January 30 – February 26, 2015

A SINGLE LIFE (Netherlands/2 min.)
Dir. Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins and Job Roggeveen
When playing a mysterious vinyl single, Pia is suddenly able to travel through her life.

FEAST (USA/6 min.)
Dir. Patrick Osborne
Feast, a new short from first-time director Patrick Osborne (Head of Animation, Paperman) and Walt Disney Animation Studios, is the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share.

ME AND MY MOULTON (Canada/Norway/14 min.)
Dir. Torill Kove                                                                                                                                                      One summer in mid-’60s Norway, a seven-year-old girl asks her parents if she and her sisters can have a bicycle. Me and My Moulton provides a glimpse of its young protagonist’s thoughts as she struggles with her sense that her family is a little out of sync with what she perceives as “normal.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE (UK, 7. min.)
Dir. Daisy Jacobs. UK; 7 min
“You want to put her in a home; you tell her; tell her now!” hisses one brother to the other. But Mother won’t go, and their own lives unravel as she clings on. Innovative life-size animated characters tell the stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly parent.

THE DAM KEEPER (USA/ 16 min.)
Dir. Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
The Dam Keeper, an original animated short film by feature animation artists Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, tells the tale of a young pig encumbered with an important job, and the meeting of a new classmate who changes everything. A first-time collaboration between some of the most talented artists in animation, THE DAM KEEPER made its world premiere as an official selection at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival and is slated to make its uS premiere at The New York International Children’s Film Festival this spring. Set in a desolate future, one small town’s survival is solely due to a large windmill dam that acts as a fan to keep out poisonous clouds. Despite bullying from classmates and an indifferent public, the dam’s operator, Pig, works tirelessly to keep the sails spinning in order to protect the town. When a new student, Fox, joins Pig’s class, everything begins to change. Made up of over 8,000 paintings, The Dam Keeper blends traditional hand-drawn animation with lush brushstrokes to bring Kondo and Tsutsumi’s celebrated painting-style to life like never before. The Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen of television’s Forbrydelsen (The Killing), and BBC’s Sherlock, narrates this timeless fable. Directors Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi are known for their art direction on such beloved films as Ice Age, Ratatouille, Monsters University, and Toy Story 3.

Additional Films
BUS STORY (Canada/11 min.)
Our protagonist dreams of becoming a bus driver in order to cruise down quiet country lanes and connect with nature, her young charges and their parents. But her idyllic view of her new job is sorely tested after she meets her surly boss, named Killer, and discovers that winding roads can prove treacherous in winter, especially with a faulty clutch.

DUET (USA/4 min.)
Dir. Glen Keane
Animated in its entirety and directed by Glen Keane, Duet tells the story of Mia and Tosh and how their individual paths in life weave together to create an inspired duet.

FOOTPRINTS (USA/4 min.)
Dir. Bill Plympton
A gullible man goes on a quest to find a mysterious, destructive monster, only to arrive at a surprising revelation.

SWEET COCOON (France/6 min.)
Dir. Bill Plympton
A caterpillar about to undergo her metamorphosis finds her cocoon is much too small to squeeze into. Two helpful insects come to her aid.

Oscar Shorts! 2015 Documentary Program
Oscar Shorts! 2015 Live Action Program