Toe, Petal, Cosmos
Toe, Petal, Cosmos
Cells’ Amusement Park
Cells’ Amusement Park
Books on Books
Books on Books

Screened as part of NZIFF 2017

Animation NOW! New Chinese Animation 

The profusion of energy, skill and idiosyncratic vision on display in this showcase of recent animation from China is amazing – and the spirit of independence fills every frame.

66 minutes

If the breadth of the work here is any indication, independent Chinese animation is in something of a Golden Age. From the enigmatic to the electric, this collection of work is a series of unpredictable and provocative statements. It seems every short here has its own rarefied world to explore: a shadow journeys a vivid landscape in a colourful meditation on memory; red and blue cells take human form for a heated football match; and body parts intermingle with flora and fauna in a trippy riff on the quantum theory. Some of these worlds reflect on technology: a man is overwhelmed by windows of images (many sexual in nature), and scatters of information form a playful digital tapestry between two computers. There’s no shortage of political critique: a marionette dictator loses his reign over an industrial wasteland; a troupe of animals flee through an apocalyptic ruin from a rocket ship full of sadistic toddlers; and in the most hypnotic short of the programme, a series of confounding, abstracted images reflect on China in split-screen – the effect is like a gallery show where the viewer is able to wander into each individual canvas. — JF

A Lone Bird Flying In The Snow 2015

Director

4 minutes

The blanket of winter perfectly backdrops a simple concerto amid nature’s orchestra.

Cells’ Amusement Park 2016

Directors

4 minutes

Down at the coursing, molecular level, life is an eternal evolutionary sport played out by the rules and for keeps.

Forever 2016

Director

7 minutes

In the daily battle to enforce regulations, having the high ground is all important – until the crowd turns.

So Red and a Little Blue 2016

Director

4 minutes

Life can be full of surprises. The trick is to figure how to not lose your head – or let somebody else take it off you.

Goodbye Utopia 2014

Director

7 minutes

A cornucopia of randomly selected dystopic images co-joined for one last farewell parade.

Books on Books 2016

Director

3 minutes

The (rapidly) rising master of montage returns with an exquisitely timed, image-laden rollercoaster for the eyes.

Balloon 2015

Director

6 minutes

Balloons come in all shapes and sizes and they have a thousand uses. Some of them also look a bit familiar!

Animal Year 2016

Director

7 minutes

From within the shattered remnants of a jigsaw theme park, a sense that all is not quite right is beginning to make itself felt.

The Abyss 2016

Directors

4 minutes

Blood on the trees, scent in the air, hunger in the belly. Fear and courage find their crossroads one winter’s day.

Toe, Petal, Cosmos 2016

Director

3 minutes

A colourful visual ballet drawn from the softly geometric centre of a triangle-inspired universe.

Another Man 2015

Director

4 minutes

In a world that respects no ups or downs, reflections and shadows lose track of what it is they are supposed to render.

Still 2015

Director

5 minutes

Sometimes understanding how to meld the real and the imagined is all about following the thread that weaves them together.

Missing One Player 2015

Director

4 minutes

The answers are definitely out there, somewhere – maybe it’s the questions that don’t make any sense?

Mirage 2014

Director

4 minutes

Be witness to the crystalline disintegration of a once colourful, fluid and hyper-populated cosmos.