Manipulate Arts – Eastern European Shorts

This shorts programme is curated in partnership with Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival in Glasgow and offers a unique collection of Eastern European surrealist animation from 1965 to 2022. This retrospective offers a whistlestop tour through the rich history of animation from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and exploring the ways in which this history is still influencing animators in the region today. 

From a city run by beans to an office building filled with anti‑capitalist mice, these films represent not just the technical finesse and playfulness of animation, but also the intricate ways in which it captures the political and social anxieties of this geographic region. The showcase represents a fantastic opportunity for audiences in Scotland to see rarely exhibited films that have defined animation from the middle of the twentieth century to the present day.

The films

The Hand

Jiri Trnka | 1965 | 18 mins | Non-Verbal
Czechoslovakia

A happy little potter is approached by a huge hand which wants him to sculpt its statue. The potter refuses, wanting nothing more than to be left alone with his only friend, a potted plant. As the hand’s request gives way to bribery, demands, and threats, the potter becomes more desperate to escape its clutch, leading to tragedy.

Mask of the Red Death

Pavao Štalter and Branko Ranitović | 1969 | 10 mins | Non-Verbal
Yugoslavia

Based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe.

Scenes with Beans

Ottó Foky | 1976 | Non-Verbal | 12 mins
Hungary

Watching from the stars, an all-seeing creature observes a society of sentient beans — the joys, triumphs, and tragedies of day-to-day life on their planet — until the busy inhabitants finally notice the watcher’s leering gaze.

…Ja teeb trike (…And Plays Tricks)

Priit Parn | 1978 | Estonian | 10 mins
USSR

A tiny green bear (the Trickster) tries his best to impress a group of animals with his annoying tricks.

Tyll the Giant

Rein Raamat | 1980 | Estonian | 13 mins
USSR

Based on an Estonian folk tale about of the gigantic hero, Tõll, who lived on the island of Saaremaa (Oesel) in the Baltic Sea. Though he was king of the island, Tõll often worked as a common farmer, tending to his crops and returning to his loving wife. He was a good king, often quick to anger but always kind and willing to help his fellow man. Tõll’s greatest enemy is the god of the underworld who specializes in sly, cowardly mischief. When war comes to the island, Tõll arrives to aid his dying army, but the devil takes advantage of his absence to wreak havoc on Tõll’s home.

Dimensions of Dialogue

Jan Švankmajer | 1983 | Non-Verbal | 12 mins
Czechoslovakia

Three surreal depictions of failures of communication that occur on all levels of human society.

The Juggler

Skirmanta Jakaitè | 2018 | English | 11 mins
Lithuania/France

We live in the same house, but in different apartments, jobs, situations, convictions, visions, fooling ourselves that this is the only world that exists. This film is about an unfamiliar and frightening side of life, one that we never really grasp but feel it somewhere close.

Money and Happiness 

Nikola Majdak Jr., Ana Nedeljković  | 2022 | 10 mins | Non-Verbal 
Serbia 

The hamsters live and work in Hamsterland, a perfect state with a perfect economy. The GDP grows steadily, there is no unemployment, and 100% of the population declare themselves to be happy. 

Manipulate Arts’ Autumn Animation Season is supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery