Our friends of Kaboom Animation Festival picked the best of their fest to show at The Art Department. Enjoy these amazing eight short films!
Navozande, the Musician (Best International Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Reza Riahi, FR, 2020, 15’
In the thirteenth century, at the time of the attack of the Mongols, a young musician and the love of his life are separated from each other. Fifty years after the incident, after Persia bowed to the invaders, the musician is summoned to perform at the castle of the Mongols where his beloved is being held. Meticulously crafted and with an achingly beautiful score, the film pays homage to love in times of extreme sorrow.
A Film About a Pudding (Best Student Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Roel van Beek, UK, 2021, 9’
Watch out!! A large pudding is threatening the city! Wait – whut? – back up… After Ronin neglects to clear up her dropped groceries, they start to mix and bubble, transforming into a small pudding. Whilst this initially seems odd, for Ronin, it is easily ignorable. Over the next few days, the pudding grows bigger and bigger. Uh-oh… Can she continue to ignore it?
Bekeken (Best Dutch Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Kim de Ruyter, NL, 2021, 3’
Ambitiously animated, this short explores the tension in watching and being watched, and the effects of rejection can have on one’s self-image. An uncanny and eerie watch that will make you question the looks you give and receive.
Camouflage (Nancy Award Kaboom 2022)
Dirs. Jantiene Kroon & Remco Polman, NL, 2021, 20’
Six years in the making, the philosophical genre film Camouflage is a dystopian thriller in which we follow four days in the life of office clerk Amouf, while he desperately tries to hold his life together while the world around him gets darker and darker, following the rise of De Jager. This flamboyant and highly intimidating creature is a hate-instigating vigilante, who has sworn to systematically prosecute certain groups. A hand-drawn animated film with over 800(!) character-animations.
Kai – A Little Too Much (Best Music Video Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Martina Scarpelli, UK & US, 2020, 4’
In an imaginary space a woman lets go of herself and overcomes fearing her own greatness. She discovers her body, she embraces her emotions, and learns to own all the parts that make her HER. With stark black-and-white imagery, this music video for Canadian singer-songwriter kai is a story about the female nature and body.
Pig (Audience Award for Best Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Jorn Leeuwerink, NL, 2021, 8’
Plug into the pig! A group of animals hook up a power grid to the socket-shaped snout of one big, sleeping pig. The animals use the pig’s energy for simple things at first, but soon they render themselves dependent on a city where every single thing – the useful and the useless – is automated … How long can that last? A humorous fable that leaves it up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions about our resources and the climate crisis.
Save Ralph (Best Commissioned Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Spencer Susser, UK, 2021, 4’
No animal should suffer and die in the name of beauty. Produced by The Humane Society International, directed by Spencer Susser (Hesher) and featuring an all-star multinational cast including Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff and more, Save Ralph is a powerful stop-motion short in which the bunny Ralph is being interviewed for a documentary while going through his daily routine as a “tester” in a lab.
Battery Daddy (Best Children’s Short Kaboom 2022)
Dir. Seung-bae Jeon, KR, 2021, 6’
Who is really in charge of the house? Parents? No, it’s Battery Daddy! He is the manager of every corner of the house, including children’s toys, remote controls, and door locks. One day, Battery Dad goes on a trip to the valley with the Dong-gu family. But a sudden downpour causes the valley to flood and now everyone is stranded! Battery Dad to the rescue.