The backbone of the whole LIAF mission. We’ve emerged from under the pile of 2,600 entries to put together a series of screenings that showcase the best 117 new films from every corner of the world. The one thing they have in common is that we think they’re the pick of the crop. This is your annual window into the international indie animation universe.
In this programme LIAF regulars Jonathan Hodgson (UK), Donato Sansone (Italy) and Patrick Bouchard (Canada) return with their brand-new creepy masterpieces alongside several new kids on the block presenting all manner of dark, scary, violent and spooky films.
Subjects include an animator dissecting his own body to reveal elements of his past, a surrealistic fight between two humanoid robots, the grotesque absurdity of modern-day plastic surgery and a harrowing tale of a young black man killed in an altercation with a vigilant neighbour and the police.
At Barbican book tickets
The Subject (Patrick Bouchard, Canada)
The body of a man lies on an autopsy table. The dark workshop, packed with various instruments, evokes a torture chamber. The animator’s scalpel penetrates the skin.
2018, 10min
Robhot (Donato Sansone, Italy)
A domestic dispute like any other turns into a surreal confrontation between two humanoid robots capable of the most incredible transformations.
2017, 6min
RIOT (Frank Ternier, France)
A young black man is killed in an altercation with a neighbour and the police. An indignant crowd gathers. The feeling of injustice is high. Emotion engenders riot. In the absence of words, can the body take its revenge?
2017, 13min
Caterpillarplasty (David Barlow-Krelina, Canada)
An unsettling and seductive dream world where clients submit to dark and mysterious procedures at the hands of a gaunt surgeon with murky intentions and a sphinx-like smile.
2018, 5min
Ceva (Paul Muresan, Czech Republic/Romania)
The forests, the birds, the snow and even the road itself block your path on the journey to self-discovery. Beware – you could be trapped in Purgatory forever.
2018, 9min
Bavure (Donato Sansone, France/Italy)
In the beginning was the Stain. A paintbrush reveals a being made of gouache, transforms him, twists him, completes him.
2018, 5min
Augenblicke – A Blink of an Eye (Kiana Naghshineh, Germany)
Three perceptions of only one truth – hers, his and ours.
2018, 4min
Pure White (Sven Windszus, Germany)
An anatomy model wakes up in a seemingly perfect world. The fact that she must live as a ‘damaged’ being in such an ideal environment amplifies her pain. She questions her creator in an attempt to find answers.
2018, 3min
The Sounds From the Drawers (Vitor Hugo, Portugal)
Turn, turn, turn. Can there be rhythms without patterns? Can it be said one thing leads to another when the links defy logic?
2017, 8min
Roughhouse (Jonathan Hodgson, UK/France)
Three teenage friends embark on a new adventure in a northern town, but when a charismatic stranger joins their gang, their loyalty is torn apart with terrifying consequences.
2018, 15min
