The profusion of energy, skill and idiosyncratic vision on display in this showcase of recent animation from China is amazing – and the spirit of independence fills every frame.
![Toe, Petal, Cosmos](/assets/resized/sm/upload/bx/2q/n9/no/11.%20Toe%20Petal%20Cosmos-0-800-0-450-crop.jpg?k=cf33890058)
![Cells’ Amusement Park](/assets/resized/sm/upload/e8/lw/jv/7i/2.%20Cell's%20Amusement%20Park-0-960-0-450-crop.jpg?k=eaded0b27d)
![Books on Books](/assets/resized/sm/upload/qb/d7/fx/p7/7.%20Books%20On%20Books-0-960-0-450-crop.jpg?k=cb7bcf053b)
Screened as part of NZIFF 2017
Animation NOW! New Chinese Animation
Jul 16 | | ||
Jul 18 | |
If the breadth of the work here is any indication, independent Chinese animation is in something of a Golden Age. From the enigmatic to the electric, this collection of work is a series of unpredictable and provocative statements. It seems every short here has its own rarefied world to explore: a shadow journeys a vivid landscape in a colourful meditation on memory; red and blue cells take human form for a heated football match; and body parts intermingle with flora and fauna in a trippy riff on the quantum theory. Some of these worlds reflect on technology: a man is overwhelmed by windows of images (many sexual in nature), and scatters of information form a playful digital tapestry between two computers. There’s no shortage of political critique: a marionette dictator loses his reign over an industrial wasteland; a troupe of animals flee through an apocalyptic ruin from a rocket ship full of sadistic toddlers; and in the most hypnotic short of the programme, a series of confounding, abstracted images reflect on China in split-screen – the effect is like a gallery show where the viewer is able to wander into each individual canvas. — JF
A Lone Bird Flying In The Snow 2015
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/kb/ao/84/k3/1.%20A%20Lone%20Bird%20Flyiong%20In%20The%20Snow-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=056017f830)
The blanket of winter perfectly backdrops a simple concerto amid nature’s orchestra.
Cells’ Amusement Park 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/7l/t3/sl/0j/2.%20Cell's%20Amusement%20Park-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=348879d071)
Down at the coursing, molecular level, life is an eternal evolutionary sport played out by the rules and for keeps.
Forever 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/07/ca/9z/p7/3.%20Forever%20-%20Zhong%20Su-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=1763852061)
In the daily battle to enforce regulations, having the high ground is all important – until the crowd turns.
So Red and a Little Blue 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/v7/8t/8x/ow/4.%20So%20Red%20And%20A%20Little%20Blue-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=c3a2c361f8)
Life can be full of surprises. The trick is to figure how to not lose your head – or let somebody else take it off you.
Goodbye Utopia 2014
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A cornucopia of randomly selected dystopic images co-joined for one last farewell parade.
Books on Books 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/e6/wi/98/mi/7.%20Books%20On%20Books-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=858bdaab70)
The (rapidly) rising master of montage returns with an exquisitely timed, image-laden rollercoaster for the eyes.
Balloon 2015
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/2b/n2/2w/uz/8.%20Balloon-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=75b2fbb845)
Balloons come in all shapes and sizes and they have a thousand uses. Some of them also look a bit familiar!
Animal Year 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/l5/c7/0w/0i/9.%20Animal%20Year-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=d6d2c02f8f)
From within the shattered remnants of a jigsaw theme park, a sense that all is not quite right is beginning to make itself felt.
The Abyss 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/v5/e6/vv/81/10.%20The%20Abyss-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=641e34f79f)
Blood on the trees, scent in the air, hunger in the belly. Fear and courage find their crossroads one winter’s day.
Toe, Petal, Cosmos 2016
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/ru/b8/p3/3t/11.%20Toe%20Petal%20Cosmos-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=ef34f54c11)
A colourful visual ballet drawn from the softly geometric centre of a triangle-inspired universe.
Another Man 2015
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/wx/nt/nu/3a/12.%20Another%20Man-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=a8b90f0335)
In a world that respects no ups or downs, reflections and shadows lose track of what it is they are supposed to render.
Still 2015
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/dl/5l/cb/gh/13.%20Still-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=56aaad0d1b)
Sometimes understanding how to meld the real and the imagined is all about following the thread that weaves them together.
Missing One Player 2015
![](/assets/resized/sm/upload/gk/pa/rv/mc/14.%20Missing%20One%20Player-0-640-0-360-crop.jpg?k=c98807c1c6)
The answers are definitely out there, somewhere – maybe it’s the questions that don’t make any sense?
Mirage 2014
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Be witness to the crystalline disintegration of a once colourful, fluid and hyper-populated cosmos.