Since the dawn of cinema puppet animation has provided some of the most mesmerising films ever made and puppet animators have been among the most revered. Breathing a kind of life into inanimate puppets is a very special form of magic and this programme showcases the continuing vibrancy of this technique. Puppet films should always look like they were handmade. The movements are not always clean, super smooth and flawless. The characters in the films should ‘feel’ real…. because they are! It is these quirks and wonderful little imperfections that make these films so special and define some of the most important elements of a puppet film. These 7 thought-provoking, moving and downright loopy short puppet films have been made by some of the most talented independent animators in the last few years from their different bunkers around the world proving that tangible and physical stop-motion and puppet animation is alive and well and in rude health in the 21st century. Long may it prosper! Recommended age 18

Eden(19) and Dula(18) are two Black boys on a journey of self-acceptance. Their love for each other, and their refusal to hide it, lands them in a paradise free from shame and judgement. Based on the poem by Dean Atta.

Two Black Boys in Paradise

Eating her way through time, a woman triggers a time shift and is plunged into a journey through a labyrinth of floors.

Eating Time

Leaving their human hosts, mental disorders take on anthropomorphic forms and find new refuges.

Psychonauts

Akio Kashiwagi is a real estate shark in Tokyo in the 1980s. His great passion is illegal gambling in the underworld. An American is on his trail and tries to track down stolen money.

Double or Nothing

For Hugo, visiting Chernobyl’s forbidden area is not a commemorative trip. If this young tourist wanders through radioactive ruins, it is mainly to feed his Instagram account. This absurd quest will lead him to discover a population he never knew existed.

Atomik Tour

In a woodland glade, an exhausted mythical creature is suffering from insomnia. When a small forest sprite appears and offers a sedative, it sounds like a perfect solution, but the fatigued Wickywock is too impatient to heed the Sprite’s terms.

The Wickywock and the JubJub Berry

After a chance encounter with a girl, a boy's longing to be with her is threatened by a mysterious pull from the Moon.

Tethered

International Competition Programme 6: Stop Motion Panorama

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The London International Animation Festival proudly showcases the whole spectrum of animation, showing that animation is for everyone. LIAF 2025 is our 22nd edition.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.