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This programme takes a look at all aspects of emotion – nine stunning films riffing on love, hate, jealousy, sensuality, melancholy, anxiety, confusion and everything in between. Powerful, moving and with some vital messages for our times, these films are full of intense emotional depth and glorious visuals.
Independent animation is an art form that continues to thrive and develop as a breath-taking medley of styles, materials, techniques and production – from hand-drawn, paint on glass, collage, sculpture, cut-outs, puppets, abstract to some of the more interesting developments in CGI – all of which can be seen at this year’s LIAF.
We’ve emerged from under the pile of 2,400 entries to put together a series of screenings that showcase the best 80 new films from every corner of the world. They can be funny, dramatic, bizarre, subdued, scary or autobiographical. The one thing they have in common is that we think they’re the pick of the crop.
Eight international competition programmes. Every technique, every genre, every style – this is your annual window into the international indie animation universe.
The Clearing – Dan Hope, UK

Battling against the wilderness and his own ego, Bill struggles to impress Deb with below-par outdoor skills and shocking behaviour, until their last-ditch camping trip takes a sinister turn.
2021 12 min
How to Lose Everything: A Field Guide – Christa Couture & Bekky O’Neil, Canada

How to cope with the loss of your leg, your children, your marriage, your voice and everything.
2020 5 min
Anxious Body – Yoriko Mizushiri, Japan

Living things, artificial things, geometric shapes and lines. Textures, the touches that are felt and how to cope with the ones that hurt.
2021 6 min
Louis’s Shoes – Théo Jamin, KayuLeung, Marion Philippe & Jean Géraud Blanc, France

Louis, 8-and-a-half-years-old and autistic, arrives in his new school prepared to introduce himself. How will the other children react.
2020 5 min
Deep Water – Anna Dudko, Ukraine

A lonely chubby mermaid falls in love with a man and, blinded by passion, attempts to satisfy her burning desires.
2020 6 min
What Resonates in Silence – Marine Blin, France

Suffering from the silence of adults robs a little girl of her right to mourn.
2020 8 min
Candela – Marc Riba & Anna Solanas, Spain

Mrs. Candela spends the last days of her life in a dying suburb just outside a big city.
2020 12 min
Firefighter – Yulia Aronova, France

Perched in his watchtower a fireman scans the city, ready to brave any danger. But a fire never comes. One day, he meets a woman burning with love for him.
2020 9 min
Black Slide – Uri Lotan, Israel

Eviah, a young and timid child on the brink of puberty and his best friend sneak into the Black Slide, the most terrifying ride at Aqua Fun, the water park.
2021 11 min
Our Funding Partners

Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.