We have always had a special passion around here for documentary animation. LIAF probably shows more of this kind of work than any other generalist animation festival. It can be surprising to encounter resistance to the idea that there could even be such a thing as documentary animation. Surprising not just because animation is an obvious way to tell any kind of story but because documentary animation has been around from the earliest days of cinema. Just check out Winsor McCay’s 12-minute short ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania’ made in 1918.
Here are 10 of the best animated documentary films we have screened at LIAF over the years – big audience favourites with a few of our own personal choices. Together they form a compelling argument that animation can help the documentary form push boundaries and pose a network of challenging, existential questions.
A seven-year-old girl asks her hopelessly unconventional parents for a bicycle. But what kind of bike can you expect from a father who sports the only moustache in town and a mother who makes dresses out of curtain fabric? A charming look at adult obliviousness to childhood desires and the difficulty of being honest with your loved ones.
We have always had a special passion around here for documentary animation. LIAF probably shows more of this kind of work than any other generalist animation festival. It can be surprising to encounter resistance to the idea that there could even be such a thing as documentary animation. Surprising not just because animation is an obvious way to tell any kind of story but because documentary animation has been around from the earliest days of cinema. Just check out Winsor McCay’s 12-minute short ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania’ made in 1918.
Here are 10 of the best animated documentary films we have screened at LIAF over the years – big audience favourites with a few of our own personal choices. Together they form a compelling argument that animation can help the documentary form push boundaries and pose a network of challenging, existential questions.
A seven-year-old girl asks her hopelessly unconventional parents for a bicycle. But what kind of bike can you expect from a father who sports the only moustache in town and a mother who makes dresses out of curtain fabric? A charming look at adult obliviousness to childhood desires and the difficulty of being honest with your loved ones.