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Every year, the Midnight Specials deliver their fair share of shocks and astonishment! A hand-picked band of brazen minds who serve up unfettered creations that explore the most improbable scenarios.
This year, the section will present the legendary WTF programme including 15 shorts and 5 feature films. Unique, wacky and totally unexpected, guaranteed to delight even the most brazen!
ON THE BILLBOARD
Who Said Death Is Beautiful?
Directed by Nakajima Ryo – Japan
Produced by: Supersub.LCC
Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease
Directed by Bum-Wook Hur – South Korea
Produced by: Bum-Wook Hur
Not recommended for under 18s
(S)KiDS
Directed by Leslie Solis, Louis Solis – Canada
Produced by: Crooked City Studios
Exorcism Chronicles
Directed by Dong Chul Kim – South Korea
Produced by: Locus
Spermageddon
Directed by Rasmus A. Sivertsen, Tommy Wirkola – Norway
Produced by: 74 Entertainment
WTF2024
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The WTF programme features 15 short films from 10 different nationalities. If you are inquisitive and daring enough to watch this completely unhinged content, be prepared to be left speechless: a father sings the praises of his family while slaughtering living creatures, a prisoner shares the story of an encounter and in turn encounters the guard’s fist, a woman becomes lost in her dreams, a young man becomes lost in his lies… We take a look at karma, backlash, today’s society, desire and disgust, bravery and cowardice. Surprises, laughter and amazement will be the order of the day once again at this new WTF edition.
Titmouse, a natural partner
Titmouse, the American animation studio, has a special relationship with the Annecy Animation Festival and its WTF programme. Marcel Jean describes it as "one of the world’s most creative studios", Titmouse contributes to the resurgence of adult animation that began in the 90s on American cable TV and is now available on streaming platforms. The Festival celebrates this renewed collaboration.
"When the opportunity arose to sponsor Annecy's WTF Fest back in 2022, we jumped at the chance", said Chris Prynoski, Co-Founder and President of Titmouse. "This will be our third year sponsoring, and we can’t wait to see the kind of bananas cartoons that will be projected into the eyeballs and earballs of the audience. WTF is like a comforting family reunion where you find out all of your cartoon cousins are just as F'ed up as you are and you can't wait to see them again next year!"
Programme
Our Love Is Immortal
Directed by Ender Yildizhan – Turkey
Produced by: Kalt
The story: A little boy worries about his parents' relationship in a dystopian future.
Living the Dream
Directed by Ben Meinhardt – Canada
Produced by: Ben Meinhardt
The story: An indefatigable citizen grabs his bootstraps and lives the dream!
No Flies on Me
Directed by Lars Magnus Holmgren – Australia
Produced by: Frankenskippy
The story: An exploration of Saṃsāra, chasing the phantoms of our own wild desire and the fickle, and at times mundane, repetitive existence and plight of our particular sentient species.
Toothless
Directed by Enzo Gérard – France
Produced by: Enzo Gérard
The story: In Varanasi prison in India, a prisoner shares his experiences and the story of an unlikely encounter with his cellmates.
Larry
Directed by Takeshi Murata, Christopher Rutledge – USA
Produced by: Murata Studio
The story: A dog loses its grasp of shape and time while balling like Shaq.
Martyr’s Guidebook
Directed by Maks Rzontkowski – Poland
Produced by: Maks Rzontkowski
The story: Tony is the ultimate good guy. From nabbing the smallest slice of cake in grade school to guiding lost strangers in the city, his kindness knows no bounds. He also lives with an angel.
Giovanna and the Big Peacock
Directed by Maria Zilli – Italy
Produced by: Maria Zilli
The story: Giovanna is wandering along on her horse in a colorful gummy world in search of a mysterious creature, until a rhythmic sound makes her shake. Suddenly, Giovanna wakes up in the greyness of the real world.
The Shortest Relationship in the World
Directed by Xiaoxuan Han – China
Produced by: Xiaoxuan Han
The story: This may be the shortest relationship in the world.
Stuffed
Directed by Louise Labrousse – France
Produced by: Tchack, Gao Shan Pictures
The story: Olla decides to take a moment for herself. Her "cheat meal," an instant noodle soup, is waiting for her on a little tray above a hot bath. However, nothing goes according to plan.
Jean-Mi, the Piles Boy
Directed by Marcel Street – France
Produced by: The Mill
The story: Jean-Mi has a crush on Sassa, who is both a waitress at the local Asian restaurant and a masseuse at the salon next door. During an erotic massage, he finds out the hard way that the salon’s clients end up in the restaurant's saucepans.
Spooky Loops
Directed by Stas Santimov – Ukraine
Produced by: Stas Santimov
The story: A compilation of 13 ultra-short animated stories about dreams, fears, cruelty and humanity.
The Bleacher
Directed by Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder – USA
Produced by: Zeus Pictures, Magic Society Pictures
The story: A woman's life is upended when the disappearance of her sock at the laundromat causes her to get sucked into a washing machine unraveling the age-old question – where do all the missing socks go?
The Personal Issue
Directed by Mehdi Alibeygi – Iran
Produced by: Mehdi Alibeygi
The story: After Filip discovers he has a peculiar problem, he’s not sure if he should tell someone and find a way to fix it, or just keep it a secret.
What If It’s Not Good?
Directed by Haluk Mirac Aykin – Turkey
Produced by: Haluk Mirac Aykin
The story: A portrait of a confused creative mind who experiences the pain of making a graduation movie and fulfilling its responsibilities.
Corn Man Origin Theory
Directed by Alexandre Louvenaz – France
Produced by: Alexandre Louvenaz
The story: Corn Man was just a simple man. One day, his cornfield was invaded by ducks. He decided to chase them away because he had a strong aversion to animals
Warning: not recommended for under 16s. The programme contains scenes, language or images that may offend some viewers.
