The London International Animation Festival 2025
LIAF 2025: BEST OF THE NEXT (Part 2) [15+]
Still from ‘Chair Cemetery’ Dir: Alicia Lévy 3'35
Doors: 8pm
This is the second of 3 hour-long student programmes on this night. You can buy tickets for all 3 programmes at a reduced price: Triple Screening Special Offer: Best of the Next 1, 2 & 3
This is the second part of our 3 student programmes.
Lights, Camera, Animation! This is LIAF’s annual showcase of the most dazzling animated student films selected from the best animation and film schools from all around the world. This is the first step on the animation ladder for these talented filmmakers, and the first time their wild and wonderful imaginations have been unleashed. Stop-motion, drawn animation, collage, cut-out, CGI, clay, ink and almost every other technique these animators can dream up are all on display here. 33 wondrous films in 3 hour-long programmes from the future stars of our animation universe.
Several of the filmmakers will be in attendance. Come along and help us celebrate this incredible work and to gain insights into their creative processes, inspirations, and the challenges they faced while bringing their visions to life.
Total running time: 67 mins
Films:
Blargh
Blargh is a passive little fella. Everything just kind of happens around him, while he’s keeping it all in. So much so that he discovers a ball of black goo in his stomach.
Germany 2025 Dir: Sofija Zivkovic 4'10
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Burnout
A character is trapped in a furious cycle of work. Through this inner turmoil, an uncontrollable force emerges, wreaking havoc in its wake.
UK 2024 Dir: Matthew Hendry, Tolli Myers 5'35
Falmouth University
Bus!
An ex-bus driver wakes up in purgatory and is promptly sentenced to hell.
UK 2025 Dir: Asta Azopardi 2'10
Royal College of Art
After a Whale
A young girl goes to a swimming pool and meets a killer whale. Being with him awakens her, but unfortunately nothing in this world is eternal.
Estonia 2025 Dir: Kate Jansone 5'15
Estonian Academy of Arts
Recordari
Santiago, Chile, 1985. Camila and Paula, both 7 years old, are neighbours and best friends. Living amidst sweetness and bitterness, their lives, along with those of their families and their neighbourhood, are shaped by the horrors of Pinochet's military dictatorship.
Chile, Germany 2024 Dir: Carolina Cruz 9'35
Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
If I Raised my Mother
A young woman reminisces about her childhood and wonders what she would have done differently had she raised her mother.
UK 2024 Dir: Bhavna Madan Mohan 2'20
Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
(Jincheng Driving School)
A film that uses driving practice to explore the warmth and conflicts of everyday life. Five distinct characters navigate lessons marked by mishaps from pig transport accidents to roadside breakdowns, culminating in a quiet bond between the coach and his son.
China 2025 Dir: Jiao Binghao 9'40
China Academy of Art
Anklebones
A game of Shagai (Anklebones) sends a child into daydream.
Mongolia, USA 2025 Dir: Nicole Altan 5'00
Rhode Island School of Design
Cottage Cheese
When Mika sits on the toilet, she is shocked to discover that there is something slimy and "cottage-cheese-like" in her underwear. In search of answers, she embarks on a bizarre journey into her own vagina.
Switzerland 2024 Dir: Janina Muller, Liina Loumajoki, Lena Metzger, Alice Kunz 5'15
Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts
Chair Cemetery
Confusion settles in the house, how to make it a home again?
France 2024 Dir: Alicia Lévy 3'35
DnMade Lycée René Descartes
The id, the bad and the ugly
A short slapstick following the psychological journey of a cowboy, his truck and an elusive therapist.
UK 2024 Dir: Hannah Eccles 4'30
Royal College of Art
Nrut
Everything spins in this film, except Muncu. The world is dancing and Muncu is trying to keep up. Do you have to dance along or stand still to find the right beat? And if you’ve always stood still, how do you know if you’re going to get dizzy?
Germany 2025 Dir: Sophia Schönborn 4'30
Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
The Undying Pain of Existence
A nude model is posing with statuesque stillness for an elite drawing class – until an unfortunate mosquito bite challenges his self-control. Driven to madness by the itch, he’s caught between the ruthless demand for perfection and his most unhinged, animalistic impulses.
Germany 2025 Dir: Oscar Jacobson 5'20
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Still from ‘Blargh’ Dir: Sofija Zivkovic 4'10
The London International Animation Festival (LIAF 2025) - the UK’s largest and longest-running animation festival is back with 10 days of amazing screenings, talks, discussions and events from November 28 to December 7. We are delighted that LIAF is once again returning to the Horse Hospital for 4 nights and 9 extra special screenings - with several visiting local and international animators attending to talk and introduce their films.
The full festival programme is available at https://liaf.org.uk/
