FRONT RUNNERS - ANIMATION
Prague
Sometimes all it takes is a pencil line, a few clay puppets, or a handful of pixels—and a story can hit you harder than the grandest Hollywood spectacles. A bear cub raised by a tree that loves him more than he deserves. A boy who sells a girl’s tears without truly knowing what he is selling. A man who spends his whole life postponing what matters most until retirement. Three sisters on a remote island whose lives are thrown into loving chaos by the arrival of a sailor. And a butterfly whose strong arms seem to hold an entire human life within them. Five films from Canada, the United States, Ireland, France, and Israel—Oscar-nominated, and no two alike.
RETIREMENT PLAN (Ireland)
Director: John Kelly | Producers: Andrew Freedman, Julie Murnaghan |
Star: Domhnall Gleeson |
Year: 2024 | Length: 7 min | Animation |
In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”
BUTTERFLY (France)
Director: Florence Miailhe | Producers: Luc Camilli, Ron Dyens |
Star: Fayçal Safi, Jessica Jaouiche, Alexandre Liebe |
Year: 2024 | Length: 15 min | Animation |
In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water.
THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS (Canada) - THE WINNER
Directors: Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | Producers: Marc Bertrand, Christine Noël, Julie Roy |
Star: Colm Feore, Gabrielle Dallaire, James Hyndman |
Year: 2025 | Length: 17 min | Animation |
In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.
THE THREE SISTERS (Israel, Cyprus, Russia)
Director: Konstantin Bronzit | Producers: Alexander Boyarskiy, Sergey Seliyanov |
Year: 2024 | Length: 14 min | Animation |
Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses.
FOREVERGREEN (USA)
Directors: Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears | Producers: Steph Gortz, Jennifer Gandrup Sackheim |
Year: 2025 | Length: 13 min | Animation |
An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger.
Total length of the screening 66 min. In original language with Czech and English subtitles.
