Fantastic Shorts I

Since the dawn of time, fables and (folk) tales have had a firm place in storytelling traditions around the globe. Many of them serve to entertain and warn in equal measure, regardless of whether they are told, illustrated or depicted in some other way. Some warn of strangers in the form of an old woman or of shadows so dark and terrifying that they take on a life of their own. Others warn of the consequences of petty jealousy, gullible naivety or the futility of marginalisation, violence and revenge. Shot on 16mm film, as breathtaking stained glass or stop-motion animation, the films in this programme are set at a time when the boundary between reality and fantasy is almost dissolving; a grey in-between where dreams can turn into nightmares in the blink of an eye and where the seductive power of appearances is both celebrated and shattered.