There are a heap of animated features and shorts for all ages—and some exclusively for adults—at this year’s Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. Liam Maguren flies through all the weird, wonderful, and what-the-f*ck-even-was-that delights from the animation side of the programme.
Mars Express
Mars Express
An entry in Ant Timpson’s prestigious Incredibly Strange section of Whānau Mārama, this hard-boiled sci-fi crime noir follows two PIs—one human, the other an android—on the trail of a rogue code that removes the “don’t kill” barrier within other androids. Five years in the making, director Jérémie Périn appears to be channelling the spirits of Heavy Metal and Love, Death & Robots by giving life to a grisly, dangerous, distinctively animated world beyond our time and planet.
Donks
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: International Showcase
Surreal genius animator Felix Colgrave returns to Whānau Mārama with another slab of spaghetti-mind absurdity. If you’ve come across any of his previous shorts like Double King or The Elephant’s Garden, Donks will feel both familiar and new with its wonderfully weird world that sees Colgrave experiment with pre-rendered imagery.
The Flying Sailor
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: International Showcase
Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby’s film earned a nomination for Best Animated Short at this year’s Academy Awards. Less of a tale and more of an experience, the film centres on a sailor sent hurtling into the sky by a massive explosion. On the precipice of death, the sailor touches the cosmos and beyond with visions portrayed stunningly through Forbis and Tilby’s mixed media approach.
The Dog Apartment
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: Late Night Bizarre
Animation NOW has long championed the sterling work of Estonian animation, so this stop-motion short is sure to be another gem. It’s literally about an apartment with the head of a barking dog—and a chain-smoking, alcoholic ballet dancer. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in here somewhere, but even if there’s not, this is the out-of-this-world pass-me-that-joint experience sure to please an enthused late-night crowd.
Honey Sweet
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: Late Night Bizarre
Animation is cinema. Animation also loves butts. In a graceful combination of cinema and butts, director Inari Sirola’s music video for the band Yellow Majesty lets its freak flag flap in a psychedelic hurricane of colour. If there’s one image that defines ‘Late Night Bizarre’, it’s a shiny butt twerking in front of three bouncing Sigmund Freud heads.
Mickey’s Descent into Madness
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: Within the Realm of Horror
A premise that would make Ralph Bakshi yodel with pride, director Tom Bourgeois’ post-Vietnam War drama sees that Mickey, that Donald, and that Goofy stare down the barrel of darkness as broken war veterans. Opening with a verse from Matthew 6:22, this is an acidic satire that could melt bones. Don’t wait for it to come out on Disney+.
Beware of Trains
Playing as part of Animation NOW!: Within the Realm of Horror
Veteran UK filmmaker Emma Calder’s latest earned her a nomination for Best Short at Annecy, the world’s biggest animation festival. In a very chill interview, she describes how she dreamed of murdering somebody. Two decades later, she made a film about it. “It took 22 years to get anyone to put money into the film,” Calder recalls with no surprise in her voice, but what she delivered is a dark trip into the mind that strongly echoes Britain’s proud history of cutout animation.
Robot Dreams
When we first got our hands on the Whānau Mārama programme, I mentioned how this adaptation of Sara Varon’s graphic novel came won over Cannes and Annecy. From the director of Blancanieves (NZIFF 2013), the story revolves around the friendship between a robot and a dog. When the robot makes the poor decision of going for a swim, he rusts up, forcing dog to leave him behind. Yeah… you’ll wanna make sure your heart’s buckled up for this emotional journey.
Kiri and Lou: I’m a Rock
Playing as part of Animation for Kids 4+
If you’re not aware of Harry Sinclair’s BAFTA-nominated family series made in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), it’s kind of a big deal. The show, known for its playful putty-like design and tremendously catchy songs, gets the big-screen treatment it deserves by opening the Animation for Kids 4+ section.
Little Goat Man
Playing as part of Animation for Kids 4+
Here’s the official synopsis: “His mother was a mum and his father was a goat. Sing along now!” Sold.
As a side-note, Whānau Mārama has a wonderful ‘Pay-It-Forward’ donation scheme that helps bring this film festival magic to tamariki from low-decile-high-priority communities. If that sounds like something you’d love to put money towards (just $5 covers one ticket), you can find out more here.
Shackle
Playing as part of Animation for Kids 8+
Featured previously in Animation Now 2016 with Stems, Ainslie Henderson returns to Whānau Mārama with another puppet-based short about an owl, a mammal, and a reptile who “play out time-old archetypal human conflict.” Looking beyond the cryptic synopsis, Henderson makes the bold technical decision to set the film outside with natural light. For a style of animation that typically demands tight control of all outside factors, it’s a bold and admirable filmmaking choice.
Polar Bears Boredom
Playing as part of Animation for Kids 8+
It’s been two decades since a work from Yamamura Kôji last graced Whānau Mārama (Mt Head, Animation NOW 2003) but here he returns with a deliciously inked black-n-white short that lovingly plays into classical Japanese art. Sure, the titular polar bear may be titularly bored, but the film combs through the daily lives of fellow creatures in a way that certainly won’t bore anyone else.
Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo
Similar to Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale (NZIFF 2020), which relayed the fall of the Berlin Wall into a lively story palpable for older kids, writer and co-director Marya Zarif looks to make the experience of Syrian refugees appropriately accessible for all ages with this tale about the escapist powers of storytelling. Adapting her 2020 series Dounia, Zarif directs this feature with André Kadi who’s most notable for working on MeatCanyon (which you should never, ever, ever show to your kids).
