Little Black Riding Hood / The Walls: two very different early shorts by Piotr Dumala
Piotr Dumala, “Little Black Riding Hood / Czarny Kapturek” (1983) Piotr Dumala, “The Walls / Sciany” (1988) Based on the familiar childhood story but rendered in…
Fantasy
Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor: a bleak and surreal observation of one man’s existence in an uncaring universe
Koji Yamamura, “Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor / Franz Kafka: Ein Landartz / Kafuka: Inaka Isha” (2007) Excellent if rather visually grotesque animated short film based…
Little Mole in the City: gentle satire poking fun at human nature and Western technocratic society
Zdenek Miler, “Little Mole in the City / Der Maulwurf kommt in die Stadt / Kiskavond a varosban / Kurmiukas mieste” (1982) Another charming half-hour adventure…
The Mole and the Eagle: inventive and heart-warming episode about friendship, love and happiness
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole and the Eagle / Kiskavond es a sas” (1992) Yet another delightful episode from the Little Mole / Krtecek series and moreover…
Beasts of the Southern Wild: a celebration of life and hope in the struggle against catastrophe and sinister forces
Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012) Can’t be very many films where the main characters are played by a very young girl and a…
The Mole and the Medicine: heart-warming film about a resourceful and fearless little hero
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole and the Medicine / Krtek a medicina / Kiskavond es a gyogyszer” (1987) Found on Youtube under its Hungarian title, this episode…
The Mole in a Dream: children’s animation short verges on surreal and sci-fi / apocalyptic
Zdenek Miler, “The Mole in a Dream / Krtek ve Snu” (1985) Another film episode in the life of Krtek the Mole and this one’s a…
Sed uz sliekšna pasacina: a very pretty and surreal animated film from Latvia
Mirdza Zivere, “Sed uz sliekšna pasacina” (1987) Made for Latvian-language television in the Soviet Union in 1987, this very pretty and surreal animated short has some…
Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass): animation revisits an earlier animation based on famous painting
Priit Pärn and Mari Pakkas, “Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass)” (2011) Nothing like revisiting the scene of the crime when you want an idea for…
Põhja Konn: strange little film based on Estonian fairy tale
Riho Unt, “Põhja Konn” (2007) Quirky 14-minute short that mixes live action and stop-motion animation of sculpted figures, “Põhja Konn” is a strange, almost surreal piece for…