2025 FESTIVALApril 2-12, 2025Lansing, MI

Animated & Experimental Shorts Block

*Despite animation, these films are not suitable for children.

PLEASE NOTE: The theater at this venue is on the 2nd level (up one flight of stairs) and there is no elevator available.

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  • Madama Butterfly
  • POP
  • SRY BSY
  • Eye For An Eye
  • Scent of Geranium
  • 2.57k
  • The Cabinet Decision
  • Baggage Man
  • Anima Radix
  • B.
  • The Beach Boy
  • Natural Attraction
  • Umbra

Madama Butterfly

MADAMA BUTTERFLY is a string puppet movie about a fiery opera performance with tragic consequences.

  • DIRECTOR
    Andreas Kessler, Lea Najjar
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    5 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    German
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

POP

POP is psychedelic story of an old man’s ghost, who completely ignores others discomfort in order to escape from the physical realm. Through possessing both his old folks home nurse and a telekinetic spirit bounty hunter, Gramps’ ghost searches for a device which will transport him into a new dimension.

  • DIRECTOR
    Henry Bullen
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    5 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Australia

SRY BSY

Sry bsy – no time for nothing. Not even for spelling in full the words “sorry” and “busy”…  This digital 2D animation is about obsessions, compulsions and the pressure of keeping up with the challenges of modern working life. By combining a dark sense of humor with absurd elements, sry bsy is amusing and disturbing at the same time.

  • DIRECTOR
    Verena Westphal
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    3 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    no dialogue
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

Eye For An Eye

Frederick Baer spent over a decade on death row in Indiana State Prison. He is still waiting for his death penalty to be executed.  Hand-drawn animated Documentary about a murderer’s time on death row and the conflicts about his guilt and destiny.

  • DIRECTOR
    Steve Bache, Mahyar Goudarzi, Louise Peter
  • YEAR
    2016
  • RUNTIME
    4 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

Scent of Geranium

Immigration is a new chapter in one’s life, a chapter with unexpected events that can take one’s life down paths different from the one imagined. This film is an autobiographical account of the director’s experience with immigration.

  • DIRECTOR
    Naghmeh Farzaneh
  • YEAR
    2016
  • RUNTIME
    5 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English

2.57k

Millions of sand grains leap into motion by the magical tone at 2,750 Hz. Patterns arise. Shapes appear. Humans emerge – creating their own unique patterns of attraction and repulsion.  Do they follow some divine frequency of attraction? Shortfilm 2.57K strips down life to its basics and allows us to see and hear the extraordinary. Stunning imagery and an ethereal soundscape add to the rich viewing experience.

  • DIRECTOR
    Eva Colmers
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    13 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Canada

The Cabinet Decision

Israel and Palestine, two entities competing over their one beating heart. Will they both survive?

  • DIRECTOR
    Mayan Engelman
  • YEAR
    2014
  • RUNTIME
    4 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Israel

Baggage Man

Memories are chasing us throughout our whole life. They shape us and thus make us what we are today. Baggage Man takes you on a journey through this state of mind in the form of fragmentary snapshots of a rough youth.

  • DIRECTOR
    Matthias Gerding, Dennis Colquhoun
  • YEAR
    2016
  • RUNTIME
    4 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

Anima Radix

This film is a journey of metamorphosis to emerge from a dark world.  It’s the first animated piece by Fernando Silva De La Cruz. Made in collaboration with musician Miguel Palma.  Sand animation was the main technique for this production.  Images, movement and sound create the narrative of this sequence that’s open to be discovered by the audiences.  Lose yourself in its mystery.  Be moved by its imagery.  Allow yourself to die and be born again.

  • DIRECTOR
    Silva De La Cruz
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    3 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Australia

B.

The true story of „B.“: Torn between a cold relationship with K. and her feelings for another woman, shy and insecure B. is heading for a disaster. For too long she has suppressed her desire and lived a lie. But is it really too late for B. to follow her heart?

  • DIRECTOR
    Kai Stänicke
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    17 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

The Beach Boy

A story of two star-crossed lovers in ancient Vietnam. Based on a traditional folk tale and adapted for animation in a style inspired by local Asian art styles.

  • DIRECTOR
    Hannes Rall
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    8 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Germany, Singapore

Natural Attraction

NATURAL ATTRACTION shows a natural spectacle, turning a sparse, dry landscape into a fruitful place bearing new life. The interplay between sky and earth reminds of a sensual love act to express the dependency and perfect correlation of both elements.

  • DIRECTOR
    Marc Zimmermann
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    5 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    English
  • COUNTRY
    Germany

Umbra

(latin) shade, shadow, dark area, eclipse of the moon
Umbra is intended as an artistic film. Its core motif of the search for oneself, answers the questions: Who am I?
Why am I? How am I?
  • DIRECTOR
    Urszula Nawrot
  • YEAR
    2015
  • RUNTIME
    30 Minutes
  • LANGUAGE
    Polish
  • COUNTRY
    Poland
Check out other upcoming events
  • Fri, April 8 8:00 PM
  • Lansing Public Media Center
More Info
  • Fri, April 8 10:30 PM
  • Old Town Temple
More Info
  • Fri, April 8 8:00 PM
  • Old Town Temple
More Info
  • Fri, April 8 8:00 PM
  • Lansing Public Media Center
More Info
  • Fri, April 8 6:00 PM
  • Lansing Public Media Center
More Info