Family Dinner

Charcoal animation, taken from from Point of View: An Anthology of the Moving Image (2003).

The story focuses on high school girl Nagisa Yukiai who lives in a seaside town. She has believed her grandmother's story that spirits dwell in words and they are called "kotodama" (word spirit). One day, she strays into a mini FM station that has not been used for years. As an impulse of the moment, she tries to talk like a DJ using the facility. But her voice accidentally broadcasted reaches someone she has never expected.

Carlos

Following their success in the qualifying round for the Kansai regional competition, the members of the Kitauji High School concert band set their sights on the next upcoming performance. Utilizing their summer break to the utmost, the band participates in a camp where they are instructed by their band advisor Noboru Taki and his friends who make their living as professional musicians. Kumiko Oumae and her friends remain determined to attain gold at the Kansai competition, but trouble arises when a student who once quit the band shows interest in rejoining and sparks unpleasant memories for the second-year members. Kumiko also learns about her teacher's surprising past and the motivation behind his desire to lead the band to victory. Reaching nationals will require hard work, and the adamant conviction in each student's commitment to the band will be put to the test.

Extracorpus

In the vestibule of a hospital room, a young boy waits to see his dying mother. The clamor and spiralling movements of bodies around him intensify, forming a grotesque circus—a cacophonous circle that pushes the child back, depriving him of one final touch of his mother's hand. Using rotoscoped drawings suggestive of charcoal sketches, as well as 3D and object animation techniques, The Circus compels viewing with its unsettling realism. Colour is employed metaphorically to subtly express the promise and the memory of maternal affection. Nicolas Brault's highly personal film, suffused with poetic modesty, casts a poignantly sincere gaze on the heartbreak of a child facing the fearful, mysterious experience of his mother's death.

Luís, a married sculptor, starts to make a clay reproduction of his neighbor. He can’t help but spy on her ever since he uncovered a hole in their shared wall.

Shell-shocked Barbara must face up to the loss of a dear companion after a tragic accident. Her best friend Klara and husband Torsten devise a plan to thaw Barbara's heart, after she reminisces about the incident, the funeral, and happier times. Will she agree to the suggestions of her nearest and dearest? Can grief turn into hope?

An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's titular poem, signaling his retirement from the sport that made his name.

A village in Cambodia. Bopha raises her son Sokhem alone. One night, guided by a strange voice, he sets off in pursuit of a magic mango. Bopha follows him and reaches the border between the world of the living and the dead. Memories of war and oppression resurface. Bopha then reveals his heavy secret.

Maccaia

Born from steel and glass Kino Kopf is created by two inventors. They are assembled by their mother, a nurturing artist, and their Father a greedy entrepreneur. Kino Kopf is the first of its kind a sentient humanoid VHS camera. They are given a life by their mother but presented to the world by their father. Kino Kopf is the next big sensation and spurs a technological revolution. They are soon forgotten and alone as new models surpass them. Kino Kopf is left alone to contemplate if they ever had a soul, as visions of an electric cowboy dance through their dreams.

Black and white animation based on Munch's art of work. The image changes gradually and resembles at one point The Scream.

Aurora, daughter of retired Jazz composer Hugo, is informed that his father’s Alzheimer’s disease has worsened significantly. She will use their memories together and the music they composed in order to try to get him to recognize her one last time before he moves permanently abroad to continue fighting his disease.

The second anime short based on Kyoto Animation studio mascot character Baja.

Recounted mostly through animation to protect his identity, Amin looks back over his past as a child refugee from Afghanistan as he grapples with a secret he’s kept hidden for 20 years.

A young boy imagines his mother to be an airplane who travels to exotic lands.

Larceny, adultery, sabotage and treachery. Yes, just your typical Christmas with the Dredge family! Twelve-year-old Joey Dredge is in trouble again. Expelled for jumping off the school roof, he's haunted by his father's death and hates his mother's new boyfriend and his bullying son. Compounding his misery is the knowledge he has to spend Christmas with them at the family beach house. Things look grim until the unexpected arrival of great-grandfather Albert, fresh from a stint in prison. Forced to share the back shed with this swearing, farting and devious octogenarian, Joey's life changes. Between barbecuing the family dog, performing a self-burial and causing his intended step-father to consume a startling amount of hash, Joey learns a few life lessons from Albert, who despite his many vices may give Joey the strength to accept the past and embrace the future.

Norma recounts her father's dream of a life fulfilled by taking to the skies.

Layering real-life details with an otherworldly magic, Thanadoula recounts the story of an end-of-life doula brought to her calling through the loss of her beloved sister.