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StopTrik 2024 Selection Results: Full Competition Programme

ZF Team 05 August 2024

Selected film stills (collage) for StopTrik Festival 2024

The 14th StopTrik IFF has unveiled its selection (competition and non-competition) for its Maribor, Slovenia (25. – 29. 9. 2024), and Łódź, Poland (5. – 8. 12. 2024) edition.

The festival's overall theme this year is "Transhumanism". This year we call you to embark with us on a journey through the fascinating and yet controversial subject of the relationship between art-house animation culture and transhumanist philosophies". The festival will expand the theme in a series of both screenings and educational workshops.

The line-up of the Stop Motion Animation competition presents 25 films made by established artists (among them Izabela Plucińska’s 'Joko', Nina Gantz’s 'Wander to Wonder', or Andres Tenusaar’s 'Little Other') as well as newcomers (along the students from such institutions as NFTS or Konrad Wolf, we will also encounter the works of the so-called “underdogs” from the Finish Aalto University, Slovenian University of Nova Gorica, or Polish LAF-WFA Legnica talent workshop).

StopTrik 2024 Official Selection appears less dark and pessimistic than in previous years. This does not mean that the authors of the selected works lost their critical angle in discussing the most serious issues of contemporaneity; they still frequently adhere to irony and macabre. Consistently with the developments of the art-house animation scene of the recent decade, strong women’s voices are especially heard - Michał Bobrowski, Programme Director ("Stop Motion Animation”, “Boderlands”, and “Panorama” sections)

The 13 films from the Borderlands Competition revisit a conventional understanding of ‘stop motion’ as an umbrella term reserved for hand-made, filmmaking operations that frame-by-frame transform and manipulate the photographed matter, a theme that the 14th StopTrik IFF wants to examine thoroughly in its 2024 edition. According to the organizers, "the reason for enlarging the scope of selector’s interest in this category was related to acknowledgment that day by day the creative technologies undergo changes and enhancement, and it is high time we started looking for ways to catch up with the fast-pacing reality".

The non-competitive Panorama programme (intriguing, short stop-motion animation) is now divided into two sections (Panorama: Wide View and Panorama: New Weird), comprising 17 works in total. Glossing the 'New Weird' label, the festival showcases works that 'encompass imaginaries of climate catastrophe, generic mash-ups, and creative pessimism'

Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz, StopTrik IFF Official Stop-Motion Competition

The Stop-Motion Animation for Children programme (selected by: Brina Fekonja and Jelena Dragutinović), divided into 3 age groups (6-8 years old, 9-11 years old, 12-14 years old) has films from all over the world (Europe, Asia, and South America appear dominant).

We are proud to unveil the 14th StopTrik IFF Official Selection. We are grateful to all the Submitters. The fact that not all of the films which have gained our selectors’ attention made it to the final list, truly saddens everyone behind the Festival. Working in stop motion not only requires talent but also dedication and patience and we respect and admire everybody who live their live for and in this wonderous form of cinema. We congratulate those who made it to the line-up, and we thank all the artists, producers, and distributors for their trust. We hope that the Audiences who grant the Grand Prix and the Student Juries in both festival cities, Maribor and Łódź, will find the choices presented intellectually and artistically stimulating - Olga Bobrowska & Michał Bobrowski, Festival Organizers

STOPTRIK FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION 2024

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION
Maribor, Slovenia: 25. – 29. 9. 2024 / Łódź, Poland: 5. – 8. 12. 2024 (daily programme in Łódź tba)

25 films from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, United Kingdom, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION I
Thursday, 26. 9. 2024 [screening order]

1. Joko, dir. Izabela Plucińska, prod. Animoon, 2024, Poland, Germany, Czechia, 15’
2. BITCH(ES), dir. Laure Menard, prod. Volda University College, 2024, Norway, France, 4’41’’
3. Entropic Memory, dir. & prod. Nicolas Brault, 2024, Canada, 6’28’’
4. Bar La Matanza, dir. Belén Tagliabue, prod. MOCO Estudio, 2023, Argentina, 6’20’’
5. Three Birds / Tri tičice, dir. Zarja Menart, prod. Finta Film, 2024, Slovenia, Croatia, 8’18’’
6. Carrotica, dir. Daniel Sterlin-Altman, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, 2024, Germany, 13’08’’
7. Box Cutters, dir. Naomi van Niekerk, prod. Ikki Films, Valk Productions, Dryfsand, 2023, France, Netherlands, South Africa, 8’24’’
8. Madeleine, dir. & prod. Raquel Sancinetti, 2023, Canada, 15’

Three Birds

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION II
Friday, 27. 9. 2024 [screening order]

1. Wander to Wonder, dir. Nina Gantz, prod. Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film, Les Productions de Milou, Beast Animation, 2023, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, 13’
2. Beyond the Face / Onkraj obraza, dir. Anja Resman, prod. SPOK Films, University of Nova Gorica, 2024, Slovenia, Croatia, 9’50’’
3. SUPPONPON / “すっぽんぽん”, dir. Hoji Tsuchiya, Saigo no Shudan, prod. muffin discs, 2024, Japan, 3’28’’
4. Playing God, dir. Matteo Burani, prod. Studio Croma, 2024, Italy, France, 9’
5. Absent-Minded / “물끄러미” Mulkkeureomi, dir. & prod. Kang Illhwaa, 2024, South Korea, 5’40’’
6. Falling For Greta, dir. & prod. Gustavo Arteaga, 2023, United Kingdom, 11’16’’
7. Aquatic / Abzi, dir. & prod. Shiva Sadegh Asadi, 2024, Iran, 5’
8. Beautiful Men, dir. Nicolas Keppens, prod. Animal Tank, Miyu Productions, Ka-Ching Cartoons, 2023, Belgium, France, Netherlands, 18’35’’

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION III
Friday, 27. 9. 2024 [screening order]

1. Hidari, dir. Masashi Kawamura, Iku Ogawa, prod. dwarf, Whatever, TECARAT, 2023, Japan, 5’44’’
2. Adiós, dir. José Prats, prod. NFTS, 2024, United Kingdom, 8’31’’
3. In Motion / W ruchu, dir. Nina Bączyk, prod. LAF-WFA, 2023, Poland, 1’18’’
4. Father's Letters / Папины письма, Papiny pis'ma dir. Alexey Evstigneev, prod. Moderato, Mimesis, 2024, France, Russia, 12’10’’
5. Onti, dir. Miloš Tomić, prod. Ab Re, 2023, Serbia, 5’9’’
6. Little Other / Väike teine, dir. Andres Tenusaar, prod. Nukufilm, 2023, Estonia, 12’
7. Impossible Maladies, dir. Stefano Tambellini, Alice Tambellini, prod. Senza Testa, 2023, Italy, 8’
8. Fish River Anthology / Mereneläviä, dir. Veera Lamminpää, prod. Seiza Films, Aalto University, 2024, Finland, 9’30’’
9. The Wild-Tempered Clavier, dir. & prod. Anna Samo, 2024, Germany, 7’22’’

The Wild-Tempered Clavier

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: BORDERLANDS

13 films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, USA
Saturday, 28. 9. 2024 [screening order]

1. Families’ Albums / Albums de familles, dir. Moïa Jobin-Paré, 2023, Canada, 8’22’’
2. You Are the Truck and I Am the Deer, dir. Max Ferguson, prod. LUCA School of Arts, 2023, Belgium, 5’7’’
3. Swifts / Piiritajad, dir. Ada Napiórkowski, prod. EKA Estonian Academy of Arts, 2024, Estonia, 5’
4. Being Is Negative, dir. Sun Xun, prod. π animation studio, 2023, China, 4’30’’
5. 74, dir. Charalambos Margaritis, prod. Kimonos Animation Studio, 2024, Cyprus, 16’
6. Mnemonic, dir. & prod. Raffaele Gans-Pfister, 2024, USA, 5’16’’
7. Toto, dir. Klaudia Bochniak, prod. Film School Lodz, 2023, Poland, 6’10’’
8. Subotopic, dir. & prod. Nikki Schuster, 2023, Austria, Germany, 7’
9. Electronic Insects, dir. & prod. Keum-Taek Jung, 2023, USA, 1’30’’
10. fur, dir. Zhen Li, prod. California Institute of the Arts, 2022, USA, 6’36’’
11. Evanescence, dir. Mare Šuljak, prod. Kinoklub Zagreb, 2023, Croatia, 3’32’’
12. Lost Nocturne, dir. & prod. Gates Callanan, 2024, USA, 1’34’’
13. [S], dir. & prod. Mario Radev, 2024, United Kingdom, Poland, Bulgaria, 12’33’’

Subotopic

INTERNATIONAL NON-COMPETITIVE PROGRAMME: PANORAMA

23 films from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA

PANORAMA: WIDE VIEW
Wednesday, 25.9.2024 [screening order]

1. From the Top, dir. Rich Farris, prod. Martina Buendia Silva, 2023, United Kingdom, 8’14’’
2. Bergamot / 《佛手》 Fo Shou, dir. Yanqi Liang, prod. Dongyu Culture Media,2023, China, 6’37’’
3. Tulipomania: Shines On, dir. Cheryl Gelover, Tom Murray, prod. Tulipomania, 2024, USA, 3’10’’
4. All Of You, dir. Jan Klug, prod. University of Applied Arts Upper Austria, 2024, Austria, 6’20’’
5. Moving Parts, dir. Hugo Docking, prod. Hugo Docking, Spare Flesh, 2024, United Kingdom, 3’7’’
6. Daisy, dir. Aditi Dixit, Joffrey Atienza Zamora, Shecid Domínguez Aguilera, 2023, Spain, India, Mexico, Philippines, 4’48’’
7. Does Planting Trees Actually Cool the Planet?, dir. Ivana Volda, Thomas Volda, prod. TED-Ed, 2023, Croatia, USA, 5’27’’
8. Spectacular / Coup de Théâtre, dir. Antonin Niclass, prod. Théâtre du Passage in Neuchâtel, 2022, Switzerland, 1’20’’
9. Tempomaximus, dir. Brina Fekonja, prod. University of Nova Gorica, 2024, Slovenia, 3’40’’
10. Proteus, dir. Janis Beletić, prod. Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, 2023, Croatia, 2’18’’
11. Potter's Mirror, dir. & prod. Katherine O' Connor, 2024, United Kingdom, 8’36’’
12. Pune Design Festival Versus Ident Film, dir. Suresh Eriyat, prod. Studio Eeksaurus Productions Pvt. Ltd., 2024, India, 0’43’’
13. Pretty Stare / Mirada Bella, dir. & prod. Luz Andrea Sierra, 2023, Chile, 4’
14. Physarum Polycephalum, dir. Kamila Tomczyk, prod. UKEN University in Kraków, 2024, Poland, 4’4’’
15. Aquarium, dir. Rune Callewaert, prod. KASK & Conservatory Ghent, 2023, Belgium, 6’11’’
16. FIA, dir. Luciana Martínez, prod. Osa Estudio, 2024, Argentina, 5’50’’
17. 09.01.berkovich, dir. Anya Ryzhkova, prod. Bauhaus University Weimar, 2024, Germany, 6’1’’

PANORAMA: NEW WEIRD
Thursday, 26.9.2024 [screening order]

1. New World, New Trace / Nov svet, nova sled, dir. Žoel Kastelic, prod. Academy of Fine Arts and Design Ljubljana, 2024, Slovenia, 9'
2. Hooked On Illusions, dir. Laura Isabel Schneider, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, 2023, Germany, 4'
3. Anthropocene /《眾生相》 Zhongshengxiang, dir. Yun-Sian Huang, Raito Low, prod. Jet Wu, Chi-Sui Wang, 2023, Taiwan, 10'
4. Butterfly / Leptir, dir. Sunčana Brkulj, prod. Adriatic Animation, 2024, Croatia, Denmark, 8'
5. Point and Line to Cosmos, dir. Pablo Ballarín, prod. Rebel Frame, 2023, Estonia, Spain, 8'
6. Palimpsest / Armat-Azmat, dir. Miha Vipotnik, 2023, Lebanon, 6'

Anthropocene

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION FOR CHILDREN
16 films from Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Czechia, France, Iran, Japan, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION FOR CHILDREN I
Thursday, 26. 9. 2024, age group: 6-8 years old [screening order]

1. Hoofs on Skates / Kanopos ir pačiūžos, dir. Ignas Meilūnas, prod. Justė Beniušytė, 2024, Lithuania, 12';
2. Kukeleku, dir. Jelle Janssen, prod. Aardman Academy, 2024, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, 3';
3. The Pearl: Let's Make Peace / Morvarid: Bia Ashti Konim, dir. Abdollah Alimorad, prod. Soureh Cinema Organization, 2023, Iran, 6';
4. Abubilla, dir. Rafael Vidal, prod. MINUSCULO animation, 2023, Spain, 2'4''
5. Claws Worm Hunt / Pandža lovi gliste, dir. Katrin Novaković, prod. Nikša Marinović, Katrin Novaković, 2023, Croatia, 3';

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION FOR CHILDREN II
Wednesday, 25. 9. 2024, age group: 9-11 years old [screening order]

1. My Little Dress / 《我的小裙子》 Wo de xiao qunzi, , dir. & prod. Zinc Liew, 2022, Taiwan, 2’27’’
2. Lola and the Piano Sound / Lola et le Piano à bruits, dir. Augusto Zanovello, prod. Komadoli Studio, Folimage, Momakin, Nadasdy Film, 2024, France, Poland, Switzerland, 27’52’’
3. Forage, dir. Carolyn Gair, prod. Bowling4Rhinos Productions, 2024, USA, 7’36’’
4. Cossie of Chairville / Isu no machi no Cossie, dir. Azusa Fujii, prod. NHK Educational Corporation, 2023, Japan, 6’14’’
5. The Cook Octopus / El Pulpo Cocinero, dir. Juan Nadalino, prod. El Birque, 2023, Argentina, 3’28’’

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME: STOP MOTION ANIMATION FOR CHILDREN III
Thursday, 26. 9. 2024, age group: 12-14 years old [screening order]

1. Steps to Fly / Pasos para Volar, dir. Nicolas Conte, Rosario Carlino, prod. Osa Estudio, Vivement Lundi !, 2024, Argentina, France, 9’11’’
2. Eyes / 눈눈눈, Nunnunnun, dir. & prod. Nam Hyokyoung, Choi Yoojae, 2024, South Korea, 13’48’’
3. Grandma's Recipe / Receita de Vö, dir. & prod. Carlon Hardt, 2024, Brazil, 2’51’’
4. All Is Not Lost, dir. Daniel Greaves, prod. Animage Films Ltd, 2023, United Kingdom, 10’44’’
5. Ceiling of Blue, dir. Amami, prod. Tokyo University of Arts, 2023, Japan, 2’19’’
6. Hello Summer / Ahoj leto, dir. Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová, prod. Studio Bororo, MAUR film, Last Films, Vivement Lundi !, 2024, Slovakia, Czechia, France, 10’45’’