This year, the Boston Underground Film Festival’s animated short film program brought us some of the trippiest and most tactile moments of creativity BUFF has ever seen. Each short took a different type of animation and stretched the limits of what we thought possible. While some shorts contain mature themes or scary moments, they could be viewed by anyone interested in the art of animation’s future.
The Flypaper Spectacular
dir. Luke Liberty
Here we see a strange rotoscoped man wandering through a familiar house, rendered haunting by the LSD trip imagery. The sound design is great too, amping up the creepiness.
Hospes
dir. Stephanie J Williams
Leaning into the inherent creepiness of stop-motion is always a good idea. Williams focuses on a pile of body parts just trying to keep from being ripped apart. Gross!
Somebody Take the Wheel
dir. Kenzie Sutton
The monotony of daily life, rendered in charming and lumpy claymation! Feels very tactile.
Perfect City: The Mother
dir. Shengwei Zhou
The first of several NSFW shorts features a woman made of wood leaking various juices in an attempt to turn her root child into a human being. Impressive use of liquids for stop-motion!
Today, I Will Be the Bread
dir. Andy Cahill
An absurdist journey through a hypnotic animated world that recalls early Fleischer cartoons in its simple repetition. Hard to put into words – must be experienced!
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Dir. Elaina Couse
Everyday objects on a normal desk come to life – this charming stop-motion is what we all hope happens when we experience writer’s block.
Disappearing Acts
dir. Sarah E. Jenkins
This short features an excellent effect – a tree slowly turning black in the most unnerving and controlled way. I was happy to see it on the big screen to really experience the depth in the darkness!
The Sprayer
dir. Farnoosh Abedi
Mad God’s influence can be felt in this short, featuring a war torn world where gas mask-wearing soldiers try to eliminate all plant life.
Speck
dir. Diane Christiansen
Another NSFW outing features a hand vagina exploring a world with crackling sound design. Also hard to explain, but cool to watch!
Horse
dir. Diana Yue Gong
In my opinion, Gong’s short was the highlight of the program. I’m still not totally sure how she pulled it off! A painted horse runs across still photographs of real-life towns and streets, almost like magic. The experience is disorienting but totally captivating. It’s a real journey.
Ascension
dir. Griffin Roessler
A very early-2000s anime-looking boy gets a chance to start anew after winning the lottery. A cool looking short!
Drifter
dir. Joost Jansen
The headiest short was saved for last – an astronaut must confront the endless expanse of space. Luckily for us, the cosmic imagery is gorgeous!
Part of the 2023 Boston Underground Film Festival – click here to read our festival coverage!
