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Last year’s harvest of Czech, mainly student, films brought an interesting crop of midnight films. These unusually provocative and satirical films full of black, absurd and at times perhaps internal humour make up an excellent collection of genuine animated curiosities. For the first time, Anifilm is dedicating one of its midnight blocks exclusively to Czech animation. The viewers will probably wonder what’s possible in (Czech!) animation. Boundaries are wiped and animation now includes a marionette speaking with the voices of the authors (I.P. Pavlova Story) and also a quirky reporter called Jan Čařík, the star of the comic strips from the Festival Daily. All that can be found in 15 and more minutes of running length (Tlačenka, Love Thy Neighbor, Teambuilding TV Estrada). On the other hand, other authors work with slightly perverted gags and quicker punchlines as seen for instance in Parasites and Kisser.

Tlačenka, Love Thy Neighbor: Feminism
Director: Marie Krajpová, CZ, 2019, 15 min

Kisser
Director: Filip Tatýrek, CZ, 2018, 1 min

Purgatory with Angel and Jan Čařík
Director: Matouš Valchář, CZ, 2018, 6 min

Parasites
Director: Ivana Zapletalová, CZ, 2018, 5 min

I.P. Pavlova Story
Director: Matouš Valchář, CZ, 2018, 1 min

The XXXL Plumber Jack Dingbongs Her Tiny Skinpompom: Episode 8
Director: Vojtěch Kočí, CZ, 2018, 2 min

Teambuilding TV Estrada
Director: Zdeněk Zdráhal, CZ, 2018, 32 min

Blocks of new midnight animations are an inseparable part of Anifilm’s accompanying film programme. Each year, we pick the most shocking, horrifying, obscure, saucy and extreme films. This block will present horror films whose authors play with the genre in various ways. Some take it seriously, so their films are mysterious and spine-chilling (The Feather Pillow, Island of the Deceased), others have a more metaphorical approach (Baraa, My Little Goat) and there are also some examples of irony (Sunscapades), parody (A Long Way from Home) and twisted exaggeration (Under Covers). In their films, the authors take us to mysterious settings – we see a world where raw meat grows rampant (Carnotopos), we explore weirdly trashy (supposedly hotel) interiors (Under Covers), a nightmarish forest, Wild West and a garden where one can grow zombies.

The Feather Pillow
Director: Joseph Specker Nys, BR, 2018, 12 min

Carnotopos
Director: Felicia Bergström, Anita Becker, Fabián M. Salgado, DE, 2018, 4 min

A Long Way from Home
Director: Andy Tai, Eduardo Enriquez, USA, 2018, 4 min

Island of the Deceased
Director: Jihyeon Kim, KR, 2018, 9 min

Undergrowth
Director: Laura White, UK, 2018, 6 min

Under Covers
Director: Michaela Olsen, USA, 2018, 7 min

Inseyed
Director: Jessica Hudak, USA, 2018, 2 min

Limbo of Innocence
Director: Michal Ben Porat, IL, 2018, 4 min

Baraa
Director: Natasza Cetner, UK, PL, 2018, 5 min

Sunscapades
Director: Ben Mitchell, UK, 2018, 5 min

My Little Goat
Director: Tomoki Misato, JAP, 2018, 10 min

The third midnight animation block focuses on the body and flesh and not only in an erotic context. The viewers can look forward to ten unforgettable films. One of them explores pure sexuality (Roses in the Night), another the circumstances of experiencing it (Adorable) and the authors of other films try to push the limits of what they can depict in their portrayals of the body and what their audiences will tolerate. They examine deviations (Soapboy, Looking for You), disgustingness (Boilermaker), obscure behaviour and situations (Retiredness) and other similar things. Even the classic of Dutch animation Paul Driessen explores uncharted waters with his film The Origin of Sounds in which the Creator realizes he forgot to add sound to the world! He starts fixing this by using his weird collection of animated cartoons. But not to the liking of his creatures…

Roses in the Night
Director: Pencho Kunchev, BG, 2018, 11 min

Retiredness
Director: Szilard Kardiak, SK, 2018, 2 min

Boilermaker
Director: Risto Kütt, EST, 2018, 4 min

Slug Life
Director: Sophie Koko Gate, UK, 2018, 7 min

Wunderkammer
Director: Jennifer Linton, CAN, 2018, 5 min

Looking for You
Director: Diyala Muir, Dominic Myatt, UK, 2018, 3 min

Adorable
Director: Cheng-Hsu Chung, UK, 2018, 6 min

Soapboy
Director: Agne Jurkenaite, Daniel O’Connor, Anna Smirnova, UK, 2018, 7 min

The Origin of Sounds
Director: Paul Driessen, Toon Loenders, BE, NL, 2018, 13 min