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Animation 2018
13 new short films from new and emerging animators, commissioned through a prestigious initiative by the BFI, BBC Four, and BBC Arts.
As part of BFI's yearlong celebration of British animation, BFI and BBC set out to find the most exciting and original filmmakers working in animation, from across the UK.
The 13 commissioned films encompass a number of different approaches, using styles and techniques ranging from hand-drawn images to live-action puppetry, stop motion, CG, 2D and 3D, and covering a diverse range of genres from science-fiction to documentary; celebrating the medium of animation in all its breadth.
Development and delivery of the animations were managed by independent production company Wingspan Productions which previously produced the successful BFI/BBC collaboration Listen to Britain in 2017.
The films are grouped below under four curated themes, reflecting the presentation from their BBC Four broadcast on 2 December 2018.
ANIMALS
Outside the BoxOutside the Box
Animation & Artists Moving Image20184 mins
A bird desperately wants to escape his lonely work in order to find the one he loves again.
The Penguin Who Couldn't SwimThe Penguin Who Couldn't Swim
Animation & Artists Moving Image20186 mins
A disabled penguin feels isolated from the rest of her colony.
QuarantineQuarantine
Animation & Artists Moving Image201813 mins
A post-Brexit pagan dance fantasy about a troupe of Morris-dancing badgers forced to confront the animals quarantined in a facility built above their burrow.
OTHER WORLDS
Childhood MemoriesChildhood Memories
Animation & Artists Moving Image20184 mins
A multilayered autobiographical animation exploring personal memory.
MeteorlightMeteorlight
Animation & Artists Moving Image201810 mins
Sci-fi animation set in an alien world. When a child discovers a dark secret at their father's factory, they must choose between what is right and what is easy.
UkiUki
Animation & Artists Moving Image20186 mins
A short stop-frame animation following a lonely Inuit who struggles to survive after an oil tanker leaks oil off the coast of Alaska, killing all the wildlife in the area.
OBSESSION
Frank's JokeFrank's Joke
Animation & Artists Moving Image20186 mins
A comedic look at how our brains can keep us awake at night and the mercurial nature of memory.
The Three Crow BoysThe Three Crow Boys
Animation & Artists Moving Image201810 mins
Animation narrated by Tim McInnerny, set in London in the wake of a terrible war. A lonely old blind man receives three unexpected visitors, and tragedy follows.
\\_sleeper\\_sleeper
Animation & Artists Moving Image20187 mins
The story of Frank, a recluse who wakes each day to a strange anomaly.
LOVE
Slug LifeSlug Life
Animation & Artists Moving Image20187 mins
A curious woman creates her own perfect partner, a beautiful, talking giant slug.
HairHair
Animation & Artists Moving Image201810 mins
Mary and Archie are obsessive shavers. Archie hates hair, and Mary loves Archie. But when Mary wonders what might happen if she let it grow, it threatens their relationship.
O, Hunter HeartO, Hunter Heart
Animation & Artists Moving Image20187 mins
Nature and domesticity collide in this dark love story featuring stop-motion puppets.
Ladder to YouLadder to You
Animation & Artists Moving Image20184 mins
Eric misses his Elsie, but in his darkest moment she shows him that true love never dies.
Animated Britain
Animation 2018 is part of our Animated Britain collection.
Listen to Britain 2017
BFI and BBC's previous initiative produced 12 films inspired by Humphrey Jennings and Stewart McAllister's classic documentary.