The backbone of the whole LIAF mission. We’ve emerged from under the pile of more than 2,600 entries to put together a series of screenings that showcase the best 85 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.
Some films need extra time to develop their themes, to grow and draw us more comprehensively into their worlds. This competition programme is dedicated to showcasing the best of these longer films. Five longer short films, five stunning stories including the winner of the 2019 Student Academy Awards – ‘Daughter’ by Daria Kascheeva and the latest masterpiece and British premiere from NFB animator Theodore Ushev – ‘The Physics of Sorrow’.
At Barbican book tickets
The Physics of Sorrow (Theodore Ushev, Canada)
A man sifts through memories from his youth in Bulgaria through his increasingly rootless adult years in Canada.
2019, 27min
Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (Regina Pessoa, Portugal/France/Canada)
From the filmmakers’ childhood memories, this film pays tribute to her Uncle Thomas, a humble but eccentric man, who had a simple and ordinary life.
2019, 13min
Sweet Night (Lia Bertels, Belgium)
During the Himalayan winter, a bear struggles to sleep. When a white monkey suggests they go to eat some honey at his aunts, a beautiful winter night surrounds them.
2019, 14min
Daughter (Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic)
Should you hide your pain? Withdraw into your inner world, full of longing for your father’s demonstrative love? Or should you be understanding and forgive before it is too late?
2019, 15min
Acid Rain (Tomek Popakul, Poland)
A young female hitchhiker meets up with a drug dealer and they head off in his van on a drug-fuelled trip to nowhere in particular.
2019, 26min
