The National Film Board of Canada’s Hothouse animation apprenticeship program is a great way to see emerging talents showcase their visual design skills. It’s sometimes less about the stories presented and at other times more about what an individual can do within a medium that’s sometimes challenging to use to tell a story. What I find engaging is what each person can dream up.
Sometimes it’s just a melody and other times just an experience, and I offer a quick look at this year’s collection of works. The theme is “Small Things Considered,” where filmmakers had to consider how things grow from a germ of an idea. They’re now available to view online.
AMMA
Akash Jones
I’m sure everyone can relate to this work about a youngster about to leave the nest. Although his mother means well, even I get that when too much is too much and hope that there’s time to do what you want. It’s a classic why me scenario that many will get, and hopefully this filmmaker has his peace.
MY WORLD, YOUR MELODY
Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes
This rather MTV inspired animated short is about a group of tropical frogs singing the best hits. But what people are seeing is not just another music video. There’s a message to be found, and whether it’s too late for change, that depends on how fast this boy band can become popular! Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes is a talent who deserves a following if she’s to save the rainforest and everything else she loves from her home country of Costa Rica.
NOT ENOUGH WOMB FOR THE TWO OF US
Cameron Kletke
I feel sorry for the pregnant woman who has two rambunctious babies in her womb in this animated short fighting it out for space. These twins are fully aware of each other, and the comic battle is epic! When everything gets told within a very short forty or so seconds (sans credits), the conclusion better be as manic, and the epilogue–well, you just have to see it for yourself! This presentation may well be the best of the lot from this year’s Hothouse program.
RED STAR ALLEY
Jenny Yujia Shi
This animated short is not about the tearing down of the wall to pave the way for democracy in China, but if I were to read between the lines, I think that’s what she wanted to convey. In this short, the stone wall is painted over with graffiti and a kanji I’m not familiar with. Not even my parents are sure since part of it is obscured.
Although this work is about the changing of the guard, from the old ways to modern one because of a weed (who happens to be its star), I find this piece compelling with its simple message told within the span of about 90 seconds.
THE LAST TANGO
Mochi Lin
When you see that this short is about a praying mantis trying to mate, and you know what’s about to transpire, the climax is none too surprising. But to mix it up with this dance is rather macabre in a fun and humorous way where I suspect this filmmaker worships Wednesday Addams. It’s tough to say more, but it’s a very lurid piece where the unexpected is hardly that. It’s also a great way to see how one can animate with other materials, namely stocking and acetate.
UNBLENDING
Michele Ku
Had I not read the one-liner about this animated short, I would not have known it’s about people living with structural dissociation. For those folks, falling asleep is a challenge where the mind is at odds, and you’re thinking about concepts that contradict each other, and it can cause some people to stay awake far longer than needed. After watching this work, I wonder if I may have this condition. Thankfully I got all the wonderful media that my brain can focus on and eventually I fell asleep. In this beautiful hand-painted kaleidoscopic presentation, it can be worrying and what’s presented is an eye-opener in one way, and also helpful in another. Michelle Ku offers a few ideas for those who have problems falling asleep to take home, and that’s encouraging!
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