Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival 2016

Season

Please note: this season finished in Sept 2016

Catch the best new short and animated films from across the globe, right here in Bristol. Encounters is the UK’s leading short film festival combining film screenings, special events, industry masterclasses and workshops in a jam packed programme of activity.

The Encounters programme is bursting at the seams with a glorious selection of things to do, see, watch and experience. This year’s highlights include an Aardman Retrospective, celebrating their 40th year; a country focus on Ukraine, an exceptional programme of European shorts featuring films from each of the 28 EU member states; and a retrospective programme through Bristol’s musical history. Special guests include author and screenwriter David Nicholls, filmmaker, musician and DJ Don Letts, and writer, broadcaster and filmmaker Paul Mason.

The 22nd Festival will present over 400 films and 40 events, and the International Competition is a gateway to some of the biggest awards out there – filmmakers who screen their shorts at Encounters can go on to win the Academy Awards® the BAFTAs, Cartoon d’Or and the European Film Awards. See them here first.

Find out more about the festival, see the full programme and sign up to the Encounters newsletter at encounters-festival.org.uk.

Ticket price range: free drop in sessions - £8.00.

Previous screenings & events in this season

Award Winners Screening 2 15 Encounters 2016

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Want to see the best of the best from the 2016 competition? Catch a selection of the award winning short and animated films in this unmissable showcase – a regular sell out, make sure you get your tickets quick!

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Drop-in

Celebrate our European-ness with this unique rolling programme featuring a film from each of the 28 EU member states screened back to back in this free drop-in screening.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

People have been disappearing in a Somerset village, and it all seems to be centred around the old Sabre Stone Quarry.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions present the 2015 short film nominations in the last of three short film programmes.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This selection of six Lithuanian short films – fiction, animation and documentary, released in the last three years, is well representative of the direction of contemporary filmmaking in Lithuania.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This debut feature from BAFTA-award winning director and photographer Esther May Campbell is a poetic and startling story of loss, hope and the deepest of human connections.

Make Your Own Shaun The Sheep with Aardman

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Workshop

We’ve teamed up with Aardman, the creators behind Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit and Morph, to offer some ewe-nique workshops and the opportunity to learn how to make your own Shaun the Sheep.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions present the 2015 short film nominations in the second of three short film programmes.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

After a failed attempt at working on a foreign film set, 26 year-old Ana returns to her hometown of Strasbourg and tries to get her life together.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The big screen premiere of the tiny shorts (90 seconds or less) in the running for the DepicT! awards - plus a chance to meet the talent behind the films.

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Workshop

Aardman, the creators behind Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit and Morph, offer some ewe-nique workshops and the opportunity to learn how to make your own Gromit clay model.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions present the 2015 short film nominations in the first of three short film programmes.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A disillusioned mercenary has his final target in sight - a gang of foreign revolutionaries who lay low in a nearby derelict compound.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Our Family Friendly screenings have been created for kids by kids! This programme is for children aged 14+ and their families.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A programme bringing together some of the titles from the short and animated films in competition and to give you a snap shot of what's coming up in the Festival week.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Our Family Friendly screenings have been created for kids by kids! This programme is for children aged 7+ and their families.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Behold the annual grungefest of outrageous sick and twisted shorts!

Breaking Boundaries: In Conversation with Don Letts

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Talk

DJ and Filmmaker Don Letts in conversation with Dr Edson Burton.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A retrospective programme of music videos and archive footage from Bristol’s underground music scene.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A selection of films that dare to be different - through experimentation and often non-narrative approaches these films excel in their design and novel ways of expression.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Back by popular demand... this collection of music videos and dance short films offers you dazzling visual art, wild stories and animated adventures in sound, music and image.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Defiance is the corner stone of every great on-screen protagonist. These films continue that tradition by showcasing new on-screen rebels and their revolutions both big and small.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A short animation programme from the Oscar®-winning BreakThru Films from Poland.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Post-Brexit Britain has seen hate crime soar - this programme explores the consequences.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A programme that lifts the lid on aspects of medical, emotional and psychological conditions such as memory, ageing and perception.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The Cartoon d’Or is the award for the best European animated short film of the year showcasing the best of the best prize-winning films from major European festivals.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This archipelago of shorts questions the notion that ‘No man is an island’ with examples of 21st century seclusion.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Bring a bucket, sit back and try to make yourself comfortable for one helluva rollercoaster ride of sick and twisted shorts.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This politically charged, spine-chilling debut from Iranian director Babak Anvari (who joins us for a Director's Q&A after the Mon 3 Oct 18:00 screening) is a tense and atmospheric thriller set in a haunted Tehran apartment during the terrifying final days of the Iran-Iraq War.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

From Celtic Mythology to shipwrecked sailors, dark memories to murder mystery, join us for an evening of tension and suspense with these heart stopping thrilling shorts.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Stories of flora and fauna sit next to cold concrete in this poignant collection of films.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

For some, a first film, for others a step on their way to a first feature – this collection presents a young generation of female Ukrainian filmmakers to watch.

Tales of the Unexpected - Widening the Lens

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

People aren’t always what you think, and friendships can often be found where you least expect them. In these films some characters open their eyes past first impressions, and some go on journeys to discover who they really are.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Don't believe in Modern Love - Bowie was right!

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Depicting the ranges of emotions felt, from sadness to nonchalance, this presentation is nothing less than Good Grief.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Four films from Gavin Scott Whitfield, a brave new filmmaking voice who seeks to empower the powerless and peer into dark corners that society would rather gloss over.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

An eclectic range of outstanding films selected for their powerful emotional impact.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

The prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg celebrates its 25th anniversary with this hand-picked selection of outstanding student projects from the last 25 years.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Exploring cities to farms, highlighting the people who dwell there and the choices they have to make.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Join us on a short orbit around this planet (and others) to see what the latest new and emerging talent are doing with the wonderful world of Sci-Fi.

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Talk

Writer, broadcaster and economics expert Paul Mason joins us to share his top film picks.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Presented here for your delight is a fantastic mix of films, each with a funny take on life - be ready to smile and to cringe!

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Mixed emotions are thrown into relief in these tales of love, loss, friendship and sacrifice.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A programme of short films which celebrate deafness and the Deaf community through positive onscreen representation.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This programme explores what happens when things don’t go right for the patriarchs of the house and how they attempt to redeem themselves.

Lithuanian Programme (Post) Soviet Documentary

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Newly digitised and restored these four documentary films accurately represent the turning point in Lithuanian documentary cinema and establish a dialogue between filmmakers from two different generations.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This programme showcases some of the most exciting, dynamic and diverse student work made in the UK this year.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This series of shorts explores the maternal relationship from both sides and ultimately celebrates Mums, the most important women on the planet.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

In this programme some of the most ambitious animation dares to tackle weighty subject matter each with something to say about humanity or the lack of.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A retrospective of the shorts of Ukrainian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe).

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

Ode to Lesvos, tells the positive stories of people who are making a difference on the front lines of the refugee crisis.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

This programme proves that being young is tough in that continuous cycle of success and failure called ‘growing up’.

Please note: This event took place in Sept 2016

Event

In this special 40th anniversary event we are delighted to welcome Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton to look back at the key milestones along their incredible journey.

Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016

Film

A programme bringing together some of the titles from the short and animated films in competition and to give you a snap shot of what's coming up in the Festival week.

Previous screenings & events in this season

Award Winners Screening 2 15 Encounters 2016

Award Winners Screening 1 15 Encounters 2016

Nothing Compares to EU - Perpetual Cinema Encounters 2016

Shorts 2 Features - The Hatching 15 Encounters 2016

European Film Awards - Screening 3 15 Encounters 2016

Lithuanian Shorts 15 Encounters 2016

Shorts 2 Features - Light Years 12A Encounters 2016

Aardman Family Model Making Workshops - Build a Shaun the Sheep Encounters 2016

European film Awards - Screening 2 15 Encounters 2016

Shorts 2 Features - Baden Baden 15 Encounters 2016

DepicT! Showcase 15 Encounters 2016

Aardman Family Model Making Workshops - Build a Gromit Encounters 2016

European Film Awards Screening 1 15 Encounters 2016

Shorts 2 Features - Norfolk 18 (CTBA) Encounters 2016

I Will Survive - Family Friendly Shorts 14 + PG Encounters 2016

Festival Highlights 15 Encounters 2016

Family Friendly Shorts 7 + U Encounters 2016

Late Lounge XXXtra 18 Encounters 2016

Breaking Boundaries: In Conversation with Don Letts Encounters 2016

The Bristol Sound on Screen 15 Encounters 2016

Animation 6 - Art and Design 15 Encounters 2016

Let's Dance - Music Videos & Dance Films 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 9 - Make me 15 Encounters 2016

Breakthru Shorts 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 8 - Bloody Foreigners 15 Encounters 2016

Animation 5 - A Look Inside 15 Encounters 2016

Cartoon D'or 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 7 - Islands 15 Encounters 2016

Late Lounge 18 Encounters 2016

Preview: Under the Shadow 15 S Encounters 2016

Fear and Loathing - Thriller Shorts 15 Encounters 2016

Animation 4 - It's Only Natural 15 Encounters 2016

Ukraine Female Focus 15 Encounters 2016

Tales of the Unexpected - Widening the Lens 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 6 - Modern Love 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 5 - Those Left Behind 15 Encounters 2016

Voices from the Margins 18 Encounters 2016

Animation 3 - Top of the Class 15 Encounters 2016

Filmakademie 25th Anniversary Screening 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 4 - My Space 15 Encounters 2016

Close Encounters of the Short Kind - Sci Fi Shorts 15 Encounters 2016

Desert Island Flicks with Paul Mason Encounters 2016

Funny Looking Shorts 15 Encounters 2016

Animation 2 - Moving Pictures 15 Encounters 2016

Deaf Shorts - Sign of the Times 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 3 - Daddy Dearest 15 Encounters 2016

Lithuanian Programme (Post) Soviet Documentary 15 Encounters 2016

Nahemi Screening 15 Encounters 2016

Short Film 2 - Mother’s Milk 15 Encounters 2016

Animation 1 - The Weight of Humanity 15 Encounters 2016

Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi Retrospective 18 Encounters 2016

Ode to Lesvos 18 Encounters 2016

Short Film 1 - Sux2Bme 15 Encounters 2016

The Aardman 40th Anniversary Special Encounters 2016

Festival Highlights - Opening Night 15 Encounters 2016

Preview: Under the Shadow 15 Encounters 2016