ANNECY 2024: MIFA Pitches – Short Films to Watch Out For
In what seems like an ever-growing stand of Annecy, the MIFA pitching sessions have become a staple part of the festival. This year, from 320 projects that were submitted, 11 projects had the opportunity to pitch their short film idea to a large audience of professionals and enthusiasts, in the hope of receiving future support. Of the 11 projects, the short ‘Lost and Found’ was the sole UK project this year (a co-production with Germany and Taiwan).
With pitching spread over 2 hours, while we sheltered from the sudden downpour of rain, we have handpicked our top 3 projects that either created a buzz, captivated the room, or were simply stand out concepts to our attentive eyes…
Dollhouse Elephant
Director: Jenny Jokela | Producer: BÖHLE STUDIOS
Finland | 10 minutes | Target: teens, young adults, adults
Dollhouse Elephant was a project that grabbed the room initially by its presentation slides: vibrant, colourful, a distinct acrylic paint texture. But it was equally director Jenny Jokela’s concept and presentation that engaged the crowd and pulled them into this world of quirky characters who happen to be neighbours. The message at the heart of this comedy short film is that “in order to reach their independent goals, a group of neighbours need to learn to show consideration to each other and communicate their needs.” The film also aims to explore the serious concern about isolation in modern day society, but also highlights humorous human behaviours and needs that most people can recognize from their everyday life.
Slide from MIFA pitch presentation
The visual design will echo Jokela’s energic style of previous films (Sweet Like Lemons (2023), Live a Little (2018)) – it will use traditional, hand painted acrylic paint – to highlight the simple joys that can be found in the mundane. With an estimated budget of €120k, the project is currently in production with an estimate festival release of 2025. The project is currently looking for partners in the form of broadcasters, residencies and UK co-producers, and it picked up the Open Workshop Prize at the pitching session.
Joy
Director: Agata Wieczorek | Producer: FUTUR ANTÉRIEUR PRODUCTION
France, Poland | 15 minutes | Target: adults
Joy by Agata Wieczorek (Credit: Futur Antérieur Production)
I first saw this project pitched at Animarkt Stop Motion Forum in 2023, where it picked up the Radiator IP Award. It was one of my stand-out projects then, and after some further refinement and development work, it remains one of the most interesting short films on the pitching circuit.
Shown from the point of view a 5 year old daughter, the film will explore themes of postpartum depression (mother) and alienation (daughter), with the arrival or a new baby. Without giving anything away, there were a few gasps when Wieczorek presented the story; especially the ending.
Joy by Agata Wieczorek (Credit: Futur Antérieur Production)
Equally intriguing is the proposed animation technique: stop-motion with life size silicone, realistic dolls. Early proof of concept has seen the team experiment with modified love dolls, while other puppets will be fabricated specifically. On this technique, Wieczorek has said “animating these artefacts into life-like characters produces uncanny imagery that evokes a recurring uncertainty whether we are watching the human body or an animated object; a computer-generated imagery, or stop-motion. This visual interplay between a body and a thing complements the narrative that evolves between Mother’s real experiences, and child’s imagination about them.”
The project picked up the Studios Alhambra Prize at the pitching session and is now in an advanced stage of development, with the script signed off and co-production partnerships being finalised.
Lost and Found
Director : Cheng-Hsu Chung | Producer: TEMPLE CARRINGTON & BROWN
Germany, United Kingdom, Taiwan | 17 minutes | Target: young adults, adults
Lost and Found presentation at MIFA Pitches
Our third pick, Lost and Found, welcomed onto the stage the pairing of Cheng-Hsu Chung (director) and Tom C J Brown, as producer. If you aware of Chung’s work, you will be familiar with his unmistakable style, surreal imagery that explores “the changing nature of emotion, modern love relationships and the experiences queer bodies encounter in today’s queer culture.”
The presentation itself was overflowing with bright, detailed, energetic, and vibrant visuals, outlined with fine black lines and accentuated with various colours of strokes to enhance the detailing – the kind of visuals where you feel you need more time to pore over every detail to take everything in. This film is sure to be a feast for the eyes, just like Chung’s previous works (The Rubbings of Trajectories, Adorable, and Mukbang!).
Lost and Found concept art (Credit: Cheng-Hsu Chung ©)
To paraphrase, Lost And Found is a dark comedy that follows the adventures of a gay man who falls in love with a mysterious egg, only to embark on a wild egg hunt through the bustling city, after his partner discards the egg. Chung stated that while focusing on the modern queer community, “the film offers a nuanced portrayal of love, showcasing the variety of relationships and expressions of affection. [The film] aims to challenge societal norms surrounding love and relationships, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the human experience.”
Lost and Found concept art (Credit: Cheng-Hsu Chung ©)
The film is still in pre-production, although concept, script and characters have been finalised. With a budget of €180k, the production team are looking for production partners and funding opportunities. We were pleased to see the project pick up the Ciclic Prize at the pitching session, and we can’t wait to see Chung’s latest vision on the big screen!