Manchester Animation Festival

FRIED!

Dir. Lizzie Watts | United Kingdom

As Dev drives home from a mysterious, ageing nuclear facility, he becomes stranded at an isolated emu farm run by old mystic lesbians. Suspicious of their intentions, Dev fears they will sacrifice him at the local stone circle.

FRIED! is a folk-horror comedy which explores themes of hope and community. The story draws inspiration from new-age spiritualism, Greenham Common and the proximity of ancient and industrial ruins in the British landscape. Created almost entirely in Blender, FRIED! combines mixed-media techniques, 3D and 2D animation, hand-drawn charcoal, and 3D-scanned props. The film takes an experimental approach to 3D software, merging an expressive making style with a lo-fi, 'scruffy' CG aesthetic to evoke a uniquely handmade feeling.