Just Animation!

Feux

Mohammad Babakoohi | France & Iran

Run time: 4:10 min.

Synopsis:
Karun, a stray dog, fights to survive in a chaotic environment ravaged by drought..

Bio:
Born in 1995, Mohammad Babakoohi is an iranian animation director. he graduated from the École des Gobelins school of visual arts in Paris in 2019, where he co-directed “DOGS”.

In 2022 he completed his course at La Poudrière, where he directed “L'élégie des mille grues” (one-minute film), “Les trois petits bergers” for the Espoirs de l’Animation (broadcast on the French TVchannel gulli), and his graduation film “FEUX”.

Yaar  

Nahid Malayeri | Iran

Run time: 3:00 min.

Synopsis:
"Yaar" is about a lonely and depressed character that nothing around him can make him happy. He tries to commit suicide but survives each time due to his bouncy and elastic features. In his last attempt, he meets new friends, with whom he discovers new adventures.

Bio: Nahid(Zahra) is an Iranian 2D animator and visual storyteller based in the Netherlands. She studied Bachelor of Architectural Engineering and then decided to design the stories of cultures and human minds free from the limitations of architectural frames. She is now pursuing her education and career in animation.

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Itsy Bitsy Problems  

Kenneth Cassidy Tyner | US

Run time: 10:25 min.

Synopsis:
A spider moves into his new home, and faces some realities of home ownership.

Bio: Ken C. Tyner is a structural designer by day and an animator by night. He was born in New Jersey in 1993, but was raised for most of his life in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. From an early age, he was always interested in stop motion after being entranced by the amazing worlds of "Wallace and Gromit" and "Chicken Run."
Since middle school, he started doing animation with his father and made random claymations with the family camcorder. Through high school and college, he managed to keep animating as a hobby.

Being practical, he pursued a mechanical engineering degree at West Virginia University. After receiving his Bachelor of Science, he moved back home and found work in the local area. He plans to make a positive impact on the world around him through his current place in the construction industry and of course through his art.

Over Inking

Molly Mignano | US

Run time: 8:30 min.

Synopsis:
Worried about the permanence of deciding her first tattoo, a young woman confides in an unexpected expert in the topic.

Bio:
Molly Mignano is a Baltimore based animator, graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art. She has a primary focus on 2D, character animation, and pre-production. Molly’s work involves themes of connection and relationships, shown visually through saturated colors, character movement, and camera angles. As a Baltimore based artist, Molly ventures to connect within professional and personal outreach communities.

Personal Website

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Swamp Creatures

David and Tara Gladden | US

Run time: 9:30 min.

Synopsis:
Democracy is in peril. Even the home is not safe. In this tragi-comic, political stop motion animation, Swamp Creatures, the kitchen becomes the stage for insurrection as the magnets on the refrigerator come to life and battle for the very soul of America.

Bios:
C. Tara and David Gladden are life partners and collaborative, interdisciplinary artists. Their wide-ranging, multi-layered practice includes video, sound, animation, performance, photography, collage, installation, and sculpture. Their work has been presented nationally and internationally in festivals, private and non-profit galleries, established and DIY performance spaces including regional venues in DC: Civilian Art Projects, Brentwood Arts Exchange, in Baltimore; Metro Gallery, and in NYC: Artists Outpost Resource, Grace Exhibition Space, HereArts Center, The Living Theatre, Judson Memorial Church, and Emily Harvey Gallery, among others. They both hold MFAs from Brooklyn College, where they attended the Performance and Interactive Media Arts Program as a collaborative duo. In 2012, they founded John Cage Memorial Park, an artist residency and land art project on 4 ½ acres of pine forest in the fishing village of Chance, Maryland. David is Associate Professor and Area Head of New Media Art at Salisbury University, and Tara is Gallery Director and Curator for the Kohl Gallery at Washington College in Chestertown, MD.

Little Dan

Yingdan Lai | US & China

Run time: 5:09 min.

Synopsis:
Drifting into childhood memories, Dan reminisces about the simple happiness she experienced when she was little.

My film “Little Dan” narrates the story of an individual reminiscing about their carefree childhood amidst the complexities and monotony of adult life. This film is animated on frame by frame with various animating techniques such as hand-drawn camera movements, straight ahead animating without drawing key frames and complicated weaving loop animation. My practice of chronicling life — capturing experiences, observations, and perceptions — has been ongoing. “Little Dan” essentially represents a compilation of these personal reflections. I have come to realize that many of these reflections are deeply connected to my childhood, creating a dialogue between my present self and the unique experiences of the early 2000s.

Bio: An animation director, originally from China and now based in California, USA, she specializes in making experimental narrative animated films. Her focus lies in conveying subtle emotions through unexpected and distinctive character performances. She is currently pursuing her master's degree at CalArts.

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