CANNES ANIMATIONS 1
Waves 98 by Ely Hagder (2015) (Lebanon) (15m)
Waves 98 won the Palm d'Or in 2015 and was in competition at Sundance in 2016. It tells the story of a depressed young man in post-war Beirut, Lebanon. He is lured into the city centre by a strange golden glow. But what will he find there? A big golden metaphor. Visually immersive, the pacing is a little slow to begin with but improves after five minutes. In a way it reminds me of the wonderful short film, Goodbye, by American Tyler Russo.
The Bigger Picture by Daisy Jacobs (2014) (UK) (7m)
The Bigger Picture won the BAFTA for Best Short Animation, and was nominated for an Academy Award and the Palm d'Or at Cannes (see Omnibus for the only film to have ever won all three awards). It uses a unique mix of 2D and 3D animation to tell the story of a son struggling to look after his elderly mother, while his more career-minded elder brother breezes in and out. Jacobs made it while studying at the National Film and Television School.
Home Sweet Home by Alejandro Diaz et al (2013) (France) (10m) *
Home Sweet Home tells the story of a house that, having been put for sale, decides to go in search of a better place. Along the way, the house picks up an older house on his last legs and a dog kennel (which is basically a dog). It soon becomes clear that this journey is likely to be the last for the elder house. The computer animation is really quite brilliant, especially considering these were students. Like many of the best computer animations, there is no dialogue.
