Karlsson on the Roof

Apples and Oranges is designed to raise children's awareness of the harmful effects of homophobia and gender-related name calling, intolerance, stereotyping and bullying. In the course of a lively in-class discussion among elementary students and an equity educator, children's paintings magically dissolve into two short animated stories. In Anta's Revenge, Anta finds out that creativity--not revenge--is the best way to deal with a school bully who makes fun of her for having two moms. Defying Gravity tells the story of Habib and Jeroux, two skateboarding friends whose relationship comes to a screeching halt when one of them finds out the other is gay.

Luise, called Pünktchen, and Anton are closest of friends. Being the daughter of a wealthy surgeon, young Pünktchen lives in a great house. Her mother, who always travels through the world more for public relation reasons than for the social tasks she pretends to fulfill, is never available to her as a mother. Anton, son of a single and sick mother in financial trouble, does his best to help her out of it by working late. Pünktchen decides to help her only friend (as nobody else would anyway) and starts singing in public places. Trouble arises when Anton can't resist stealing a golden lighter and Pünktchen's secret life is discovered by her parents. Two troubled families finally can see the need for actions to be taken.

It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.

Gifted animator Leslie Supnet collaborates with Winnipeg storyteller Glen Johnson for this contemplative comic fantasy about a time-obsessed squirrel.

Seasick is a meditative exploration of ones love of the sea to the soundtrack of traditional Croatian music.

A personal interpretation of Norwegian history - starring a grandmother who during the Second World War loses her job ironing the King's shirts. Instead she gains access to the enemy's uniforms, and inspires her own brand of resistance fighters, the "Shirt Guerillas".

Six poems written by six young prisoners animated to tell their stories, thoughts, fears and hopes.

It's midnight in a graveyard. The principal characters are spooks, ghosts, bats, bells, and, at the end, the sun. As midnight strikes, 12 spooks appear, then two ghosts. They move to the music's rhythm. Against the black night, they are blue and yellow. Bats appear as does a xylophone of bones. Mist rises, spooks swirl. A bell tolls. The sky turns light blue, the ghosts' dance slows. Then black night returns bringing intimations of frenzy. Bones play snare drums; spooks peek out of square graves. Scary faces appear. Frenetic movement takes over. A rooster crows and all return to earth as the sun's light appears.

A silly prince wants to marry a beautiful peasant girl. His guards kidnap her, but the girl escapes and returns to her beloved. Meanwhile, a UFO lands in the kingdom and the aliens witness nuisances, court intrigues, and lies. They are not allowed to meddle in other people's affairs, but they still influence the happy ending.

In WWII Czechoslovakia, an old toymaker incorporates secret messages in his models to fool the Germans. They find him out and he flees. As the Gestapo officer hunts around he is attacked by the toys, who send him packing. Live action and stop motion short by Hermína Týrlová.

When Princess Morebucks finds out that she's been put on Santa's naughty list (in fact, she's the only one on it!), she does a quick re-write, resulting with Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup with nothing but coal for Christmas! On top of all that, Princess gets the one thing she wants for the holidays: super powers! Now, the girls have to stop Princess and make sure that Christmas is saved for children everywhere.

A story about childhood - real and the dreams. After finding a magic shell young Kačenka uses it to model her family life on the sea shore.

Spectacle is proud to present HEAD SPACE, a showcase of animated works exploring dimensions both interior and outlying. Featuring an extremely talented and creative group working in a diverse array of styles, the shorts wander through strange and sometimes sketchy landscapes, including alternate-universe appliance stores, the ramblings of Charles Manson, environmental catastrophes in the Dutch style of painting, and a houseplant’s musings. Some, like Sally Cruikshank’s Make Me Psychic, are established classics; others feature newer animators working in looping GIF format, presented away from the small screen’s momentary pleasures to fully appreciate the art that it is. Occasionally gross, often beautiful, and always interesting, HEAD SPACE is a sampler of the thoughts happening inside and out of each frame.

Goopi and Bagha are two wise fools; one loves to sing and the other to play the drum. Despite their acute ineptness, their passion for music knows no bounds. When the villagers cannot bear to listen to them anymore, both are banished to the same forest. Here, Goopi and Bagha encounter each other and their fates become entwined for life. A strong and immediate bond is forged by these two hapless souls in search of connoisseurs of their musical craft.

Luks Glück is a tragicomedy about the dubious happiness of a Turkish family between Hamburg and Istanbul, whose life by a lottery win out of joint.

This short probes the taboos around a very particular second-hand trauma, leading us to a more universal understanding of human experience.

Animator Faith Hubley recounts her life from childhood to the present day.

A musical film about the adventures of the wandering musicians from Bremen such as Troubadour, Donkey, Dog, Cat and Rooster. In one of the towns Troubadour falls in love with a Princess and makes up a plan how to get the King's confidence.

Development in long-range travel and the growing importance of the Arctic and Antarctic regions make it necessary to understand how maps may be misleading. Experiments with a grapefruit illustrate the difficulty of presenting a true picture of the world on a flat surface and it is concluded that the globe is the most accurate way of representing the earth.

"A Little Bit Country" is about an inevitable part of growing up: the sinking feeling when your parents find your cigarettes, lads magazines or the cheap cider hidden in your wardrobe - and confront you one morning across the kitchen table. Whether it's model trains, crochet and crafts, coin collecting, doll making or medieval reenactments, we all pursue peculiar passions that we may be too afraid to admit to the world. And the question is, "Are you a little bit country too?"