Discover the "to be human" section!

Animations that highlight the value of the animators’ handiwork. Films that encourage us to be more mindful of others. Encounters that introduce us to a reality different from our own. We present to you the section linked to the theme of this year’s Animator festival, “to be human”, curated by Tim Allen! The programme includes “Pinocchio”, the premiere of “Junk World”, “Animal Farm” and social campaigns!

Tim Allen introduces the ‘to be human’ section with the following words: “We all share in the experience of being human, yet we can’t live someone else’s reality. Everyone has their own individual story & filmmaking takes us on a journey to learn from the memories & challenges of others. Give value to another’s perspective & it is your own life that is enriched.”

Program sekcji „to be human”:

Guillermo del Toro: Pinokio / Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, reż./dir. Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, USA, Meksyk, Francja / USA, Mexico, France 2022, 117’

Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro and award winning, stop-motion legend Mark Gustafson reimagine the classic Carlo Collodi tale of the fabled wooden boy with a whimsical tour de force that finds Pinocchio on an enchanted adventure that transcends worlds and reveals the life-giving power of love. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Tim Allen, hosted by Karol Szafraniec.

Junk Head, reż./dir. Takahide Hori, Japonia/Japan 2021 

Created by (mostly) one man, the award winning dystopian stop-motion animation. Mankind attains longevity through gene manipulation, but finds itself on the road to extinction when the species loses the ability to reproduce. Their clones who rebelled 1,600 years ago are now known as Marigans and rule the bottomless underworld. Some of them seem to have become fertile and the government takes this as a ray of hope and decides to send civilians in to carry out an ecological study. Selected for the mission, Parton sets off on an adventure through a subterranean labyrinth crawling with monsters in order to secure humanity’s future.

Junk World, reż./dir. Takahide Hori, Japonia/Japan 2025 

Something strange has occurred in the underground world... To investigate the anomaly, both humans and Mulligans hastily assemble scouting teams. Humans, led by Captain Torys, and Mulligans, led by Dante, one of the original clone prototypes, head toward the same destination: the underground city of Kaapvaal. However, they are attacked by a Mulligan sect known as Gyura. The sect’s target is Torys, a human woman considered a rare species. She is protected by a robot bodyguard named Robin. 

Folwark zwierzęcy / Animal Farm, reż./dir. Andy Serkis, UK, Canada, USA 2025, 95’ 

From visionary director Andy Serkis, and featuring the voices of Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Glenn Close, and Woody Harrelson, comes a satirical allegory of revolution and power. Animal Farm traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship-fulfilling Orwell’s warning about the dangers of communism. 

to be human shorts – set 1 / 82’ 

Salvation Has No Name, reż./dir. Joseph Wallace, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2022, 16’45”
A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a priest and a refugee but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray. 

Because Today Is Saturday, reż./dir. Alice Eça Guimarães, Portugalia/Portugal 2025, 12’24”
It's Saturday, and a woman struggles with the difficulty of reconciling her home life and her need to escape. 

Two Black Boys in Paradise, reż./dir. Baz Sells, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 8’54”
A movingly tender animation, based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, sees two boys on a journey of self-acceptance and love – for each other and themselves. 

Dog Alone, reż./dir. Marta Reis Andrade, Portugalia/Portugal 2025, 13’02”
An autobiographical animated film about a dog abandoned in its own home. Marta Reis Andrade returns to her family home in London, a place where she felt lonelier than ever. Her widowed grandfather is coping with the loss of his wife. 

The God Man, reż./dir. Andrew Foerster, Kanada/Canada 2024, 9’30”
A short animated film following an interview with Jonah Weisman - a man who discovered a mysterious being drifting through outer space, known as “The God Man.” 

Ovary-Acting, reż./dir. Ida Melum, Norwegia, Szwecja, United Kingdom / Wielka Brytania 2025, 12’32”
A harried thirty-something woman is forced to decide whether she wants to be a mother after unexpectedly giving birth to her reproductive organs at her sister’s baby shower. 

Good Intentions, reż./dir. Anna Mantzaris, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2018, 8’35”
After a young woman is responsible for a hit and run, strange and spooky things starts to happen... A small thriller about people that are not always the best at making decisions.

to be human shorts – set 2 / 80’ 

Dog Ear, reż./dir. Péter Vácz, Węgry/Hungary 2025, 20’
Eleven-year-old Berci spends an afternoon alone with his dog, struggling with the emotions left behind after witnessing his parents' violent fight the day before. As his suppressed feelings surface, he releases his anger and aggression in tense and emotional interactions with his dog. These raw expressions eventually help Berci find relief and discover the quiet, transformative strength of forgiveness. 

I Died at Irpin, reż./dir. Anastasiia Falileieva, Słowacja, Ukraina / Slovakia, Ukraine 2024, 11’22”
24 February 2022 Anastasiia with boyfriend fled from Kyiv to Irpin. They spent 10 days in blockaded city and managed to escape with the last evacuation convoy. The film reconstructs this true story of survival through a personal and subjective lens. 

Papillon / Butterfly, reż./dir. Florence Miailhe, Francja/France 2024, 15’
In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water. Some are happy, some glorious, some traumatic. This story will be that of his last swim. It will take us from the source to the river, from the waters of childhood pools to those of swimming pools, from a North African country to the shores of the Mediterranean, from Olympic stadiums to water retention basins, from concentration camp to the dream beaches of Reunion. 

Hurikán, reż./dir. Jan Saska, Francja, Bośnia, Czechy, Słowacja / France, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2024, 13’
Hurikán rushes out to save his favourite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst. 

Retirement Plan, reż./dir. John Kelly, Irlandia/Ireland 2024, 7’17” 
Dissatisfied with life, Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) dreams of the beauty and joy he’ll find when work finally ends. 

Tennis, Oranges, reż./dir. Sean Pecknold, USA 2024, 10’53” 
A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in perpetual loops. 

Humanity, reż./dir. Tereza Kovandová, Czechy / Czech Republic 2024, 8’
Dark comedy about something we all do – we hate other people for trivial reasons. Life is hard even without having to tolerate other people's annoying habits. The problem is you can't kill somebody just because they chew too loudly. But in this animated world, you can make all your dark visions of fatal revenge a reality. 

Pokaz kampanii społecznych / Social campaigns screening / 42’31’’ 

Naima Alam, curator of the social campaign exhibition:

To be human is to feel love, happiness, anger, hatred, and everything in between. We come into the world without any user manuals. As soon as we are conscious of our surroundings, we not only have to make sense of our own thoughts and emotions, but we also have to make sense of the world around us; a world that has existed before us and will continue to exist without us. Whether we are set up for success or we are meant to face many struggles may be determined by the circumstances of our birth and may change during the journey through life. To be human is to learn and to grow. Social campaigns are there to help us to live our own lives better but also to show us the perspectives of others. A lot of these campaigns use educational films, some of which teach through direct lessons and others through emotional or humorous stories. This program brings together films that show us different aspects of human lives. The films touch on issues concerning women’s rights, social life, migration, war, and death. Some are from well-known campaigns while others weren’t so widely circulated. To be human is to have the right to exist. The first set of films portrays what it means to be women in a world where they are thought of as lesser than the rest. It starts with stories depicting the struggles of young girls and continues with issues of sex and consent. We also see active women in their different roles. To be human is to live and let live. The next set of shows the struggle of being born in a politically volatile or economically unstable situation. It starts with the poignant poem about urban migration, then moves on to different stories of displacement. Furthermore, we must still keep our eyes on Gaza, so the next set of films are from the project “To Gaza With Love: A Global Anjem”. Finally, to be human is to learn to come to terms with our body and our mind. The last few films deal with stories of just being human.

• The letters, UN Environment Programme, 1’59’’
• Meena: Dividing the Mango, Unicef, 13’02’’ 
• KOMAL A film on Child Sexual Abuse CSA English, 10’01’’ 
• Tea and Consent, Thames valley police, 2’49’’ 
• Global Women “Career-Limiting Move”, Anna Malin Mantzaris, 1’ 
• Bon Voyage, 6’13’’ 
• PRAVAASI – The migrant, Climb, 1’42’’ 
• Mustafa goes for a walk, Unicef, 2’15’’ 
• Floating Like Water on a Taro Leaf – A Poem by Rohingya Artist, Asma Nayim Ullah, 2’20’’ 
• “Some Strings” – Animated Short Film – Palestine, From To Gaza With Love: A Global Anijam, 1’32’’ 
• Childline: Nobody Is Normal, Tim Allen, 1’28’’ 

Uciekające kurczaki: Era Nuggetsów / Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, reż./dir. Sam Fell, Jeff Newitt, Wielka Brytania, USA, Francja / UK, USA, France 2023, 98’ 

This is the eagerly anticipated sequel to the beloved and highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time, Chicken Run. Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!