The film is about the existential journey of A Little Beetle. A Little Beetle’s attempt to escape from the sink has been unsuccessful, but the trouble that came in the form of water, will prove to be the beginning of a wonderful journey. Elene Sebiskveradze (elenesebo) is a freelance artist and filmmaker from Tbilisi, Georgia. Elene earned her bachelor’s degree from Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, faculty of Architecture (2010-2014). Since 2015, she has been working in the animation field. She finished her master’s degree in Høgskulen i Volda (Volda University College) in Norway (2021-2023). “A Little Beetle Returns” (2023) is Elene Sebiskveradze's (elenesebo) master's degree graduation film project at HØGSKULEN I VOLDA (Volda University College) in Norway. "A Little Beetle Returns" (2023) received production grant from “Georgian National Film Center” (Georgia) and from "Fritt Ord" (Norway).

A Little Beetle Returns

A news crew investigates a mysterious anomaly reported by residents of a small Latvian village, but the more questions are asked, the less clear it all gets. Arturs Voblikovs is a London-based animation director from Latvia, specializing in Stop-Motion.

Anomaly

A girls' night. Under the city lights, fangs out, bitches will bite. Laure is a french stop-motion artist and animator. She works with light and texture to creates vibrant and colorful films, to lovingly celebrate chaotic, abrasive womanhoods. She studied Animated Cinema at ESAAT, France, where she also started to experiment with puppets and stop-motion animation. She left France to study in Volda University College, Norway and further explore her love for stop-motion filmmaking.

BITCH(ES)

Nature contains both the raging fire and the flowing waterfall. Inside a mysterious rainforest, lust takes shape between love and pain. Would you face your haunting desire? Renato José Duque is a brazilian animation artist born in São Paulo. His graduation film, “Ocean”, premiered in 2017 at Animafest Zagreb, and has also been exhibited at other festivals like Huesca International Film Festival, Warsaw Film Festival and Havana Film Festival. He has worked as both animator and editor for several short films and series since. Recently, he got a Masters degree from the ReAnima scholarship programme, a joint course between LUCA School of Arts (Belgium), Aalto University (Finland) and Lusófona University (Portugal).

Cherry, Passion Fruit

Man meets woman. It's a tale as old as time. But she doesn't know, if it's a game to him, while it's an entire life for her. Amanda Drejer (1995) was born and raised in the country side of Fyn, Denmark. She lost her heart to Venezuela at 16, but has since rediscovered Scandinavia as an adult woman. Before identifying as a film-maker, she sees herself as an artist with a basis in painting and drawing the human figure and face. She captures the female experience with the world and is especially fascinated by perceptions of beauty and the feeling of ambivalence we may encounter in our relationships to other humans. Amanda recently completed a year-long stay at Nordiska Folkhögskolan in Kungälv, Sweden. She is now attending the bachelor in fine arts at KMD in Bergen, Norway.

He Was a Hungry Man

A throne room engulfed in roots and branches echoes a past of something grand and royal. The Prince has returned to his fathers kingdom, only to find it forsaken and hollowed with silence. As we follow him going deeper into the thickening forest-like hall, glimpses of his past are revealed, pushing him closer and closer to his breaking point.

Judgement

Hilda is a dog who has a firm belief that she is the master of her human. The story describes everyday activities through the interpretation of Hilda. As the best master in the world, Hilda determines the start of each day, their exercise routine, menu, daily walks and social life. Her pet treats Hilda like a goddess who must be preserved. Elise Kruusel (b. 1993) is an animator, director and screenwriter, who lives and works in Estonia – Tallinn. She recently graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts, majoring in animation, BA. Kruusel's films are mainly comedies with variation of techniques such as 2D, 3D and stop-motion. Her work often questions self-worth and hidden taboo themes such as feelings of embarrassment, shame and humiliation. Elise is currently working on her debut film, "Fassaad" which is coproduced with Estonian Joonisfilm.

My Favorite

Remembering is a fluid affair. A daughter tries to reconcile with her mother through memories of their shared rituals, exposing the intricate aspects of their relationship. As the daughter matures, she begins to contemplate conventional notions of divinity. The blank frames of the 35mm strip regain their function as memorabilia in the process of engraving her past onto its surface. Evridiki Papaiakovou is a versatile designer and artist from Cyprus, with a background in Graphic Design. After completing her Master's in Animation, her interest expanded toward animated film. Her artwork has been exhibited in Estonia and Latvia, and she has been actively involved in animation workshops for children. Evridiki enjoys experimenting with different mediums, allowing her style to be influenced by her environment.

Poppy Flowers

A lively little girl runs across the field until she notices a dead bird lying on the ground. The soul leaves the bird’s body and starts moving towards the forest which the curious girl decides to follow. Not knowing what lies ahead, the child falls into the dark spirit world and must find her way back home. Piret Potter is an Estonian animator and illustrator based in Tallinn. Potter has worked in Eesti Joonisfilm studio and Master Film studio. She has also created animations for the Estonian musician Lauri Lest to advertise his music. Potter's art focuses on the importance of folklore in contemporary world and the human relationship with nature. Her diploma film Soul Bird presents a person's relationship with death and unknown through a folkloristic view.

Soul Bird

Like each year, the swifts are coming back to their homes in the sleeping districts. This time they don't find any humans. The space is filled with spirits. Ada Napiórkowski (born 1991) is a Polish Animation Director based in Estonia. Her creative practice is process-driven, leaning towards experimentation and play. She's fascinated by textures and symbols, constantly looking for non-formulaic, yet compelling stories. She's an avid knitter, bird watcher, and occasional potter in her free time. She started her creative journey as a Graphic Designer, designing fonts and corporate fairytales. In recent years, she decided experimental image-making and storytelling were her true calling.

Swifts

The lonely knight Angus is looking for love on the dating app "Tender". Daniela Pardiñas & Martine Samdal are two Volda University College graduates who decided to make their bachelorfilm together. With their similar work ethic and eye for detail, it was a match made in heaven! Daniela (24) from Slovakia and Martine (24) from Norway are both passionate about 2D handdrawn animation, and dream of doing similar projects like this one in the future!

Tender Is The Knight

Going back to my childhood memories of raising silkworms. The physical existence of human beings was erased, and only my “ghost” as an experiencer existed in my childhood bedroom. My existence in the past decomposed in the animism garden* of my childhood. My physical body felt tired in human society, and my cyber body/consciousness returned to the “classroom”, where the children worship silkworms and rejoice in their transformation — they are divine beings rather than any other manmade shapes. In the secret endless rituals, words from anthropocentric ideology are invading, and fading. Nevertheless, all the matter will be decomposed, as planetary changes, because in the end, the cosmos has it all. VoidSpecies Garden (Jingkun Qiao) is an illustrator, and animator based in Stockholm.

When all things come together and decompose.

A man in a suit and fedora is patiently waiting for a mysterious delivery. Suspense builds up as the story follows an unknown courier with a suitcase. What will happen when they meet?

Fedora

Norway

Sweden

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Lithuania

Latvia

Estonia

Nordic-Baltic Competition: Student Film (Nordic-Baltic Geoblock)

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