Animation Now — sqiff.org

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We welcome you back for another year of Animation Now. This popular screening is, once again, bringing you the latest in contemporary animation. Expect groundbreaking and immersive worldbuilding that is extremely impressive on a flat cinema screen. These films use such creative methods to depict emotions. And get ready for those emotions to really tug at your heartstrings, with tales ranging from tender young love to otherworldly surrealism.
The screening will end with a Drawing Social facilitated by Joe Hogan (You & Me).

 
Click here to book your ticket for this event.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £4, £8, £12, £16, or £20, in order to make SQIFF more accessible to those on a low income. You can choose what you pay based on your circumstances – you won’t be asked for any proof/ID. We just ask that you are honest! Please find the ‘What Should I Pay?’ guidance here.
 
Accessibility
This event has:

English-BSL interpretation for the introduction and workshop. The interpreter for this event is TBC.
Arabic, English, German, Mandarin, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles.
Live Captioning for the introduction and workshop.
An induction loop is available at the GFT Box Office. Enhanced Audio (EA) is available in their screening rooms via headset.

This screening is 95 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of  the venue. Thank you for working with us on this. 
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2026 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org
 
Films in this programme include:
The Duties of a Lighthouse Keeper, Dir. Rory Midhani, 2026, Germany, 8 min.
The Duties of a Lighthouse Keeper follows the daily life of an isolated seaman, all alone on a hard, hard rock- going about his daily duties whilst yearning for the touch of his fellow man. Is there more to this life than servicing the buoys? 
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity, sex.

 
Our Mother Mary, Dirs. Matthew Gunawan, Ollie Wang, 2026, Singapore, United States, 3 min.
In a Catholic school in Singapore, Ming follows Aloysius into the woods where a strange statue of mother Mary resides. As the two boys bond, the statue of Mary seems to shift and crumble with each boundary they break, and Ming grows more ridden with guilt.
Content notes: Depiction of violence.
 
Eyeliner, Dir. Aisha Boudjillouli, 2026, United Kingdom, 9 min.
Nina and her best friend Lily decide to steal an eyeliner, hoping that they’ve finally found their key to womanhood. However, when given wildly different receptions to wearing it, Nina discovers that her journey as a trans girl might not be so easy.
Content notes: Depiction of transphobia.
 
The Red Wave, Dir. Jessica Payne, 2025, United Kingdom, 6 min.
Trapped in an endless loop, this film explores the horrors of menstrual depression. Tangled red material voices the internal monstrous, a fear that becomes the mundane every day. In highlighting the anxieties of menstrual depression, the film finds a positive message, keep building the raft.
 
Greenhouse, Dirs. Markley Cahn von Seelen, Viktoriia Vasylets, Ana Sofía Aillaud Trasviña, 2026, Switzerland, 4 min.
The hopes for the future of a trans man do not coincide with the expectations of the gay men he meets on dating apps.
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity, implied abortion, transphobia.
 
Unanimated Strangers, Dir. Róisín Kelly, 2025, Ireland, 5 min.
Surrounded by strangers, a woman’s memories of her past relationship unravel and mesh with the people around her.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.
 
Foreign Bodies, Dir. Lysander Wong, 2025, United Kingdom, 4 min.
A simple itch descends into an outbreak with many legs. Certain things will always find their way to the surface.
Content notes: Depiction of body horror, needles.
 
Flamingo in the Garden, Dir. Xinhui Ma, 2025, United States, 13 min.
Flamingo in the Garden follows a Chinese woman recovering from a surfing injury in Morocco. Confined to a hospital bed, she escapes into a morphine-induced dream garden where desire, memory, and pain blur together, leading her toward healing and renewed connection with her body.
Content notes: Depiction of drug use, hospitalisation, needles.
 
The Tale of Tran Thanh Duong, Dir. Hachul Le Do, 2025, Vietnam, 8 min.
In a world where men are fish, and women are shrimp, where does the rest go?
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity, pregnancy.
 
Mr Sun & Miss Universe, Dir. Souffien Melad, 2025, Netherlands, 7 min.
When superstar Louis (also known as “Mr Sun” for his golden locks and grand personality) realizes that he is going bald, he embarks on a cosmic journey in which he re-evaluates his relationship to his aging body.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.
 
Below the Soup, Dir. André Correia, 2025, Germany, 5 min.
While taking a bath, Noah is visited by different versions of himself, each one taking him further and further away from reality until he nearly drowns inside the soup of his mind.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.
Content notes: Depiction of animated nudity, body horror, smoking.
 
You & Me, Dir. Joe Hogan, 2026, United Kingdom, 11 min.
You & Me, follows a grumpy little wizard as he attempts to resurrect the dead…