Rob Munday

Growing up in a commuter town often dubbed the ‘worst place to live in England’, boredom settled in quickly when I reached my teenage years. For Sam and Franklin, the young protagonists in Una Di Gallo’s animated short Northened, their industrialised hometown serves as both a playground and a source of frustration. As we follow the pair through their favourite hangout spots, this coming-of-age tale morphs into a surreal eco-horror, functioning as both a love letter to the director’s childhood and a tribute to places frequently criticised by others.

Told through a series of brief vignettes, Northened captures what feels like a typical adolescent summer until a trip to the waterfront launches the pair into the midst of what Di Gallo describes as a “strange” and “hallucinatory” experience. “I decided that the idea of these kids bearing the very real and material weight of growing up working-class in a city that has experienced industrial death could be told through the lens of a bizarre, cryptid-fueled summer break”, Di Gallo explains.

“One idea I kept coming back to was having the setting exist as a fleshed out character, and moreover, the antagonist of the film.” – Di Gallo discussing the importance of location in her film.

During regular visits to the beach strip in Hamilton, Di Gallo developed the concept for Northened in her sketchbook. Having just completed an abstract mixed media piece, she aimed to “keep up the momentum of that weirdness” by shifting to a more narrative-focused film. Central to her vision was the idea of using the location as the antagonist. Drawing inspiration from her favorite features at the time, Annihilation and The Florida Project, she crafted a unique film that blended a “child’s dreamlike perspective with truly surreal and horrific eco-horror themes.”

Although Di Gallo describes her hand-drawn 2D digital animation approach as “pretty bread and butter stuff,” Northened is a visually impressive piece. Through the eight-minute duration, the animator frequently uses cut-out segments of locations against minimalist, stark grey backgrounds, creating a striking effect. These techniques not only imbue the short with a strong sense of place but also enhance the protagonists’ feelings of isolation. Overall, the aesthetic is crucial to the director’s goal of crafting a “story that felt true and would elicit emotionally resonant moods and atmospheres”.

“I hoped to mythologize a place that is often looked over, but is very dear to me” – Di Gallo on her aims for Northened

A personal and heartfelt piece, talking to Di Gallo about her aims for Northened she revealed that she was motivated by her deep feelings toward her community and peers and wanted to “make art that does justice to our experiences”. That passion shines through in her short and makes for an immersive, intimate and relatable watch – the type of short we love to champion on S/W.

Now working on an indie game, Di Gallo says that more recently she’s “been stepping into art/animation/3D modelling” in the video game sector, while also working as a freelance director and character designer.