Strangers in the Alley

Those who do not know the Sahara think there is only sand in the desert. But in the desert there are children who play and draw and make movies, and who would like to not have to think about the war. In the desert there's a European colony, an occupied country called Western Sahara, where there are thousands of Sahrawi refugees living a hard life in exile. "Little Sahara" tells their story, the story of a supportive, resilient people who try to thrive and grow in the Hamada, where everything has a hard time growing.

Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno trousers created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal.

Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.

In a lush and lively forest lives a hedgehog. He is at once admired, respected and envied by the other animals. However, Hedgehog’s unwavering devotion to his home annoys and mystifies a quartet of insatiable beasts: a cunning fox, an angry wolf, a gluttonous bear and a muddy boar. Together, the haughty brutes march off towards Hedgehog’s home to see just what is so precious about this “castle, shiny and huge.” What they find amazes them and sparks a tense and prickly standoff.

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese.

The travelogue is mobilised again by animator Lesley Keen in Burrellesque, commissioned for Glasgow’s European Capital of Culture 1990 programme. Drifting through Glasgow’s Pollok Park towards the Burrell Collection as seasons shift, Keen’s 35mm film convenes with the spiritual life of the artefacts held therein. These objects break out as kaleidoscopic visions, ripped from their place of origin; escapees pointing to Scotland’s own history of cultural extraction.

Mater the tow truck travels from country to country as he retells his infamous but unbelievable stories.

Utterly astounding, iridescent sand animation from Aleksandra Korejwo based around Bizet's Carmen.

A minstrel, barred from entering a castle, is given a magic flute that can manipulate movement.

On a cold morning, a curious kitten and a venturous puppy decide to embark on a furious sled experience. The puppy takes the lead, while the cat follows along. The adventure, however, brings some unfreezing surprises.

Welcome to the circus arena, where all the characters are made of white paper.

The leader of a flock of geese talks about the cruelty of people, but not all of them.

The old Cossack had a dunce son. And one day he decides to send him for training and re-education to the wizard Okh for a whole year.

A Grandpa Owl lived in a forest. He had his favorite tree to which birds flew and animals came running when they needed help in solving life's problems and challenges. The Grandpa Owl helped everyone without exception, sharing his wisdom. And one day his grandson, a little owl, decided that the grandfather’s glasses were magic and took them away...

Based on an episode from Victor Hugo's novel "Les Miserables".

Two Christmas-themed stories: about the night of Christ's birth, and about a good deed that is remembered many decades later. Adapted from texts by Sasha Chyornyy and Archpriest Dimitriy Gavrilovich Bulgakovskiy.

Set during the Meiji reformation era in a small village in Kyushu, Japan. The story revolves around a young boy named Izana and a blind woman named Takiri, the two encounter the large monster Nebula who since ancient times was feared as the god of lake Amenosagiri. Theme of the film focuses on the Japanese concept of light and darkness, as told by puppetry and model miniaturization of the films’ world with practical special effects by Keizo Murase.

On Your Mark!

Florence, 1631. The black plague rages, the streets are deserted, healthy citizens are confined. Alvise, a plague doctor, discreetly paces the city in search of infected bodies to conduct his experiments, in the hope of finding a cure. One day, during an autopsy, a strange creature springs from one of the corpses...

In a certain fishing village, a memorial service is held to burn abandoned boats, and old fishing boats that have finished their duty have a dream on the verge of death. Deep-sea fish galloping through the alleys, fishermen pulling long ropes, ghosts of screaming girls...