Ovary-Acting: A Dazzling, Deeply Human Stop-Motion Triumph

With Ovary-Acting, director Ida Melum delivers a masterstroke of contemporary stop-motion filmmaking—one that pulses with humor, pathos, and a refreshing willingness to confront the emotional complexities of modern womanhood. Following her BAFTA-nominated and Annie Award–winning Night of the Living Dread, Melum once again demonstrates a profound ability to blend stylistic bravado with grounded, deeply personal storytelling. But this time, she takes an even bigger creative leap, crafting … Continue reading Ovary-Acting: A Dazzling, Deeply Human Stop-Motion Triumph

INTERVIEW: Inside the Valley Sings

The new animated short documentary tore through the festival landscape and now they have their sights set on the Oscars as a contender. We sat down with director Nathan Fagan to talk about his process. 1. This film uses animation to convey lived experience; what were the earliest conversations like about combining documentary testimony with hand-drawn visuals? Very early on, I felt like animation was the … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Inside the Valley Sings

OSCAR CONTENDING SERIES – Inside, The Valley Sings: A Visceral, Beautiful Cry from Within the Walls

In an era when issue‑driven documentary cinema often teeters between advocacy and art, Nathan Fagan’s Inside, The Valley Sings stands out as a work of rare ambition and emotional clarity. With this animated documentary he offers us not merely a depiction of solitary confinement but an immersive journey into the mind of isolation. Rendered through the sinuous hand‑drawn animation of Natasza Cetner, the film transforms what could easily have … Continue reading OSCAR CONTENDING SERIES – Inside, The Valley Sings: A Visceral, Beautiful Cry from Within the Walls

John Kelly’s RETIREMENT PLAN – A Delicate Animated Short Blending Humour and Heartfelt Depth

Co-written by John Kelly and Tara Lawall, Retirement Plan offers a quiet and bittersweet reflection on the transition to retirement. Narrated with gentle restraint by Domhnall Gleeson, the film serves as an ode to the complex relationship we have with time. Whilst time is the keeper of our most precious memories, it is also the force that steals our ambitions and wears down our bodies. … Continue reading John Kelly’s RETIREMENT PLAN – A Delicate Animated Short Blending Humour and Heartfelt Depth

BAFTA Spotlight: Interview with Bafta Nominated Crab Day directed by Ross Stringer

What drew you to start a career in animation? I never planned it really, but I’d started playing around with animation as a hobby in college, and then I tried my luck at a university course, and then I tried my luck at an MA, and then I was an animator. I think it had something to do with being exposed to independent short films … Continue reading BAFTA Spotlight: Interview with Bafta Nominated Crab Day directed by Ross Stringer