Numerous animated flicks will be on the big screen at this year's Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, to be held from September 20 to 26 at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.
The fest has announced its roster of 324 films, selected from more than a record-setting 2,400 worldwide entries, up 10% from last year. It will showcase 86 world premieres, 27 North American premieres and 15 U.S. premieres. Some of the animated films:
6:30 pm, Tuesday, Sept. 20 Opening Night: International Award Winners International award-winning films from festivals around the globe will share the spotlight in this tribute the art of being short.
JOYRIDE; John Cernak; U.S., 6 min. Set to the euphoric strains of Queen's "My Bicycle," this brilliantly ascerbic animated ode to the joys of bicycling is a scabrous delight.
Noon, Saturday, Sept. 24 Films for Families A collection of short stories for all ages, guaranteed to entertain the kids while providing a cornucopia of treats for those who are simply young at heart.
THE BAD NIGHT LIGHT; Shon Stewart; U.S., 4 min. A funny animated fable in which a little boy who's afraid of the dark comes to grip with his fears during a scary evening trapped in his room with things that go bump in the night.
BIBI; Bek Shakirov; U.S., 7 min. In this gorgeously animated romp, an adventurous little girl gets into all kinds of trouble when she decides to explore the clothes and makeup in her mother's room.
THE GNAT AND THE LION; Burke Higgins; U.S., 4 min. It's the little things that hurt when you're the king of the jungle in this comedic computer-animated adaptation of the classic Aesop's fable.
THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS; Michael Sporn; U.S., 10 min. An inspiring animated rendering of the 1974 tightrope walk of a Frenchman across a cable strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
MOONGIRL; Henry Selick; U.S.; 9 min. This amazing animated adventure traces the trip of a young boy who hooks a starfish from his boat one night, and ends up on a fabulous journey to the moon.
THE PASSIONATE PEST; Ryan Wick; U.S., 4 min. In this animated romantic delight, a fly falls for the light of his life, a light bulb, and uses a self-help book in an effort to win the affections of his potential mate.
11:30 am, Saturday, Sept. 24 Animation Celebration The wondrous world of animation is explored in this collection of international short films addressing life, love and the pursuit of pizza.
BIKINI; Lasse Persoson; Sweden, 7 min. A delightful musical tale of a boy, his mother's itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini, the beach and two musclemen.
EGG; Benh Zeitlin; U.S., 9 min. This "microscopic tale of epic cruelty," based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick, utilizes surrealistic stop-motion animation to tell the tale of a pint-sized pirate who combats a villainous egg yolk with calamitous results.
ICHTHYS; Marek Skrobecki; Poland, 17 min. An imaginative big fish tale about a man who rows out to an island to enjoy a heavenly seafood meal at a very strange restaurant, and ends up being "sleeping with the fishes."
JOYRIDE See Tuesday, Sept. 20 for details.
THE MANTIS PARABLE; Josh Staub; U.S., 8 min. Made by the creator of popular videogames MYST and RAVENS, this ravishing animated parable tells the story of a caterpillar trapped in a collector's specimen jar, and the insects who come to his aid.
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO; Anthony Lucas; Australia, 27 min. An astonishing visual rendering of postindustrial futurism, as young Jasper joins a zeppelin expedition to find the cure for a mysterious disease plaguing the people of planet Earth.
MURAL; Jose Luis Osorio; Canada, 3 min. A visually ravishing rendering of an artist's work, with the artist himself -- who is haunted by the images of his own mind as the subject of the film's dazzling imagery.
RETURN I WILL TO OLD BRAZIL; Alex Budovsky; U.S., 4 min. A magical animated music journey to the tropical land of rumba and rhythm, set to the syncopated strains of Geoff Muldaur and his orchestra.
SURLY SQUIRREL; Peter Lepeniotis; Canada, 11 min. The hilarious animated adventure of Surly Squirrel and his reticent sidekick the rat, as their plan to seize a leftover slice of pizza is disrupted by a flock of pigeons and an unexpected bank heist across the street from the park.
SEED; Bennett Cain; U.S., 7 min. A young boy discovers the horrifying secrets of a dark and mysterious room tucked away behind a door that rarely opens...
3:00 pm, Saturday, Sept. 24 Memory Lane They sit quietly, our memories, and wait for the moment to come when they can revive a lost love, lay demons to rest, or just soothe our weary hearts.
THE FIRST THING I REMEMBER; Tamara Meem; Australia, 8 min. What is your first memory ever? 12 people, shown as animated characters in Super-8 worlds, answer this question in stories that are funny, moving and full of wonderment.
6:00 pm, Sunday, September 25 Closing: That's a Wrap!!! The closing-night package of the audience and jury award winners from this year's ShortFest presents the best of the best, and follows that up with rollicking party celebrating the talent and inventiveness of the many filmmakers embraced by the festival in its 11th year.
Individual program tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 12. The official box office is located at Camelot Theatres, 2300 Baristo Road (corner of Farrell at Palm Springs Mall). Shorts programs before 5:00 pm are $9; shorts programs after 5:00 pm are $10.
Advance ticket packages and passes can be purchased online at www.psfilmfest.org/boxoffice.htm or by calling (760) 322-2930.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
