Beyond Animation

Sat, 16. 3., 18:00Sun, 17. 3., 21:15

62‘

supported by

Nature, art and artificiality, profound emotions and technologized lives, humanized nature and de-humanized cities: This programme offers insights into China’s contemporary art discourse. All directors presented here are active in various fields of modern art, and their films, installations and performances enjoy great success both in China and in the international art world.

Presented by and curated in cooperation with Yantong Zhu, filmmaker and chief curator of China Independent Animation Film Forum 2018

So Red And A Little Blue

Sijia Luo

2015,

4’

Fragments of information are scattered across computers and the internet and constitute the world of Red and Blue. When they meet, their faces look so red, but maybe their moods are a little blue?

It Is My Fault *

Sha Liu

2016,

4’50

Using computer-game visuals and a matching soundtrack, Liu Sha shows what happens when spirituality disappears from everyday life and people lose themselves in a technologized world.

* Warning: This film contains intense light effects which may trigger photosensitive epileptic seizures in people with epilepsy. These people should not watch this programme.

Peach Blossom Fish

Hailu Chen, Yi Shi

2018,

8’45

A lonely little fish in a pond is spoiled by a squirrel. It comes to enjoy the squirrel’s love and care more and more and eventually turns into a beautiful goldfish. Meanwhile, it has become a prisoner too, trapped in an affluent paradise. Brush&Ink-Technique.

Birds Dream

Mi Chai

2014,

10’15

Her handcrafted bird models tell us about their dreams, about circulation and alienation. The film is based on live performances by the artist.

Cells’ Amusement Park

Ang Li, Caibei Cai

2016,

4’30

An imaginary football game between blue and red ink figures, set in a fascinating sci-fi world of cellular tissue that serves as the playing field for blood cells and antibodies.

Pining

Caibei Cai

CN/UK

2017,

2’15

Between lightness and abstraction, Caibei Cai tries to capture an ineffable feeling – in an animation dominated by the stroke and free association.

Silk And Symmetry

Tingting Lu

2010,

4’35

The video is based on a radio fitness programme that is popular in Chinese schools. The style of animation is distorted rather than realistic in order to make the characters more expressive.

Chasing

Chao Wu

2011,

22’27

What are you chasing? Where are you heading? The crows are watching and you are just a meaningless story in their eyes. The film is composed of seemingly irrelevant things: Curious children keep marching and searching, a wall you can climb over but never turn back, the shadow is weak at night but strong during the day.

Using different approaches that include hand-painted animation, video, installation, field trips and interdisciplinary collaborations, Chao Wu has gained extensive attention in the contemporary new media art world.

Festival 5 - 9 March, 2025