Animation Off-Limits: Photo Synthesis

Ten films all having something to do with photography and/or live action. Ten films that almost all refer to an expanded version of pixilation. Starting with Phantom, a much underrated short for which Germans René Perraudin and Uwe Schrader photographed 5,000 people to offer us the portrait of the spectrum of humanity.

There are also films exploring the concept of fixity, like Tim MacMillan's Ferment, I Was Here by Philippe Léonard, M+A "My Super 8" by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro and Michael Langan's Butler, Woman, Man. From one film to another, within the tension between motion and stillness, looms delicate erotism (in Tagliafierro's or Langan's films), the ritual of spiritual pursuit (We Have Decided Not to Die by Daniel Askill) or a calling to meditate within the hustle and bustle of the metropolis (Fragrant Light by Serge Clément).

Alexei Dmitriev's short Dubus, can be considered as a formal and skilful game uniting extracts from film classics ranging from Citizen Kane to Casablanca, while Osbert Parker's Film Noir also shows off a number of famous works to orchestrate a charming tribute to the crime genre.

Finally, last but not least, with Thugs with no Legend, Gianluigi Toccafondo brings us a story that combines popular beliefs and revenge with such audacity that the filmmaker has managed to weave a tapestry of images coming from both live action and animation.

Marcel JEAN
CITIA