Korean Animation: Carte Blanche

Program presented by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism | Republic of Korea, ?KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency), KIAFA (Korean Independant Animation Filmmaker Association) and Korean Cultural Centre in Canada

Since 2016, the animated short films of South Korea have become increasingly present among the selections in Axis, the festival’s animation section. This is thanks to the very productive connection with KIAFA (Korean Independent Animation Filmmakers’ Association). For over a decade, KIAFA has worked hard to support, promote, and advance independent South Korean animation. Overseeing the distribution agency AniSEED and the annual Seoul Indie AniFest festival, KIAFA is an organization unmatched worldwide in its representation of a national animation community. As part of its Korean Animation Spotlight series, Fantasia is proud to present the Carte Blanche retrospective programme, curated by the KIAFA team.

In INCOMPLETE WOMAN, someone’s lower body and left hand take to the road to find the rest of her. (OO) observes the happenings of someone's nostrils, and a fox attends a training academy for his dream job in MASCOT. MY FATHER'S ROOM reflects on childhood abuse, while in MISERY LOVES COMPANY, a girl’s melancholy blooms into bright and colourful “flower people”, dancing around and making a wish for a meteor to end the world. In FOX BOY, a youngster follows a masked friend outside into a deep forest full of secrets. A woman remembers her former boyfriends zoologically in MANIMALS, and conflicts arise from a daydreaming girl's curiosity in THE PLAYGROUND. GHOSTS confronts the boredom of life, while ACROSS THE WIND ponders its confusing uncertainties. In GREEN LIGHT, a survivor struggles to rebuild a ruined world. – Rupert Bottenberg