The days are getting shorter, the leaves are turning brown, and you finally admit to yourself that you need a jacket to go outside. It can only mean one thing - summer is well and truly over. But there is one way guaranteed to keep the autumn blues away; get yourself over to Bristol, for the legendary Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival!

The 24th edition of the leading UK fest offers 6 whole days packed full of the most exciting international short films, animations and VR, with enough screenings, social events and networking to make you forget all about the cold months ahead. You can find out all you need to know here including the full festival programme and how to buy tickets and passes, but we have handpicked a small selection of shorts we are particularly excited about (and hope to bring to S/W in the future) to whet your appetite!

Sex Ed

Dir: Alice Seabright

When: Wed 26th Sep - 6:00PM

I fell in love with Alice Seabright’s work at Encounters 2017, where I saw her film Pregnant Pause for the first time. Her latest tragicomedy Sex Ed is just as funny and touching, and will not disappoint her fans! Meet Ed, who teaches sex education to teenagers, a job he usually loves. But today it’s the last thing he wants to do.

That Yorkshire Sound

Dir: Marcus Armitage

When: Fri 28th Sep - 12:00PM

With his stunning animation My Dad being nominated for a BAFTA in 2015, Armitage’s new short has a lot to live up to. That Yorkshire Sound is a hand drawn animated documentary, following the rhythms of a day in Yorkshire.

Hybrids

Dir: Kim Tailhades

When: Fri 28th Sep - 2:00PM

Warning: This animation might blow your mind. It certainly did mine; the craft here is simply outstanding! Find out what happens when marine wildlife has to adapt to the pollution surrounding it.

Skip Day

Dir: Patrick Bresnan & Ivete Lucas

When: Fri 28th - 4:00PM

Really excited to check out this coming-of-age documentary after seeing Bresnan’s captivating The Rabbit Hunt. Skip Day offers an intimate glimpse of one very special day in the lives of high-school seniors from an industrial corner of the Florida Everglades.

Late Afternoon

Dir: Louise Bagnall

When: Wed 26th - 12:00PM

This multi award-winning animation is guaranteed to melt your heart and bring tears to your eyes. Late Afternoon is centred around an elderly woman who drifts back through her memories, with the lines between the past and the present blurring through the lens of Alzheimer’s.

Blue Christmas

Dir: Charlotte Wells

When: Fri 28th - 10:00AM

Since featuring her Sundance award-winning short film Laps, we have been keeping an eye out for Wells’ new short Blue Christmas. On Christmas Eve, 1968, in a Scottish coastal town, a debt collector goes to work to avoid confronting his wife’s worsening psychosis at home.

Brexicuted

Dir: Chris Shepherd

When: Thur 27th - 8:00PM & Fri 28th - 2:00PM

Another animation we are super excited to see is Chris Shepherd’s Brexicuted. His short Dad’s Dead was nominated for a BAFTA back in 2004 and it looks like he’s back and ready to kill it once again. Brexicuted is a satirical animation looking at why Brexit is happening. .

V

Dir: Jimmy Dean

When: Fri 28th Sep - 6:00PM

Jimmy Dean’s (Offside) latest short V explores adolescence and isolation by using British Realism mixed with genre filmmaking. Check out the story of a lonely 15 year old vampire who begins to reconsider her past relationships.

Encounters Films already on S/W

As Encounters is proudly listed as one of the festivals accepting shorts films already online in our Essential List of Festivals and Online Eligibility article, their programme also contains a number of selections already available on Short of the Week:

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Lastly, if all of the above wasn’t enough to convince you of the stellar entertainment Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival has to offer, here is a trailer, showcasing the best shorts featured in this year’s programme!