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This dynamic black-and-white film made at the famous Polish school in Lodz is characterised by expressive animation and sound. While waiting for the arrival of a mysterious newcomer, people keep on trying to guess who he is. The blurry vision of the stranger takes shape and his presence feels almost real. The initial excitement of the crowd turns into anxiety.

The hero of this puppet film lives a happy but routine life, but one day, she finds out that “something is different”. She suddenly notices discontinuities in time and space and that everyday objects are actually flat and fake. But is this not the real life of a puppet that needs to be accepted? The author suggestively portrays the confused mind of the hero in whose brain the awakening provokes a raging storm.

Animated scenes from spas and swimming pools are a favourite among animators (especially French animators), but they sometimes tend to focus more on atmosphere than situations. That is not the case of the artistically inventive and purely animated film Grand Bassin in which – against the backdrop of a peaceful spa – incredible stories unfold both above and below the surface of the water.

This suggestive Japanese horror film is a shocking variation on the popular story about the wolf and little goats. The she-goat rescues her children from the wolf’s belly but she can’t find her oldest son. A scary naturalistic story unfolds which in fact addresses a much deeper issue than it may seem at first sight.

With humour and irony, the film touches on the often taboo subject of depression. The film’s hero is controlled by a feeling of absolute emptiness and so he seeks comfort with his family, then the doctor… but not even his self-appointed friends can chase away his gloom in the end. This minimalistic film is a testimony to feelings that torment a greater part of the population than we think.

This autobiographical anidoc observes the difficult communication between a Korean grandmother and her granddaughter who grew up in Germany. The author illustrates their dialogue, or rather attempts to engage in one, against the backdrop of cultural and historical events. The gap between them is so wide that it is uncertain whether these two women can understand each other.

A disturbing and visually cold story about a boy who meets a group of strangely distant children. He feels a kinship with them and would like to fit in. All the children have stains on their skin. The authors draw us into a world where they look for an answer to whether there is any difference between psychological terror and physical violence inflicted on children.

The author of this ambitious ten-episode project aims to visualise the incredible stories of people who want to remain anonymous for some reason. She wants to create a series of anidocs based on sound recordings of respondents without giving away their identity. The Diver is one of them, and the author, who is interested in using animation in journalism, bestowed the story with poetic style and inventive execution.

This excellent film full of gags made by young Italian authors is an homage to and imitation of classic American slapsticks from the 1930s. The film, which includes many allusions to existing slapsticks and their characters and which tries to reflect contemporary issues of immigration and integration, tells the story of a white nationalist who can’t tolerate who his new neighbours are.

This rather sad story with a poetic atmosphere is set in the second half of the 18th century in Tahiti when colonisers arrive to this island untouched by western civilisation. Naïve Tahitians trade the treasures of their island for nails that they apparently have no idea how to use. We watch the story through the eyes of a girl who refuses to make the trade at a critical moment.

The graduation film of Slovak director Martin Smatana uses symbols and tender metaphors to poetically tell the story of a young boy dealing with the death of his grandfather. This artistically atypical film made using a demanding animation technique is intended mainly for children. It wants to show them that even though all beings must eventually pass on, there is a way to still be with them.