Encounters Film Festival: The Highlights

Encounters Film Festival: The Highlights


I had the honour to be a volunteer at one of the most exciting international short film festival in the country. Encounters is the lead festival in Britain and one of the most prestigious in the world. A celebration of unique new visions, which recognise extraordinary talents in both animation and filmmaking.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to watch the dozens of daily screening and virtual reality sessions that the Encounters has to offer. The online database was also unavailable this year. I did my best to attend as many screenings as I possibly could, but that was a merely 20% of the entire competition and retrospectives. If a short film you think should be on the list isn't here, might be because I haven't had the chance to see it, or maybe I didn't enjoy it enough (Especially the contemporary Italian Horror Shorts which were beyond horrendous). These are the highlights of my personal experience and they all worth seeing.

• Fauve (Canada, 2018) by Jérémy Comte

Two boys are playing in an abandoned surface mine somewhere in Ontario. They continuously try to compete against each other, but the game stop being fun soon. 

I feel honoured to have seen this gem on a big screen. Fauve is one of the greatest short films in recent times. In its 16 minutes, Fauve was probably one the most powerful, shocking and intense screening of the year. I am glad it won the much-deserved Jury Prize, and I look forward to seeing what's the future holds for Jérémy Comte. 

• L'Ogre (France, 2017) by Laurene Braibant 

Easily the most visually stunning and sophisticated animation I've seen at the Festival, L'Ogre is a painterly hand-drawn gem on gluttony. Self-conscious for his size, a giant holds on eating terrified at the idea of revealing his ogresque self and so compromising his place in the society. During a business banquet, his true nature will be put to the test.

• Kontrolløren (Norway, 2018)

Set in a dystopian future where happiness is literally a privilege. Every citizen can have a small rationed dose of liquid joy that they can take via intravenous injection. Sharing, as well as small pleasure as listening to music are forbidden. Kontroller follows a solitary man named Albert whose job is to monitor any unauthorised use of joy. When the authorities introduce the ultimate punishment for excessive use, Albert faces an impossible choice.

• Wildebeest (Belgium, 2017) by Nicolas Keepers, Matthias Philps

A moving as much as hilarious Dutch animation about a couple lost in the savannah. Keppers and Philps's deadpan humour, combined with the juxtaposition of 2D animation and documentary footage and their obsession with elephants, it's what makes Wildebeest a charming, savage, cynical, weirdly romantic and wildly original achievement who deserved the Best Animation Jury Prize. 

• Arcadia (UK, 2017) by Paul Wright

Made entirely of archive found footage, this avant-garde documentary is not narrative driven, but it's rich of subtext about the past, present and future of England and the planet. By exploiting the imagery of British paganism and folk horror, Wright explores how in the era of consumerism and capitalism we lost our connection with the land. The experience was fantastic also thanks to the incredible setting. Screened outdoor in a small amphitheatre immerse in the wilderness, with performance art, naked people running around and a harp player. What else do you need?

• Tungrus (India, 2017) by Rishi Chandna

This short film documentary is a hilarious peek into a crowded apartment in Mumbai.  The father of a numerous family adopted a hell-raising rooster as a pet. All the members of the family, including the two cats, are terrified by it. They need to decide between keeping him or eating him. 

• Lost & Found (Australia, 2018) by Andrew Goldsmith, Breadley Slabe 

A bumbling knitted dinosaur must completely unravel itself to save the love of its life. Prepare to have your heart melt if you ever come across this incredibly sweet and touching stop-motion animation. A love story between two knitted puppet that is heart-wrenching as much as heartwarming.  

• Would You Look At Her (Republic of Macedonia, 2017) by Goran Stolevski

We rarely come across Macedonian cinema, whose movie history is probably not as rich as many other European countries. Even rarer is to come across a Macedonian LGBT film. Would You Look At Her is one of the best short films I've seen at the festival. It's a realistic, intimate, fierce take on the homophobia and misogyny rooted in a Christian Orthodox rural Macedonia. A tomboy who secretly hides her homosexuality decides to take part in an all-male religious ritual.

• To Know Him (UK, 2018) by Ted Evans 

To Know Him follows a grieving deaf woman named Sarah, whose deaf partner died in a tragic accident. She is forced to track down her partner enstranged father who took his body without even acknowledging anyone in his son life. On her own, she will have to overcome barriers greater than language.  To Know Him is an incredibly moving short film about grief, love, communication and human connections. 

• Lalay-Balalay (Russia, 2018) by Ruslan Bratov

Probably the funniest short film I've seen at the festival, Lalay-Balalay (AKA Merry-Go-Round) follows a group of drunk Russian men who find themselves at an amusement park. They go for a ride on spinning Round-Up, but the hilarity soon fades away when they realise that the machine is not going to stop.