Pictoplasma Animation FEST
2025
Pictoplasma Berlin 2025 extends its film selection with a fresh “Animation Expanded” section and presents 90+ international animated shorts on 3 screens in 7 curated programs – bringing more than ever mind-bending character visuals, ingenious storytelling and superb psychedelic eye candy to the big screen.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
1) NOT AN ANIMAL
Thursday, May 1, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Main Hall
Ducks
2025 / UK / 04’45”
AJ Jefferies
A completely normal day in the park.
Normal Grey
2025 / HK, GER / 01’08”
Jack Sachs
A love letter to my favorite bird.
Bird Drone
2023 / AU / 08’55”
Radheya Jang Jegatheva
A lonely seagull struggles to accept that its newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with limited battery life.
The Last White Rhino
2024 / CA / 05’35”
Conor Whelan
In a barren near future, the one remaining White Rhino is the centre of a violent drama.
Jarred
2025 / UA / 05’00”
Maryna Yanul
A creature lives safely inside her jar – until a mysterious guest shows up.
Candice
2024 / FR / 02’00”
Swann Valenza
Bullied by the other children, a young girl turns to dead animals for friendship
Doughy the Doggy
2023 / FR / 03’00”
Jeremy Boulard, Paul Bourgois
The ocean gives birth to a small creature half dog, half pig, ready to ride the wave of its life.
The Wolf and The Crane
2025 / USA / 03’00”
Peter Javidpour
A wolf on the verge of death turns to a crane for help.
Radix
2025 / DE / 04’14”
Anne Breymann
Two creatures meet on a tree. Their encounter goes deep down to the roots and beyond.
The Wickywock and the JubJub Berry
2024 / UK / 05’00”
Cat Johnston and Joseph Wallace
An exhausted mythical creature suffering from insomnia is offered a sedative by a small, verbose forest sprite.
Barry
2025 / NL / 01’05”
YONK
Meet Barry, a humble slug – unaware of how fleeting life’s simple pleasures can be.
Long Distance
2024 / CH / 02’00”
Michael Frei
A fly takes flight to meet a close friend.
The Thoughtless Hand
2025 / GER / 04’40”
Harry Bhalerao
Charlie is overcome by guilt after murdering an innocent creature.
Butterfly Kiss
2024 / GER, ISR / 10’00”
Zohar Dvir
After quarreling with her girlfriend, Carol awakes to an apocalyptic reality.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
2) BEING A MENSCH
Friday, May 2, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Main Hall
Brazey & D'Bruppy
2024 / USA / 04’50”
Jared D. Weiss
Brazey and D’Bruppy reconvene in a park after a period of time apart.
Voicemails From My Dad
2024 / USA / 05’53”
Gabby Cherney
Only one person leaves me voicemails – an animated compilation of phone messages collected over the years from my dad.
Peter Hair
2024 / UK / 08’06”
Arthur Studholme & Cosmo Wellings
Peter, a hair living on the head of a balding man named Tim, has decided to hand in his notice.
Retirement Plan
2024 / IRL / 07’17”
John Kelly
At apathy with his life, Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) dreams of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement.
Robert Yoghurt - FaceTime
2024 / UK / 00’30”
Sacha Beeley
Robert Yoghurt wants to FaceTime.
The Last Drop
2024 / HU / 10’43”
Anna Tökés
A member of the national rhythmic gymnastics team is exposed to extreme coaching techniques.
Horizon
2024 / ARG / 03’00”
Pablo Rafael Roldan
“What will you do when I’m no longer here?” – a question evoking nostalgia, for both what has been and what is yet to come.
Closer
2024 / FI / 07’55”
Albert Aleksanteri Laine
Animated film inspired by Søren Kierkegaard’s quote “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”.
The Id, the Bad and the Ugly
2024 / UK/ 04’27”
Hannah Eccles
A short slapstick following the psychological journey of a cowboy, his truck and an elusive therapist.
Kokuruga
2022 / SP / 06’00”
Choche Hurtado
A compendium of childhood memories.
Non-Fungible Therapy
2024 / UK / 03’45”
Will Anderson
A little cat in therapy dreams of success and ends up headed to the moon.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
3) PSYCEDELIC MIDNIGHT MIX
Friday, May 2, 2025
Colosseum Filmtheater, Schönhauser Allee 123
Bebawinigi - Love
2021 / IT / 02’05”
Elisa Fabris
A young girl bored by her routine plots and stages spells and transfigurations.
Expiration Date
2024 / GER / 02’55”
Daniel Almagor
A mysterious object appears out of nowhere in the sky.
Triple Bill
2024 / UK / 05’30”
Jack Cunningham & Nicolas Ménard
An anthology using the stop motion technique of “replacement animation”.
Roses
2024 / USA / 03’20”
ANDiLand
The self-destructive nature of seeking love and validation from external sources.
Memory of Mister Fish
2025 / IRL / 01’50”
Daniel Kehelly
A Martian learns how to fish and how to feel.
Quarantine
2020 / UK / 03’30”
Anil Rinat
Music video documenting the routines developed during lock down.
Sheebaba – Marguerite
2024 / LUX / 02’56”
Océane Maître, Paulo Bras Morgado
Gender role stereotypes are challenged by a progressive grandmother.
God Bless You
2023 / UK / 05’55”
Joseph Whitmore
A vignette depicting alcoholism and its impact on interfamily relationships and mental health.
Quicksand
2024 / KOR / 03’06”
Sujin Kim
A mouse falls from a girl’s body and endlessly multiplies to consumes her.
The Gnat & the Bull
2024 / USA / 01’00”
Alexander Dupuis
A lesson about the dangers of an inflated sense of self-importance.
Diner at the End of the World
2023 / USA / 08’00”
Sishir Bommakanti
A short about conversation, argument, friends and the apocalypse.
A Soft Reminder
2025 / ARG / 01’00”
Stefania Tesio
A gentle reminder of the beauty in being alone. Run, jump, dance—feel free. Don’t dwell on the past.
Bye Bear
2023 / GER / 10’44”
Jan Bitzer
A run-down motel serves as a secret club of robot friends to gather and live out their dreams of being animals.
The First Musical Ever Written By a Chair
2023 / CZ / 02’00”
Kacper Senkowski
The first ever musical written by a chair, about a chair, for chairs.
Rémi Fox – Au Coeur du Son
2024 / FR / 04’00”
Marie Larrivé, Lucas Malbrun
A journey of initiation, an artistic wandering, a daydream Murnau’s Nosferatu.
A Round of Applause for Death
2024 / UK / 05’00”
Stephen Irwin
Death takes centre stage and faceless spectators applaud the inevitable in a series of murderous dreams.
Batrachia
2024 / IT / 06’47”
Lorenzo Silano
A young cashier working at a fast food diner in the middle of nowhere is haunted by a mysterious yet familiar figure.
Chasing Lip Balms
2025 / UK / 05’20”
Gabriele Favaretto
A grotesque figure unleashes a frantic monologue – rambling, spiraling through doubt, defect.
You've Got a Friend In Me
2024 / UK / 02’11”
Peter Millard
As the years go by. Our friendship will never die. You’re gonna see it’s our destiny. You’ve got a friend in me.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
4) A HERO’S JOURNEY
Saturday, May 3, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Main Hall
Storytelling
2024 / CH / 07’00”
Nils Hedinger
From cave drawings to echo chambers: The history of humankind is a history of storytelling.
Gimme 5
2024 / NL / 00’30”
YONK
Two sweaty strangers attempt to connect in an absurd series of mismatched gestures.
Monument Valley III: The Lighthouse
2024 / UK / 05’32”
Moth Studio
Sula washes up on a mysterious island full of puzzles, illusions and surreal challenges.
Castle
2024 / AU / 07’00”
Bryce Pemberton
When the objects in her home start to act with a mind of their own, Alana builds a space out of the chaos as a means to escape.
Maurice
2025 / USA / 01’00”
Nate Milton and Alix Bloom
Alix attacks Nate after responding poorly to her Dawn of The Planet of The Apes bit.
Gahts no lang?
2024 / CH / 04’49”
Sven Kristibauer, Raul, Bison, Marion Zeder
Sitting in the car for what feels like ages, Timo escapes his parents’ bickering into a fantasy world.
Lullaby
2024 / BG / 01’32”
Nikola Radulovikj
Grandmas are struggling to put the baby to sleep.
Every Light in Between
2025 / SP / 04’10”
Pol Solà & Guille Comin
Stranded on a desolate planet, a space traveler follows a strict routine to hold on to his memories.
Coldplay - feelslikeimfallinginlove
2024 / INT / 04’21”
Raman Djafari
Two soulmates finding each other, expressed through 15 styles of animation, by 15 international animators.
Chromatic Void
2024 / ISR / 05’08”
Dor Marcus
A visual experience of mythological-scientific creation, inspired by Italo Calvino’s “Without Colors”.
Cowgirlies
2024 / USA / 01’37”
Kate Costello
Girls being girls in the wild, wild west.
FliXObus
2025 / IT / 02’28”
Gaia Magnini
A long bus trip brings a checkered furry cube in the arms of a puffy orange pillow.
Reason and Impulse - Disappear
2024 / PT, USA / 03’27”
Ala Nunu
One person’s futile struggle to turn back time. And silly little creatures.
Freeride in C
2024 / LVA / 10’00”
Edmunds Jansons
The white tranquility of mountains is disturbed by colorful winter sports enthusiasts.
ANIMATION EXPANDED
5) STYLE FRAMES
Thursday, May 1, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Studio Cinema
Pixel Trip
2025 / ARG, SP / 05’30”
Julian Manzelli
A journey through movement, transformation, and perception in pursuit of elusive and overrated ideals.
JAWNY - Running
2023 / USA / 03’10”
Liam Archibald
A racer tears across the moon’s neon-lit surface, fueled by raw grit and a dangerous need to win.
Playground
2024 / USA / 01’23”
Jojo Chongjaroenjai
A whimsical micro-world hidden among vibrant leaves and sprawling plants.
Mold
2025 / FR / 02’00”
Elenor Kopka
The whole world is made from mold.
A Plastic Bag
2024 / USA / 01’30”
Huayi Yu
There is no real freedom in the world. If there is, it belongs to a dancing plastic bag.
Don't U Blame it On Me
2024 / FR / 03’00”
Simon Landrein
A quirky look at the ambivalent feelings that follow after a couple’s breakup.
Owase Bushi
20234 / JP / 02’28”
Izumi Tanaka
A boy watching a tennis match while avoiding foods he doesn’t like is struck by an interactive storm.
NRUT
2025 / DE / 04’33”
Sophia Schönborn
The world is dancing and Muncu is trying to keep up.
Free Delivery
2025 / DE / 01’00”
Andrey Kasay
Strange things start happening around a postman.
Urban Frames
2024 / RO / 01’20”
Tuan Nini
A food-delivery wolf traverses a night urbanscape while yearning for Sheep.
Wandering with Nono and Pupu
2021 / MYS / 02’30”
Milton See
Two characters explore a secret garden, filled with curiosity.
Inside the Egg
2024 / AU / 03’10”
Polly Reid
A surreal biography of medieval nun Saint Hildegard von Bingen.
Wanderer
2024 / AU / 01’15”
Derek Lau
A loving tribute to Chinese martial arts.
Welcome to the City of Love
2024 / UK / 01’00”
Fx Goby
Paris has never seen a love like this.
Journey from the Forest of Eels
2025 / UK / 02’23”
Karl Doran and Winston Tsang
Deep within the enigmatic Forest of Eels, curious creatures answer a mysterious summons to join a sacred ritual.
- Oh
2024 / PT / 01’05”
Clara Trevisan, Juan Maria León, Nan Tung Lin, Tata Managadze
A hand moves gently, its presence shifts continuously.
Tubulus Plasticus
2025 / KOR / 01’00”
Yoonjoo Lee
In a city affected by climate change a new species of stick insect appears.
In Pursuit of Magic
2025 / UK / 04’28”
Art&Graft
A film for anybody responding to the creative call – whatever that call is.
A Wish
2024 / DE / 01’34”
Franz Impler
What would it be like if you made a wish and it actually came true? Maybe like this.
HPTA MENDEZ – Autopollo
2024 / CRI / 02’00”
Julian Gallese
Music video for “Autopollo” by HPTA MENDEZ
Carlito The Anteater
2025 / SP / 01’40”
Ricard Badia
An Anteater leads a peaceful life – until he bites off more than he can chew.
What does it feel like to have ADHD?
2024 / UK / 01’10”
Mr Kaplin
Mia is 9 years old and she is going to tell you how it feels to have ADHD.
Plant Lab
2024 / USA / 00’49”
Dan Forke
A botanist conducts a successful experiment in his laboratory.
The Grind
2025 / UK / 02’36”
Bella Cologlu
A film about glorifying the 9-to-6 grind, office work culture, the rat race, and the corporate lifestyle.
AJR - Maybe Man
2023 / HR, USA / 04’00”
Edoardo Ranaboldo
Animated music video for the band AJR from the album Maybe Man.
ANIMATION EXPANDED
6) LONG FORM
Friday, May 2, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Studio Cinema
Luz Diabla
2025 / ARG, CA / 11’10”
Gervasio Canda, Patricio Plaza, Paula Boffo
A flamboyant urban raver on his way to a party in the middle of the Argentine Pampas is involved in a road accident.
Balloonerism
2024 / USA / 24’07”
Samuel Jerome Mason
Celebrating the enduring legacy of Mac Miller in collaboration with the posthumous release of the album “Balloonerism”.
Rose Rash
2024 / THA / 10’00”
Thanut Rujitanont
O Nobly-Born, your breathing is about to cease. Listen with full attention, without being distracted.
Forever
2025 / UK / 08’12”
Russ Etheridge
The material that makes your body has existed since time began.
Supper
2025 / USA, KOR / 05’53”
Erick Oh
A table is set with an array of symbolic objects – prepared as an intricate meal.
ANIMATION EXPANDED
7) SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS
Saturday, May 3, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Studio Cinema
Plumpin
2024 / AU / 02’43”
Ivan Dixon
A plump, little bird lands in a quiet backyard and spreads love to its various inhabitants.
Beantown: Trial by Fire
2024 / USA / 06’39”
Mike Manor
New hires, Robert and Phil must serve customers until one of them dies to see who can get hired at minimum wage.
Munch Rexford: Legendary Poacher!
2024 / AU / 03’14”
Millie Holten
After been bitten by a German Shepherd, Munch vows to kill one of every animal. A reverse Noah’s Arc.
Mountain Mountain
2024 / SGP / 07’09”
Ben Tan, Grace Cheu
Two young adults, Charlotte and Valerie, ride a cable car up Mount Faber in search of mountains in Singapore.
Dullsville and the Doodleverse
2024 / USA / 18’56”
Burnt Toast
Hap and his cat Mello try to fit into a life of dry toast brunches, cubicle labyrinths and monotonous efficiency.
Olive Place, Luxury Inn
2025 / AU / 10’58”
Jarrod Prince
Living and working as porters at a creature filled Hotel, Burt & Belle have to overcome peculiar challenges & solve mysteries.
A Breath of Mindfulness
2024 / USA / 08’30”
Milly Cohen
A surreal chain reaction sparks a citywide spiritual awakening.
ANIMATION EXPANDED
8) PICTO-PREMIERE
Thursday, May 1, 2025
silent green, Gerichtstr. 35 /// Main Hall
Boys Go To Jupiter
2024 / USA / 87’57”
Julian Glander
Cast: Elsie Fisher, Tavi Gevinson, Jack Corbett, Julio Torres, Sarah Sherman, Joe Pera, Janeane Garofalo, Demi Adejuyigbe
Producer: Peisin Yang Lazo
Production: Glanderco
The adventures of Billy 5000, a teenage gig worker with a rise-and-grind mindset whose quest to make $5,000 is derailed by the appearance of a gelatinous little dude from outer space.