20th Annual Animation Show of Shows

If you enjoy seeing something new and animated, the 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows is for you.

For 20 years, The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has been presenting new and innovative short films to appreciative audiences at animation studios, schools and, since 2015, theaters around the world. Over the years, 38 of the films showcased in The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS went on to receive Academy Award® nominations, with 11 films winning the Oscar®. Every year, Ron Diamond visits a lot of film festivals to find the only the most interesting and amazing animated films from around the world.

Take a listen to Ron Diamond on the Ambassador Goodtime Ear Tango Radio Hour, starting Tuesday, Dec 4th @ 10pm and then everyday at 4pm and night at 10pm on WU Radio, Woodbury University. 

"Animation is such a flexible and open-ended medium that it lends itself to exploring the innumerable aspects of what it means to be human,” says founder and curator Ron Diamond. “And this year’s program, as much as any of our past presentations, really illuminates human strengths and foibles, and the bonds that unite us across cultures and generations.”

There are 15 films in this year's selection, four of which have qualified for Academy Award® consideration *. The complete lineup, in order of appearance, is: 

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The Green Bird * - Maximilien Bougeois, Quentin Dubois,

      Marine Goalard, Irina Nguyen, Pierre Perveyrie, France

One Small Step * - Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas,          U.S.

Grands Canons -  Alain Biet, France

Barry - Anchi Shen, U.S.

Super Girl - Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, U.S.

Love Me, Fear Me - Veronica Solomon, Germany

Business Meeting - Guy Charnaux, Brazil

Flower Found! - Jorn Leeuwerink, The Netherlands

Bullets - Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, U.S.

A Table Game - Nicolás Petelski, Argentina

Carlotta's Face - Valentin Riedl, Frédéric Schuld,                   Germany

Age of Sail * - John Kahrs, U.S.

Polaris - Hikari Toriumi, U.S.

My Moon - Eusong Lee, U.S.

Weekends * - Trevor Jimenez, U.S. 

The power of family ties, and specifically the enduring connection between parents and children, are sensitively evoked in Hikari Toriumi’s deeply affecting “Polaris,” about a young polar bear leaving home for the first time. 

 “One Small Step,” Bobby Pontillas and Andrew Chesworth’s inspiring story of a Chinese-American girl’s dream of being an astronaut, centers on her evolving relationship with her father. 

The beautifully designed “Weekend,” by Trevor Jimenez, explores the complex emotional landscape of a young boy and his recently divorced parents, as he shuttles between their very different homes and lives.

The darker side of relationships is forcefully explored in Veronica Solomon’s “Love Me, Fear Me,” a tour de force of claymation that uses dance to delve into the lengths people go to to deceive each other and try to pass for something they’re not. Eusong Lee’s “My Moon” takes a more cosmic and lighthearted approach to a troubled relationship, limning a celestial love triangle played out by the sun, the moon, and the earth.

“Carlotta’s Face,” by Valentin Riedl and Frédéric Schuld, illuminates a different kind of relationship dysfunction in its sensitive portrayal of a woman who suffers from prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces, and her salvation through art.

Among the other program highlights are the very funny computer animation “The Green Bird,” winner of a 2018 Gold Student Academy Award® International Animation, which harks back to classic cartoons of the mid-20th century. Oscar-winning director John Kahrs’ “Age of Sail,” the latest in Google’s series of Spotlight Stories, chronicles the adventures of an old sailor who rescues a teenaged girl after she falls overboard. Alain Biet’s jaw-dropping “Grand Canons” is a dizzying symphonic celebration of everyday objects that uses finely detailed drawings created by the filmmaker. And two very short films, “Supergirl” and “Bullets,” take their inspiration from poems composed by surprisingly eloquent preschoolers.

*The producers of The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows advise parental discretion as one of the 15 animated short films has a chicken getting it’s head chopped off and the last film has two dramatic dream scenes (shot of a tv has an accidental propellor beheading and another shot with a stumbling man ablaze.)

THE 20th ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS represents the work of artists from six countries and includes six student films. Funny, moving, engaging, and thought-provoking, THE ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS not only has something for everyone, but is a remarkable and insightful microcosm of our world.  

The US theatrical premiere at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles on December 14th, and at the Quad Cinema in New York on December 28th (many other cities will follow). Follow this link for more info..