The Carp and the Seagull is an interactive short film about one man's encounter with the spirit world and his fall from grace. It is a user driven narrative that tells a single story through the prism of two connected spaces. The film is an experiment in space and narrative using the latest in web technology.When the film was released, it was billed as the world's first interactive 3D film for the web, going on to win numerous web awards. The story is told in a stripped down polygonal style that reflects the emotional, spiritual states of the characters. High density, smooth polygon vertices indicate oneness with the world while distorted, non-uniform shapes show unease within the characters. The film's protagonist is Masato, a simple fisherman, spending his days fishing the waters near his village eking out a quiet, structured life. The Carp and the Seagull focuses on his encounter with the Yuki-onna ghost.
The Ride to the Abyss (1992)
‘La course à l’abîme’ is a depiction of the final ride into hell from ‘La Damnation de Faust’ (1846) by Hector Berlioz.
Samba the Great (1977)
The adventures of a legendary hero who, dazzled by the beauty of a princess in the hand asks. This imposes several trials he emerges victorious. Only death will eventually bring the two young men.
Rain or Shine (2016)
Rain or Shine takes the viewer on the comic journey of young Ella who’s keen to show off her swishy new sunglasses, only to be dogged by a persistent raincloud whenever she puts them on. The viewer has a direct impact on the pace of which the events unfold, depending on where their focus lies at various points throughout the film.
Mower Minions (2016)
The Minions need to raise $20 to purchase an as seen on TV banana blender. So they take up lawn mowing at an old folks home, with hilarious antics!
A Christmas Tale (1993)
On the eve of Christmas, the tears of the poor girl Marusia melted the cold and indifferent heart of the wealthy landlord. Based on the fairy tale “Tear” by the Ukrainian writer Marko Cheremshyna.
But Milk Is Important (2012)
A man with social anxiety gets followed by a naive and clumsy creature. Terrified the man tries to escape, unaware that the creature is actually a helper with slightly unconventional methods.
Alarm (2009)
Snooze buttons, sunlight…the inescapable cacophony of alarm alerts: waking up in the morning is a battle between the present and the future state of mind. A dream-like war with yourself and other objects that seem to take a life of its own.
Devil in the Room (2013)
Have you ever woken in the night unable to move, certain that you are not alone? This is an experimental documentary examining what happens when dreams leak into waking life. It is about what is real, what is not, and if it even matters.
Simple Destiny Abstractions (1938)
A short creation by Douglass Crockwell that can be found on the Unseen Cinema box set.
The Great Philips Review (1938)
Puppet animation of Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra performing. A Puppetoon animated short film.
The Frog Pond (1938)
In Ub Iwerks' The Frog Pond, many frogs are singing and having a good time until a big bully frog takes some food and basically orders a house built on his lily pond.
Riding the Rails (1938)
Betty Boop goes to work on the subway (Trample 'Em R.R. Co.); Pudgy the Pup follows her and gets more ride than he bargained for.
Aladdin (1992)
Princess Jasmine grows tired of being forced to remain in the palace, so she sneaks out into the marketplace, in disguise, where she meets street urchin Aladdin. The couple falls in love, although Jasmine may only marry a prince. After being thrown in jail, Aladdin becomes embroiled in a plot to find a mysterious lamp, with which the evil Jafar hopes to rule the land.
Mr Hublot (2013)
Mr Hublot is a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, scared of change and the outside world. Robot Pet's arrival turns his life upside down: he has to share his home with this very invasive companion.
Paradise (2013)
A space station sanitary worker encounters a bear whose nose was mysteriously cut off by a human.
Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala (2015)
The crusades come to life in Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s beautiful Cabaret Crusades. Inspired by the writings of Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, Shawky’s film trilogy explores the horrors of the medieval holy wars in the Middle-East – from an Arab perspective. With a cast made up entirely of puppets, the third part, The Secrets of Karbala (2014), centres on the period between the 7th and 12th centuries, covering the crusades as well as a dispute between two Islamic sects. Beautifully made of handblown Murano glass, the puppets have amazing expressive power, making the scenes full of violence, repression and torture all the more awe-inspiring.
Kizi mizi (2007)
A moody love story featuring a cat and mouse. Even if we are lucky enough to love and be loved, deep down we remain a bit lonely. The film talks about how dearly we have to pay for our inability to endure this loneliness. About the fact that we must take care of love carefully, because returning to a loved one may prove impossible, even if there is a glowing longing on both sides. A broken diamond can no longer be glued together.
Tick Tack (1957)
Conceived, drawn and animated live by a team of patients from a psychiatric clinic, this achievement presents, in the eyes of its author, less interest on a purely cinematographic level than on that of human experience. It is the disturbing wordless story of a woman and a man living in a strange setting where objects are endowed with life that they have chosen to tell us through this theater of shadow puppets in cut out figurines. Their characters will know a tragic fate since carried in the air by balloons, they will finally be devoured by a horrible dragon.