Animation 1
Animation 1
Animation 1
Saturday 26th September 2.35pm
An adventure from acidic oceans and intergalactic cruises to virtual dreamscapes and neighbourhoods where fantasy reshapes everyday life. Funny, surreal and moving, the films in Animation 1 explore art, science, ambition and community with boundless imagination - revealing extraordinary worlds where human connection takes unexpected forms.
Official Selection 2026
ACID CITY
Dir: Jack Wedge & Will Freudenheim
A city floats adrift in a vast acidic ocean. Over the course of one day, a film crew captures life in this isolated place through a mix of real interviews from New York, with scientists, responders, and everyday people, and imagined voices.
COSMONAUTS
Dir: Leo Černic
On an intergalactic cruise for singles, lonely souls chase a kiss, a caress, or just a glimpse of love among the stars.
THE DREAM MACHINE
Dir: Jimmy Marble
A widow joins an advanced virtual reality program to cope with her loss, but her journey through simulated dreams takes an unforeseen turn that challenges her grip on reality.
PLOO
Dir: Jon Frickey
On a screen where vector graphics are eternal, an elderly shopkeeper faces the fleeting nature of life. Guided by a gentle moth, Ploo becomes a poetic meditation on mortality, permanence and the strange beauty of impermanence.
CARIES
Dir: Aline Höchli
Eager to create a monumental work of art, a shaman remains blissfully unaware that she is painting her murals inside the mouth of a vain weather presenter.
IVAR
Dir: Markus Tangre
Noticing her husband Ivar's new scent, Anne lies awake at night with a nagging question: should she leave him?
BASKETBALL EXPLORER PRESENTS: THE SHOT DOCTOR
Dir: K Pakiz
Improve your jump shot and absolve your sins with minor regional basketball utility player Pete Denny.
HOMEMADE GATORADE
Dir: Carter Amelia Davis
A woman embarks on a road trip to deliver homemade Gatorade to a mysterious online buyer.
DOLLHOUSE ELEPHANT
Dir: Jenny Jokela
A group of neighbours, each focused on their own goals, must learn to communicate and consider one another. But when small, everyday actions trigger unexpected consequences, they are forced into interactions that challenge their independence.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING
Dir: Nienke Deutz & Digna Van Der Put
If you could fly for one day, what would you do? A group of neighbours answers this question and we follow their flight. Along the way, we get to know the characters and it becomes clear this fantasy has a different meaning for everyone.
Discover this year’s programme
Animation 1 Animation 2 Change Comedy Documentary Drama Music Video Student Film