In its third edition, THAT’S ANIMATO!, the short film competition aimed at animation schools from around the world, received 1,409 submissions from over 90 countries, highlighting the growing significance of this contest on the global stage. The 40 selected short films will be presented to the public in three screenings: one tailored for younger audiences and two for a broader audience. Each program promises an exciting journey through the new frontiers of animation. These films, created by young talents from the world’s top animation schools, offer a unique opportunity to discover the great directors of the future and explore the limitless narrative possibilities of contemporary animated cinema.
The participating works hail from across Europe and far-reaching countries such as India, Indonesia, and Georgia. Particularly noteworthy this year is the strong participation from France and China, which stand out for the exceptional quantity and quality of their submissions.
Andrea Pagliardi, curator
THAT’S ANIMATO! FOR ALL #1
Thursday, December 12th, 6:00 PM, Massimo 2
The Story of Three Sisters (or How the World Came to Have Four Seasons Instead of One)
By Raphaëlle Bourgon, Anchi Huang, Vega Lázaro, Son Tra Le, Priyam Parikh, Jianuo Wen, Di Wu | Gobelins | France, 7′09″
Long ago, three sisters were responsible for the order of the world. Ida, the eldest, carried the entire Space on her shoulders. Tee, the youngest, played and danced to the rhythm of Time. Mae, finally, was the Maiden of Life and worked hard to keep the Earth forever young…
The Burning Room
By Xinyi Huang | Communication University of China | China, 4′50″
An argument between a mother and daughter literally sets a house, a childhood, and memories on fire.
Dreams of Yesterday
By Khattar Shaheen | AKV St Joost | Netherlands, 4′30″
Using art and animation, Khattar Shahen, a former Syrian refugee, tries to give voice to those forced to leave their homeland.
The Mooning
By Vivian Osness, Mason Klesch | Ringling College of Art and Design | USA, 3′11″
An animated mockumentary unveils the truth behind the 1969 Moon landing.
In the Mist
By Renming Liu | Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts | China, 5′36″
A simple conversation between two fishermen gradually triggers collective panic. What happens is glimpsed and guessed through a thick layer of mist.
Navya
By Anna Anna Shilenkova | Saint Petersburg State University of Film and Television | Russia, 6′52″
A girl wakes up on the border between the World of the Living and the Afterlife. She wants to return, but the path is blocked by a gigantic serpent.
Né una né due
By Lucia Catalini | Higher Institute for Artistic Industries of Urbino | Italy, 5′57″
A young woman finds her grandmother’s notebook full of notes and sketches and browses through it for the first time. The pages and drawings become part of the memory and the desire to relive her gestures through remembrance.
The Cycle
By Sanja Račić | Academy of Arts in Banja Luka | Bosnia, 3′57″
A rabbit-girl wakes up in space and explores the curious forest of symbols surrounding her until her smiling reflection in a mirror captures her and reminds her that she still needs to find herself.
Breath
By Marie Haas | Atelier de Sèvres | France, 4′13″
A mysterious woman walks briskly, observing humanity around her with a tender and friendly gaze. Seeing her sends shivers, and receiving her kiss can be either frightening or comforting.
Screen Time
By Yumna Taqiyyah, Darrell Aydin Bahy | Universitas Multimedia Nusantara | Indonesia, 6′
Mom is busy, Dad is occupied, and the characters living inside the cell phone are always cheerful and welcoming: the games with them never end. Perhaps never again.
Children of the Bird
By Júlia Tudisco | Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design | Hungary, 11′25″
A modern, colorful cosmogony: a wild girl with the power of creation and a timid boy with the power of destruction. A harmony that seems to work until humanity enters the scene.
Ressources humaines
By Trinidad Plass, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzek | Gobelins | France, 3′29″
Andy, accompanied by a friend documenting the scene with a video camera, attends his recycling appointment. He is greeted by Wanda, the efficient company secretary…
Peel the Dimensions
By Jaehyeon Kim | Korea National University of Arts | Korea, 2′50″
Surreal suggestions in which dimensions overlap, connect, and expand.
Keep Out
By Tan Lui Chan | Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art | Hong Kong, 8′9″
A microcosm of quirky individuals lives in tiny isolated rooms, away from the dangers of the outside world, connecting with others only in the metaverse. On a fateful day, a chubby boy stumbles upon an unexpected secret…
THAT’S ANIMATO! FOR ALL #2
Friday, December 13th, 8:00 PM, Massimo 2.
Award Ceremony for the “FOR ALL” Category.
Canned
By Hasse Van Overbeke | RITCS School of Arts | Belgium, 6′72″
A symbolic representation of anorexia through the story of a teenager seeking comfort in a fishbowl.
BonVoyage pour monVoyage
By Akshit Kumar | National Institute of Design of Ahmedabad | India, 5′
A travel diary in which the author narrates his experiences in various Indian cities using different animation techniques.
The Deer
By Baran Sedighian | Academy of Art and Design St. Joost | Netherlands, 4′18″
A wounded deer, a metaphor for a migrant, escapes a forest infested with hunters to find itself, as a stranger, in a mysterious and not always welcoming city.
Un battesimo
By Giuditta D’Annibale, Carmine Longobucco, Francesco Lorenzo Colombo | IED – European Institute of Design | Italy, 5′40″
The arduous pilgrimage of Icarus and Isaac through the desolate post-apocalyptic landscape of a distant future.
Neh Neh Pok
By Jaime Ng | Nanyang Technological University | Singapore, 6′36″
The social myth of “big breasts” is revisited with irony and sensitivity from the perspective of a teenager.
Four Walls of Memory
By Joanna Płatek | Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań | Poland, 11′46″
A girl is trapped with her greatest fear in a small house in the woods. Locked within four walls, with no way out, the world around her changes inexorably.
Crescendo
By Eugen Constantin Munteanu | National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” | Romania, 5′44″
The apartment of a young cellist unexpectedly becomes a stage for an enthusiastic audience eager to witness his impromptu concert.
Farewell
By Juliette Berthe, Maud Cuenot, Samuel Perouse de Montclos, Anne-Sarah Reiniche, Viviane Sollacaro | ECOLE MoPA | France, 6′48″
Larry makes one last attempt to save his father from alcoholism, even at the cost of his own ruin.
The Lake
By Maria Afonina | Hse Art & Design School | Russia, 8′55″
Rhythmic gymnastics can be the most sordid and cruel of worlds.
Dragfox
By Lisa Ott | National Film and Television School | United Kingdom, 8′10″
Sam’s search for his identity is interrupted by a mysterious singing fox. Together, they embark on a magical journey in the attic to discover how to live with their differences.
All Up to Us
By Dasha Ruzanova | Saint Petersburg State University of Film and Television | Russia, 8′
The world is in danger; the tear in the paper sky is widening. Only a small gesture, a handful of notes, or a desperate embrace can spark hope for salvation.
Deserted
By ZhaoPeng Wang, ZhuFeng Shi, ZiYu Xia, MinJie Yu, XinYuan Zhang | Beijing Film Academy | China, 8′12″
A silver-haired girl roams a desolate landscape where the only sound is the sterile hum of pipes. Encountering a small, fragile form of life inspires her to attempt an escape.
Mechanics
By David Lehan, Maya Tolkovsky | Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design | Israel, 2′13″
A mechanical body, a cage, a key. The desperate attempts of an automaton—or a soul—to escape captivity.
Jour de vent
By Martin Chailloux | ENSI | France, 6′36″
In a city park, the lives of a group of people are upended and transformed by a particularly windy day.
THAT’S ANIMATO! FOR KIDS
Sunday, December 15th, 4:00 PM, Massimo 3.
Award Ceremony for the “FOR KIDS” Category.
The Peasant and the Cucumbers
By Bàlint Bartis | Budapest Metropolitan University | Hungary, 3′
Based on Tolstoy’s story The Peasant and the Cucumbers, this film features the colorful fantasies of a countryside thief.
Gugusse
By François Posson | École Pivaut | France, 3′49″
You’re big and burly, stuck in a tiny car in a long traffic jam, and, to make your day better, a clumsy pigeon decides it absolutely must interact with you.
Hide Out
By Jing Jia Huang | Taipei National University of Arts | Taiwan, 5′30″
A child gets lost in the twilight among the trees of the forest, as night falls along with strange presences. Inspired by Eastern philosophy and Japanese folklore, the film explores how belonging can develop through exploration and play.
How to Make a Friend
By Jinfei Ge, Bin He, Myrtille Huet, Julie Jarrier-Stettin, Yuqiang Zhang | Gobelins | France, 7′16″
Moo mourns the loss of her friend, so Yuu decides to create a new companion just for her. Their adventure fails, but they discover they’ve built a new friendship.
Ten Minutes
By Fu Xiaoyue | Beijing Film Academy | China, 5′16″
A delay of just ten minutes, and Grandma imagines her granddaughter in the clutches of a voracious monster…
Scrubby
By Paul Vollet | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Germany, 6′33″
Scrubby wants to live forever in his mother’s thick fur, but she is starting to shed. Soon she will be bare and cold. Will Scrubby’s small fur coat be warm enough for them both?
L’enfant Des Vagues
By Valentine Hilarin, Gaelle Bejjani, Yuhan Wang, Martin Gross, Noam Szwarc, Sofian Pourquery-De-Boisserin | ECV Paris | France, 6′
When you find a friend for the first time, it’s easy to go from playgrounds to the ocean and fly together alongside a massive pod of blue whales.
Playbow
By Flora Baruel Vianna, Carlos Martinez Vazquez, Luiz De Oliveira Freitas, Melvyn Labat | Dawson College | Canada, 5′40″
A huntress with a terrible scar on her face searches for the monster that hurt her but ends up meeting an old friend.
Amen
By Orphee Coutier | ENSI | France, 6′46″
A group of pigs is raised near a monastery. One day, one of them discovers the truth about their destiny and decides to rebel and free his companions.
An Inexact Science
By Salome Turashvili | Tbilisi State Academy of Arts | Georgia, 3′25″
Mathematical calculations and refined strategies aren’t always the key to success. A clever little bird is left empty-handed.
The Ones Who Never See the Moonlight
By Solène Marché, Lou Thoby, Tom Saurel, Evelyne Philippart, Marie Fantini, Amélie Soto | Ecole MoPA | France, 6′57″
A dog abandoned on the Moon desperately seeks to escape and finds unexpected help from a lonely giraffe.
