A celebratory showcase of some of the year’s best and brightest animated shorts. If you’re looking to sample the animation ecosystem in all its multi-coloured, variously shaped glories, there’s no better place to begin.
Films — by Country
Australia
![Breath](/assets/resized/sm/upload/sa/w4/13/4e/Breath_Nic-Duncan-0049%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=b8d7ad7180)
Breath
Coming of age in 1970s Western Australia is poignantly evoked in Simon Baker’s visually poetic adaptation of Tim Winton’s novel about a young man’s obsession with surfing and the allure of living dangerously.
![Gurrumul](/assets/resized/sm/upload/ww/17/o8/gi/Guru_-_Briggs_Concert_01%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=68a17a7220)
Gurrumul
A soaring, evocative audio-visual journey into the life, culture and landscapes of one of Australia's most beloved singers – the late Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
![I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story](/assets/resized/sm/upload/80/5j/a5/wu/I_Used_to_be_Normal_-_00089220%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=59def1510a)
I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story
Bursting with colour, music and boyband adoration, Jessica Leski’s documentary is a celebration of women coming of age and navigating adulthood through the music and romantic appeal of their beloved boybands.
![Jirga](/assets/resized/sm/upload/sj/f8/2j/wq/Jirga_A_SET_009%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=d6e5dafaba)
Jirga
Shot without permits in Afghanistan, this spectacular and powerful redemption drama from the director of Son of a Lion brings a needed fresh perspective to conflict in the Islamic world.
![The Song Keepers](/assets/resized/sm/upload/de/fo/rg/6v/The%20Song%20Keepers%20Still%209%20-%20choir%20with%20blue%20background%20KEY-0-520-0-390-crop.jpg?k=abfe456037)
The Song Keepers
Director Naina Sen embeds with the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir as they prepare a repertoire of Baroque hymns, taught by 19th-century Lutheran missionaries, and take it back to amazed audiences in Germany.