San Francisco International Film Festival: Frame by Frame April 29, 2007

This program of animated shorts features a range of styles and techniques including cel, line drawing, object animation, etchings and hybrid live action and animation works. Experimental, atmospheric and out-of-the-blue heart-stopping, these shorts surprise and delight frame by frame.

The Tale of How
Kicking off the program is an epic, gothic ballad. It’s best to know from whence we came if we are to go the way of the nene bird. (The Blackheart Gang, South Africa 2006, 5 min.)

Acousticity
Originally created as a surround-sound installation, the Semiconductor collective’s piece uses sounds and images gathered in Prague and depicts the Czech capital as one in flux—literally. (Ruth Jarman, Joe Gerhardt, Czech Republic/England 2006, 3 min.)

Birchbeer
My head is a bottle of birch beer. Yours is peppermint candy. The end. (JoJo Li, USA 2006, 1 min.)

Loom
A sweet lady needs material for her loom. Where she gets it one would venture to say is . . . unexpected. (Scott Kravitz, USA 2006, 5 min.) In GGA competition.

Sheep
Black-and-white optical swirls provide the background to la mouton and her curls. (Zeina Abirached, France 2006, 4 min.) In GGA competition.

Tyger
Inspired by a William Blake poem, this hybrid of live action puppetry and animation taps into the fear and exhilaration of progress as a tiger prowls the streets of Sao Paulo. (Guilherme Marcondes, Brazil 2006, 4 min.) In GGA competition.

Whirr
Amazing in its simplicity, this German gem gives precise attention to the details of a suburban housing development. (Timo Katz, Germany 2006, 3 min.

t.o.m.
Tom is a youngster. Tom is very particular. Tom has special routes. Oh, Tom. (Tom Brown, Daniel Gray, England 2006, 3 min.)

Adjustment
Absence makes the heart grow stranger in this short that will have you wondering, "How’d they do that?" over and over. (Ian Mackinnon, England 2006, 7 min.)

Harrachov
This is animation in the most literal sense, as everyday objects and bits of junk are brought to life. (Matt Hulse, Joost van Veen, Netherlands 2006, 10 min.) In GGA competition.

Never Like the First Time!
Three nonfictional stories of losing you-know-what interpreted by competing visual styles. (Jonas Odell, Sweden 2006, 15 min.) In GGA competition.

The Memories of Dogs
Simone Massi’s moody film tangentially reveals the fragility and urgency of fleeting memories. (Simone Massi, Italy/France 2006, 8 min.) In GGA competition.

Collision
The colors and symbols of the West and the Middle East collide to produce abstract mandalas. (Max Hattler, England 2005, 3 min.)

The Danish Poet
The 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short about kismet and true love features narration by Liv Ullmann. (Torill Kove, Norway/Canada 2006, 15 min.) In GGA Competition.

—Sean Uyehara

Total running time 86 min. Presented in association with ASIFA San Franciso: The International Animation Film Association.

Official Website: http://fest07.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=47