Completion June 2021, DCP, 04:32 min, Animation, No dialogue
Credits
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Script, Director, Production, Design, Animation, Compositing,
Editing, Sounddesign Malte Stein Musik Malte Stein Editing Malte Stein Sound mixing Michał Krajczok Voice Darius Kolski |
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Synopsis Haunted by a little thing, a man gets driven to the edge. |
Interview
What was the starting point of DING ?
The script for the film is based on a short story I wrote. In this I describe a state of mental derailment in the form of a metaphorical abstraction.
Supported by a rather funny character constellation full of contradictions and apparent role reversal, I knew that this is the material for an exciting and provocative animated film that can work above all through its high entertainment value. There are great feelings, action, humor.
The metaphorical aspect is, that the THING (of course) isn't a real-life character. It’s a reflection of the inner condition of this man, with which he encounters an essential embodiment of his innermost fears, his impatience and anger.
It’s his psychotic state, that chases him down the streets.
It is also a symbol of how ridiculous our impulsive aggression and fears can be, and how terrible it can be when we allow ourselves to be drawn into actively acting on them.
To what extent would you say that limits (a very concise movie, with mute/quiet colors, a stripped down design) were a tool to give more weirdness to your story ?
Because the essence of the film is an inner conflict (it could also be something like a nightmare), the presentation concentrates on the essential characters. The design of the environment is inspired by the surroundings of my studio in the outskirts of Berlin. It really looks so barren and deserted there and from time to time such guys come around the corner. I have chosen the colors so lovely as it supports the mixture of delight and horror.
How did you develop your characters? What was your focus?
In terms of character design, it was a bit difficult to find an embodiment for the thing, since a thing can't be concretized by something that is generally known.
In the first drafts it was even hairy. But I found that inappropriate because it had something animalistic about it and I didn't want to make a nature film.
It also had to be avoided that it seemed too human. That's why I gave the thing inhuman properties, such as growing hair and eyes when aroused.
In the end, this cartoonish character came out of it. I thought that was quite appropriate, since there are various cartoon characters that are supposed to represent something like a friend, but which triggered pure horror in me even as a child.
It also had to be cute, with Mickey Mouse ears and big googly eyes that would send the viewer into a blissful state of euphoria. Letting those feelings spill into horror struck me as a great concept for a little horror. Finally, to express all this, the animation was a big challenge.
Can you tell us more about your use of sound and music in DING ?
The music, used sparingly, was intended to convey a sense of paranoid action.
The sounds of movement of the characters are also important, as they make the timing and action more accentuated.
AWARDS
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Fest Anča International Animation Festival 2022, Slovakia
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
ANIMAFEST ZAGREB - World Festival of Animated Film 2022, Croatia
Grand Prix Animation Short Film
Tatsuno International Film Festival 2022, Japan
Manfredo Manfredi Award for the film that gives place to doubt
Sardinia Film Festival 2022, Italy
Honorable Mention
7th Annual Florida Animation Festival 2022, USA
FESTIVALS
Black Movie International Independent Film Festival
29 January 2023, Geneva, Switzerland
Courts Mais Trash International Film Festival
18th Edition | 24-28 January 2023 | Brussels, Belgium
ANIMAKOM FEST 2022
Tuesday 13th of December 2022, Bilbao, Spain
CRASH - INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL
December 07 to 11, 2022, Goiânia, Brazil
Annual Kalpanirjhar Short Fiction Film Festival
7. to 10. December 2022, Kolkata, India
Fifca - Festival International du Film Court d’Angoulême
15th of December in our cinema in Angoulême, France
Hallucinations Collectives - DIY or DIE – Mutoscope
December 2nd -4th. 2022, Lyon, France
Tatsuno International Film Festival
13-20 November 2022, Japan
31st Séquence Short Film Festival
7th to 11th december 2022, Toulouse, France
Uppsala Short Film Festival
27th of October, Uppsala, Sweden
The Animattikon Project
26th to the 28th of October2022, Paphos, Cyprus
LUFF Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival Switzerland
October 19 to 23, Lausanne, Swizerland
50th edition of CURTAS Festival do Imaxinario de Vilagarcía de Arousa
21st to 30th October 2022, Vilagarcia, Pontevedra. Spain
Animatou Festival
6th to 15th October 2022 Geneva – Switzerland
19th European Animated Film Festival Balkanima
4th of October, Belgrade, Serbia
Primanima World Festival of First Animations (Panorama)
October 5 –8 Budaörs, Hungary
Sardinia Film Festival
27th september to 1st october 2022, Sassari, Italy
Animation Volda Festival 2022
29. september - 2. October, Volda, Norway
Encounters 2022
Wednesday, 28th September, Bristol, UK
FAB Festival of Animation Berlin
30. September 2022, Berlin Germany
BLON Animation and Games Festival
8-18 of September, Klaipeda, Lituania
OFF Odense International Film Festival
29th of August to 4th of September 2022, Odense, Denmark
LINOLEUM Animation Festival
September 7-11, Ukraine
Animadeba Animated Film Festival
September 7 – 10, 2022, Deba, Spain
Turku Animated Film Festival
24 – 28. August, Turku, Finland
Silhouette Film Festival 2022
26 August · 3 September 2022, Paris, France
33rd Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival
august 18 to 28, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Animist Tallinn 2022
18th of August, Tallinn, Estonia
MIFF MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
August 4th, Melbourne, Australia
La Guarimba International Film Festival
7th to 12th August, Amantea (Calabria, southern Italy)
13th annual We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival
August 11 – 14, 2022, Baker City, Oregon, USA
Fest Anča International Animation Festival
Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, Slovakia, 27 August - 30 August 2020
11th International Animation Festival CHILEMONOS 2022
18th and 22nd of July, Chile
Anibar International Animation Festival
13th to the 19th of July 2022, Peja, Kosovo
Insomnia International Animation Film Festival
July 13, 2022
45th Outdoor Short Film Festival of Grenoble
June 29 to July 2, 2022, Grenoble, France
7th Annual Florida Animation Festival
June, Florida, USA
Festival d`Animation Annecy (Special Program WTF)
June 13th - 18th 2022, Annecy, France
ANIMAFEST ZAGREB - World Festival of Animated Film
6th till 11th June 2022, Zagreb, Croatia
Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny
June 10, 2022
VAGRANT FILM FESTIVAL
June 10, 2022, Europe
Flatpack Festival
17-22 May 2022, Birmingham
Animatricks International Animation Festival
19.–22.5.2022, Helsinki, Finland
IFF ELBE DOCK
12th to 22nd of May, 2022, Prague, Czech Republic
ANIFILM 2022
10th till 15th May Liberec, Czech Republic
ITFS 29. Internationalen Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart
May 3 – 8, 2022, Stuttgart, Germany
22nd Landshut Short Film Festival
27.4. - 2.5.2022, Landshut, Germany
GLAS Animation Festival
April 6-10, berkeley, USA
34.FILMFEST DRESDEN
05.-10. April 2022, Dresden, Germany
23rd MUSIC & CINEMA - Festival International du Film à Marseille
4-9 April, 2022, Marseille, France
Kaboom Animation Festival
March 28th to April 3rd 2022, Amsterdam, Niederlande
Animocje International Animated Film Festival
April 3, 2022, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Mecal Pro 2022 Barcelona International Short and Animation Film Festival
March 27, 2022, Barcelona, Spain
Palm Springs Animation Festival
March 24 – 27, 2022, Palm Springs, USA
17th Athens Animfest
March 17th till 22, Athens, Greek
MONSTRA - Lisboa Animation Festival
16th to 27th March 2022, Lisboa, Portugal
25. MFF ZOOM - ZBLIŻENIA
07 - 13.03.2022Jelenia Góra/Poland
FluXus Animation Film Festival
February 12, 2022, Zaandam, Netherlands
Spokane International Film Festival
February 8, Spokane, USA
32. Bamberger Kurzfilmtage
24. Januar - 6. Februar 2022 Bamberg, Germany
PIAFF, Paris International Animation Film Festival
January 19, 2022, Paris, France
Acocollona't. Girona Fantastic & Horror Film Festival
December 3 – 11, 2021, Girona, Spain
MACAU International Short Film Festival 2021
December 01th to 08th 2021, Macau, China
ANIMATEKA
November 30th – December 06th, Ljubljana, Slovenija
Canberra Short Film Festival (CSFF)
November 2021 Canberra, Australia
GIRAF animation festival 2021
November 19th to 28th 2021, Calgary, Canada
PÖFF-Black Nights Film Festival 2021
16.-24. November 2021 / Tallinn, Estonia
Interfilm Berlin - 35th International Short Film Festival
Berlin 16. - 21.Nov. 2021
KFFK/Kurzfilmfestival Köln N°12
November 16 – 21, 2021, Köln, Germany
LIAF 2021 London International Festival
November 27 – December 6, 2021, UK
Cartoons Underground Singapore
November 13 – 20, 2021
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week
November 2021, Beijing, China
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival 2018
Nov.5th - 8th, 2021, 2018, Japan
Bit Bang Fest
October 25th to November 5th2021, Buenos Aires, Argentinia
DOK Leipzig/German Competition
October 25th to 31th 2021, Leipzig,Germany
13th Annual TAIS Animation Showcase
October 15 – 17, 2021, Toronto, Canada
ANIMEST Bucharest International Animation Film Festival
Romania 16th edition, 8-17 October 2021
Ottawa International Animation Festival 2021
September 22th – October 03th 2021, Ottawa, Canada
Strasbourg EuropeanFantastic FilmFestival
September 10th – 19th 2021, Strasbourg, France
19. FANTOCHE International Animation Film Festival
Sepember 07th - 12th 2021, Baden, Schwitzerland
