In the last two days Padania* has been in pain: running eyes, headaches, migraines… Wind and Padanians: the incompatibility of DNA. It made me think of this pluri-awarded animation short by Robert Löbel.
* A harmless term to indicate the territory in the Northen Italy that mainly consists of the valley formed by River Po, “Padus” in Latin. The valley is windless 363 days out of 365.
Some short films and poems are meant to go together. The following is one of those pairings you must try before you [type a word you can rhyme]
Choosing a short film is a bit like matching wine & food: if well paired to the mood, can save your day. That’s exactly what happened to me when I bumped into The Cub, a Sundance-selected short film by Riley Stearns: its full-bodied texture with mild sarcastic notes, hints of blood and other primordial flavours, counterbalanced to perfection a tedious aftertaste of Christmassy goodness kindness gentleness & Co. Same for you, and enjoy!
In the month of delirious jingle bells, this ironic film by Andreas Pasvantis is a soul-saving poem, an anti-aging serum, or simply, a great short. What was it like, “Irony is the salt of existence..?” Enjoy these salty 01:35
Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale created to be recreated. Its countless interpretations and revisions proliferate thanks to its meme, flexible and elastic. Tomas Nilsson did know how to use this flexibility at its best: his animation short inspired by Röyksopps’ Remind me is superb. Little Red herself, would laugh out loud.
In the world flooding with information, a talent for telling things shortly and to the point is alone a virtue. Add to this a daring fuck-the-system attitude plus a superb sense of humour, and you get a perfect Portrait of the Animators as Young Men. Their payoff might sound to you quite straight-forward (“Phckn awesome animation until death do us apart”) but it leaves no doubts: there’s a true commitment behind it.
Bastart 