FILM SCREENING
LIAF 2026: International Competition Programme 6
LITTLE VENICE
Dec 3rd 6.30PM
FILM SCREENING
LIAF 2026: International Competition Programme 6
Age 15+
Stop Motion Panorama (15*)
The Stop-Motion panorama is one of 28 screenings at this year's London International Animation Festival (LIAF) - the UK’s largest and longest-running animation festival featuring 10 days of amazing screenings, talks, discussions and events from November 27 to December 6. The full festival programme is available at https://liaf.org.uk/
Since the dawn of cinema puppet animation has provided some of the most mesmerising films ever made and puppet animators have been among the most revered. Breathing a kind of life into inanimate puppets is a very special form of magic and this programme showcases the continuing vibrancy of this technique.
Puppet films should always look like they were handmade. The movements are not always clean, super smooth and flawless. The characters in the films should ‘feel’ real…. because they are! It is these quirks and wonderful little imperfections that make these films so special and define some of the most important elements of a puppet film.
These 9 thought-provoking, moving and downright loopy short puppet films have been made by some of the most talented independent animators in the last few years from their different bunkers around the world proving that tangible and physical stop-motion and puppet animation is alive and well and in rude health in the 21st century. Long may it prosper!
Several filmmakers will be in attendance to introduce their films at the start of the screening. Come and say hello!
Total running time: approx 92 mins
Cartoon Physics
When a four-year-old girl discovers a dead bird in the garden, her mother is swept into a world where reality unfolds like a cartoon. A meditation on a mother's attempt to protect her daughter's sense of wonder.
Switzerland, Netherlands, France 2026 Dir: Ru Kawahata, Max Porter 10’50
Unplug
Yoni has a single mission: to clean himself up and quickly return to his next class. That’s how he will (quite literally) plunge into an unknown dimension: his own body.
Spain 2026 Dr: Comandante Bebé 10’00
The End
A tale of death and existence set in a large, international airport.
Sweden, France, Denmark 2026 Dir: Niki Lindroth von Bahr 17’10
Nun
In a strictly synchronised convent, a new nun’s tiniest misstep sparks the sudden appearance of a mysterious tattoo. As panic sets in and secrets unravel, the calm routine fractures - revealing a sisterhood that moves to a dark, hidden rhythm of its own.
Czech Republic 2026 Dir: Ekaterina Kuznetsova 8’20
Death's Peak
Desperate for connection, David digs up his brother’s corpse. With their trusty red wagon, they ascend a treacherous mountain in pursuit of their childhood dream.
UK 2025 Dir: Willy Fair 9’00
Ivar
Noticing her husband Ivar's new scent, Anne lies awake at night with a nagging question: should she leave him?
Norway 2025 Dir: Markus Tangre 4’25
Deep End
One summer in early-2000s China, a shy preteen girl confronts her fear of water - and human connection - when she forms an unexpected, magical bond in the deep end of the pool.
UK 2026 Dir: Puzhen Zhang 7’40
Two ice creams please
During their holiday, two young women get lost in a rainforest. After wandering around for days, their irritation with one another grows. While dreams about ice cream increasingly creep into their reality, they become conscious of their own vulnerability.
Belgium 2026 Dir: Jasmine Elsen 12’15
Uka-Uka
Battling boredom, a little boy gets trapped in the boot of a car. When he gets out, he’s no longer the same.
Estonia 2026 Dir: Henri Veermae 11’55
