The Joy of Life

In the heart of the mountain, an elusive and invisible observer witnesses an infamous spectacle. His voice comments on the sequence of events in the words of Nietzsche. In this splendid mountain landscape, a couple appears. Spenta, the man, and Angra, the woman, climb a steep peak. They wear similar clothes, their resemblance is amazing, their relationship is strange. To outsmart boredom Angra drags Spenta, initially unenthusiastic, into a game that he eventually gives in. From the top, the couple watches a marathon event that takes place in the valley. Angra, who is looking for an object of entertainment, has her sights set on a woman running through the crowd. Possessed, she courted the unknown and obtained her favors. She then manages to drag Spenta into her game. In this game, there will be no winner.

Andrew Oehler, illusionist and tailor's apprentice, born in Germany, departs to travel the world in search for his dreams. He takes his magic lantern and finally arrives in Mexico in 1805 bedazzling people wherever he goes. Can a few lights and mirrors provoke the wrath of the Inquisition?

On the verge of becoming a woman Sora is woken by a nightmare and decides to follow a group of men into the city in the hope of finding her mom.

Twenty animators from the U.S., Switzerland, Poland and China express their friendship with and love of animation in a series of animated variations on the standard countdown.

Eye candy as a special treat. Let Your Light Shine is the ultimate Spectrum Short film, a photokinetic stroboscopic spectacle for spectacles. A work in the tradition of the absolute animation film of the 1930s, which requires prismatic glasses to achieve the maximum result.

The stage musical Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby has toured the world to great acclaim. An adaptation of the famous 1954 musical directed by Jerome Robbins and starring Mary Martin, this new version is lasting proof that J.M. Barrie's tale of the boy who would never grow up is one of the kingpins of family entertainment. All the elements are in good form for this video production shot at the Mirada Theater in 2000 for the A&E Network. Some new songs have been added to the fabulous Moose Charlap-Carolyn Leigh score (which includes "Tender Shepherd," "I Gotta Crow," "I'm Flying," and "I Won't Grow Up"). But the biggest asset to this production are the spectacular flying sequences: Peter even soars over the audience at times. Martin was a stronger actress in a close-up, but Rigby is magical with her athleticism and spark, most notably in a percussion-filled song and dance number "Ugh-a-Wug.".

Deep water freediving exposes its practitioners to a form of narcosis, which induces several symptoms, among which a feeling of euphoria and levity that earned this phenomenon its nickname of "raptures of the deep". The short film relates the interior journey of Guillaume Néry, the apnea world champion, during one of his deep water dives. It draws its inspiration from his physical experience and the narrative of his hallucinations.

Schoolboy Hinata has a big crush on his classmate Shigure, but is too shy to tell her. On the day Shigure is leaving, Hinata flies off on the wings of a bird chasing after her to tell how he feels!

Ten years after she was separated from her family, an eighteen-year-old orphan with vague memories of the past sets out to Paris in hopes of reuniting with her grandmother. She is accompanied by two con men, who intend to pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia to the Dowager Empress for a reward.

Animated short film of Michelangelo set to Beethoven Symphony No. 5 - I. Allegro con brio.

The emotion of people easily changes. It is not easy to define what emotion is. We just feel it. To feel emotion is like to observe nature because nature always changes by time, sun, and wind. When we observe nature, the nature tries to say what our emotion is because the nature leaves the trace of emotion.

A man with an umbrella emerges from his grave to be momentarily reunited with his lost loved one.

A little girl will have to sing to the mythical goddess of water so that this valuable liquid can reach her community.

At the bottom of the sea, a statue tries to rise to the surface to breathe.

It's the year 20XX, and the latest technologies are protecting the nature of rural towns. The main character, Ruuto, and Michi, are childhood friends. But during the second year of junior high, as Michi moves to an urban area, the two drift apart. Ruuto doesn't want Michi to forget him. Michi doesn't want to show her weak side. The two friends go their separate ways. Mobility services transcend space and time and connect their hearts.

Short animated film about Blanca, who tries to fathom art. When a painting makes her laugh out loud, her father reprimands her: "It is not funny, it is Art", he says. Blanca feels it is quite complicated. So when is something art? How do you have to look at it? And is it allowed to touch art, for example? When she fails to figure it out, she decides to imitate museum visitors. With great consequences.

This film aims to capture the stories of the aging Isabella, but also captures her condition and loss of cohesiveness as she loses herself into dementia and Parkinson's. It is also a very personal film since the subject is the grandmother of one of the co- directors. The idea is interesting as it links one strong clear memory, told several times, to other fragments and truths of her condition. Animation is sparingly but cleverly used to complement the delivery and avoid it just being a talking head.

"The Role of Chance" ("La part du hasard") focuses exclusively on drawing and painting techniques used by the painter Henri Dimier. Shot over several weeks in the same artist's studio, the film shows works in their different phases, processes rarely explained or little known. It also addresses many practical issues (choice of paper, pigment grinding, reports drawings, put the tiles, cliches, etc) as well as broader questions of method and inspiration (use of space, the role of contours, power of suggestion perspectives, use of random processes). Patrick Bokanowski sought with this film to restore the spirit of this teaching, showing how to bend a note or sometimes revealing an essential mystery of creation.

At the Factory, laughter is produced, canned and shipped into the world in precisely measured, temperate doses. It lacks something, though: freedom and authenticity. One woman is unable to laugh according to the norms. She accidentally releases a reckless laughter breaking all the Factory rules. Soon realizes she is leading a revolution for freedom and joy, against pomposity.

In this minimalist stage version of the MGM film, Dorotea is swept to Oz by an offstage tornado, greeted by Glinda and flowery Munchkins, not played by actors. Glinda looks suspiciously like Mother Ema (not Aunt). A Wicked Witch appears with blacked out teeth who looks like Dona Brujilda, who has been trying to get rid of Dorotea's dog.