Animated Commercial Curiosities (12A)

Monday 09 Nov 2026 - 16:00
HOME - Cinema 2
Runtime: 75 mins (approx.)

Those wonderful short films we see again and again — music videos, interstitials, adverts, explainers and more — demonstrate a wealth of animation styles and ideas. Come and see the very best creative responses that shape the world around us.

Films in this programme

Emory – “Dirt”

Dir. Julia Fernandez // United States

Composed of 300 hand-carved ceramic tiles, the music video for Emory's "Dirt" constructs a fragile universe from dirt itself. As the tiles shift and landscapes transform, the piece reflects the quiet progression of time: inviting viewers to witness a sense of movement and emotion within material that is traditionally still.

Who’s Waiting for You?

Dir. YUCA // Mexico

Between the real world and the spiritual realm, an ancestral Xolo dog and an ordinary man shape a story woven with care and companionship. Inspired by the spirit of the Mexican Day of Dead tradition, Who's Waiting For You? reveals where love finds new ways to exist, even as the world shifts around them.

WWF – Nature Needs Us Now

Dir. Natasza Cetner // Poland, United Kingdom

Animated film for WWF’s “Nature Needs Us Now” campaign: a poetic reminder that nature sustains our air, water, food, health and joy - and when we protect it, we protect ourselves.

Should’ve Gone to Specsavers – Garbologist

Dir. Sammy Lewis // Australia

Created for the Flickerfest & Specsavers TVC Competition.

Have I Got News For You Titles

Dir. Jon Turner // United Kingdom

Series 70 title sequence for the long running BBC show, Have I Got News For You.

How Long Can Hair Grow?

Dir. Matt Partridge // United Kingdom, United States

An animated film exploring the life cycle of a hair follicle through the eyes of a balding middle aged man. Commissioned by TED-Ed.

Creating Events for Tomorrow

Dir. Eva Bienert, Max Mörtl // Germany

Celebrating while protecting the environment – how does it work? “ghörig feschta” encourages sustainable event planning in Vorarlberg. An animated overview for everyone who loves events and wants to keep the future in mind.

Kikkoman: Unleash Legendary

Dir. Clubcamping, Mariano Fernández Russo // United States

Clubcamping brings the power of anime to Kikkoman's newly unleashed teriyaki BBQ lineup. The spots blend action-packed shonen anime with artful, hand-made sensibilities for a campaign that is fresh, youthful, and totally Clubcamping.

Eco Beat

Dir. Max Mörtl, Eva Bienert // Germany

A colorful bunch of organic waste gathers in the compost bin to create a groovy beat.

Timeless Mumbai

Dir. Henrike Lendowski, Matt Rota // Germany, India, United States

Accompanying the award winning book of the same name by illustrator Matt Rota, "Timeless Mumbai" leads the viewer on a tour of Mumbai's architectural heritage from the imperial and monumental colonial era to the ultramodern, mid-century Art Deco masterpieces.

The Limit Does Not Exist

Dir. Elyse Kelly // United States

A trans girl who is voracious for math, must also do the biggest set of calculations every day: how to avoid having to go to the bathroom.

Coachella 2026 Visual Identity

Dir. Andrea Love // United States

Capturing the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most famous music festivals, Hornet Director Andrea Love used her signature wool stop-motion technique to create Coachella’s 2026 visual identity.

Do I Look Like I Care?

Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Baz Sells // United Kingdom

Meet Shelly. A mum caught between the push and pull of modern living; from chaotic commuting to late night computing, we visualise the hidden pressures felt by a miraculous multitasking matriarch.

EA Skate & Nike SB

Dir. Pablo Gostanian // Argentina, Canada

This fully animated trailer for Skate 2026, produced for EA in collaboration with Nike skateboarding, explores the obsessive side of skate culture, that mindset of repetition, persistence and pushing things a bit further every time.

We Are Better Than This

Dir. Chris Haughton, Joseph Clark // United Kingdom

Stop the theft! The government are protecting Big Tech instead of the people. That's why we must take action. When we come together we can safeguard our creativity and shape a better future.

The Arsenal State of Mind

Dir. Fx Goby // United Kingdom

Welcome to the Arsenal State of Mind. Produced by Nexus Studios and directed by Fx Goby, the film launches Arsenal’s 26/27 third kit and showed supporters North London from a whole new perspective. Starring the legendary Adwoa Aboah, the film takes to the streets as live action gives way to animation, transforming familiar places into a playful, mixed-media world.

Rainforest Restoration

Dir. Claire Grey // United Kingdom

A short film made for the Wildlife Trust Wales about their plans to bring rainforests back to the coastline of Wales.

Releasing Hope – Battling the Spectre of Disease

Dir. Karl Doran // United Kingdom

Told through the eyes of a brave and spirited young girl, Releasing Hope - Defeating the Spectre of Disease, brings to life the reality for millions of people globally living under the shadow of mosquito-borne disease. When illness begins affecting the people she loves, she decides to fight back against the spectre terrorising her town. Realising it’s too powerful to defeat alone, she discovers the work of the World Mosquito Program and the groundbreaking Wolbachia method. By bringing her community together, the girl learns that real strength comes from collective action. This beautifully hand-drawn animated film tells a hopeful story of courage, science and community working together to defeat one of the world’s deadliest threats.

The Moon is Blue

Dir. Wandrille Maunoury // France

In 18th-century rural France, a huntress is on the trail of her former lover, a vampire disguised as a nun. A breathless battle ensues, as the huntress is driven by her anger to put a definitive end to this toxic relationship.

On Being

Dir. Masanobu Hiraoka // Japan

In response to Max Cooper’s interview-based album, this music video approaches memory not as a subject, but as a structure. Rather than illustrating the music, the film unfolds as a continuous flow of recollections, where fading memories and emerging life coexist within the same visual field. Through the combination of rotoscoped live-action and fluid hand-drawn animation, recorded reality is gradually transformed by imagination. The rotoscoped footage retains the weight of documentation, while the drawn lines destabilize and reshape it, creating a shifting space between remembering and recording. Within this space, time is not linear but layered, allowing past and present to appear simultaneously. Conceived with an awareness of future viewing, the film anticipates being revisited by the director and his child, each carrying different memories and experiences. The same images, seen again, will inevitably change. While remaining a commissioned music video, the work reflects on how time reshapes experience — how something dissolves even as something else begins.

Making a Mother

Dir. Emily Downe // United Kingdom

A short animation exploring matrescence, the often unseen and deeply personal metamorphosis of becoming a mother. The film poetically calls on nature and ancient wisdom to give voice to this drastic yet invisible transformation.

How Smart are Crows?

Dir. Irida Zhonga // Greece

In one of Aesop’s fables, a crow is searching for water. It spies a pitcher— but the water inside is beyond its reach. So, the crow begins dropping in pebbles. One-by-one, they displace the water, and the crow quenches its thirst. This is just one of many fascinating displays of intelligence from corvids. Katharina Brecht digs into what makes this bold, brainy family of songbirds so smart.