only Natural to Forget 06:11 Spain 2023
    

    Directed:	Lucas Bedate Sevila
    Screenplay:	Leo Gabriel Villagrán Ruiz
    Production:	Dex C Rubio, Esther García, Adriana Meyers
    Dialogue Language:	English, Spanish

    
    

    Frustration. Suffocating and human, lays within us all at some point in our life, even affecting witches. A small glimpse into the life of a young witch that, like all of us, is learning how to live.

19. White Noise / Ruido blanco 05:15 Spain 2023
    

    Directed:	Yuri Rojo
    Screenplay:	Yuri Rojo
    Production:	Ana Yubero

    
    

    A person wakes up at the foot of a transmission tower.

20. Insulation 03:01 Israel 2022
    

    Directed:

    Danny Godunov

    
    

    In the pursuit of separation from his surroundings, Garry discovers that extreme solitude can be overwhelming as well.

21. Holes 05:55 United Kingdom 2023
    

    Directed:	Sam Godber
    Screenplay:	Sam Godber
    Production:	Morgan Mvula
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    An animated music video about a young man with Pure O who struggles with intrusive thoughts and is constantly in a battle in his mind as he is roped into figurately and literally into holes.

22. Dim and Dimmer 05:00 United Kingdom 2023
    

    Directed:	Agnishikha Ray
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    Dim and Dimmer is a poetic, mixed media (paper cut out/paint on glass) animation film that revolves around a girl’s conversation with fear. Mirror as a metaphor, playfully and poetically translates her exaggerated childhood fear of seeing her "ghostly" reflection in the mirror. Underneath the exaggeration, the film dives into it's root causes - fear of seeing oneself or being seen by others.