The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is the biggest animated film festival in the world. Every year, it brings thousands of people to southeastern France to discover the latest animated gems, current and future trends, and meet filmmakers and creators.

Straight from the 2018 edition of Annecy, Animation First presents a selection of notable shorts from across the globe, selected by Annecy Festival curators. The screening will begin with an opening sequence created by students of Les Gobelins, l’école de l’image, in Paris.

Afterwork (NY Premiere)
Dir. Luis Usón and Andrés Aguilar, Ecuador/Spain/Peru, 2017. 6 min 12 sec. Color. Digital. No dialogue.
We are all condemned to work and repeat the same empty routines over and over again. Can we reach the proverbial carrot forever tempting us, causing an eternal chase for something we do not need?

Barbeque (NY Premiere)
Dir. Jenny Jokela, UK, 2017. 5 min 44 sec. Color. Digital. No dialogue.
This film journeys through the methods of coping with post-traumatic stress disorder while exploring feelings of shame and disembodiment.

Biciklisti (US Premiere)
Dir. Veljko Popovic, Croatia & France, 2018. 7 min 23 sec. Color. Digital. No dialogue.
Two cyclists based in Croatia not only compete on the race track, but also for a woman’s affection and the fulfillment of an erotic fantasy.

Bloeistraat (NY Premiere)
Dir. Nienke Deutz, Belgium & Netherlands, 2018. 9 min 41 sec. Color. Digital. No dialogue.
Inseparable best friends spend their last summer holiday of childhood amusing themselves around the house. As summer progresses their bodies start to change and an awkwardness casts a shadow on their friendship.

Egg (NY Premiere)
Dir. Martina Scarpelli, France & Denmark, 2018. 12 min 7 sec. B&W. Digital. In English.
Have you considered food as a choice rather than a requirement? Have you ever felt sexual pleasure when eating something? I have.

Hybrids
Dir. Florian Brauch, Matthieu Pujol, Kim Tailhades, Yohan Thireau, Romain Thirion, France, 2017. 6 min 22 sec. Color. Digital. No dialogue.
When marine wildlife has to adapt to pollution, the food chain changes.

Inanimate (US Premiere)
Dir. Lucia Bulgheroni, UK, 2018. 8 min. Color. Digital. In English.
Katrine has a normal life, a normal job, a normal boyfriend, and a normal apartment in a normal city until one day everything starts falling apart.

Weekends (NY Premiere)
Dir. Trevor Jimenez, USA, 2017. 15 min 17 sec. Color. Digital. In English
Surreal dreamlike moments mix with domestic realities as a small boy shuffles between the homes of his newly divorced parents.