Animation · IFI Archive Player

10m 30s

23 Degrees 5 minutes

An old explorer close to freezing in the Arctic re-lives the events that brought him there. He recalls his student days at Trinity College in Dublin when he studied under the enigmatic Professor Orit, the professor who was driven to madness by his obsessive pursuit of the unified theory. Convinced that the answer somehow lay in the relationship between the numbers two, three and five, Professor Orit’s obsession started the journey which has led his former student to the top of the world. ‘23 Degrees 5 Minutes’ is an animated short film from Academy Award-nominated director Darragh O’Connell and Brown Bag Films. Featuring the voice talents of John Hurt and Stuart Townsend, the short film premiered summer 2011 and has been screened atinternational festivals. With kind permission of Brown Bag Films.

8m 35s

A Terrible Hullabaloo

The story of young Vinny Byrne, a fourteen-year-old boy who found himself fighting for Ireland in the Easter Rising. An eighty-year-old Vinny reminisces on his time with the volunteers, which took him around the city during the fighting. With Vinny’s Dublin brought to life by handmade miniature sets and puppetry, the film offers a uniquely charming first-hand account of the 1916 Rising. Funded by Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland (formerly Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board), After ’16 is a creative response by Irish filmmakers to the events of Easter 1916. This collection of nine short films is a mixture of live-action, animation and documentary, telling stories from the eve of the Rising all the way to the Troubles in 1970s Northern Ireland and beyond.

2m 16s

Beau Guest

This beautifully-animated short made in 1956 takes a humorous approach to the promotion of tourism in Ireland. Next to agriculture, tourism was Ireland’s biggest industry and this short film highlighted its benefits for everyone in Ireland. Made for Bord Fáilte, the Irish tourist board, by Irish advertising agency O’Kennedy-Brindley and British cinema advertising company Pearl and Dean Productions, this quirky animation encourages Irish people to keep their locality tidy and to be welcoming and professional at all times. An amusing scenario contrasts the violent reception given by the Celts to Viking invaders with the warm welcome we now give to visitors. Humour is also used to help visualise the positive impact tourism has on the economy as a whole. It’s not just those in the hospitality industry that benefit from tourism, but a host of other professionals; from bakers , to farmers, to factory workers. The message is that if everyone helps to provide a good experience in whatever area they are in, we will all benefit from those who “return for the hearts they left in Ireland”.

3m 50s

Beauty Now

This satirical view of our contemporary attitudes about beauty is presented in the style of a 1950’s informational film. With kind permission of Boulder Media.

3m 23s

Blip

Blip is a short film about two aliens trying to take over the same planet. With kind permission of Giant Animation Studios.

3m 43s

Cad é Sin

Cad é Sin is a short film based on the Irish song Cad é sin don té sin, it was created for Cartoon Saloon as part of the Anam an Amhráin TV Series which was shown on TG4. With kind permission of Giant Animation Studios.

4m 00s

Carte de Visite

Upon receiving a memento, an old circus personality remembers better times. With kind permission of Boulder Media.

12m 10s

Cúilín Dualach

A beautiful baby boy is born to an overjoyed mother. There is just one problem – his head is on backwards. Cúilín Dualach is the comedic yet inspirational tale about a young boy who lives a happy life but is not always accepted by those around him. He is the apple of his mother’s eye, but his father is embarrassed by him and shows him little affection. In a bid to win over his father he competes in the National Swimming Championships and wins gold. However, he is disqualified due to his condition and his medal is revoked. Cúilín isn’t too bothered as he has achieved his real purpose and goal in life: the love and pride of his father. This heart-warming animation teaches us to accept and celebrate our differences rather than judging them. Directed by Nora Twomey, whose work on later features, The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner, earned Academy Award nominations. This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.

5m 01s

Ding Dong Denny’s History of Ireland

A tourist walks into a Dublin pub looking for directions and encounters Ding Dong Denny O’Reilly at the bar. Ding Dong insists on telling him the “real” history of Ireland over a number of pints. From the Normans to the Famine to 1916 and the sex shops of O’Connell Street, we hear Ding Dong Denny’s delusional take on events that shaped our nation. Ding Dong is a comic creation of comedian Paul Woodful, and is his first adventure into animation. Winner Best Digital Film Digital Media Awards 2008, Winner Grand Prix Award, Digital Media Awards 2008. With kind permission of Brown Bag Films.

8m 31s

From Darkness

Based on an Inuit folktale, From Darkness tells the story of a lonely fisherman who drifts into haunted waters in search of food and finds much more than he bargained for. With kind permission of Cartoon Saloon.

10m 54s

Geist

A shipwrecked fisherman is led to a dark secret and soon realises he is not alone. With kind permission of Giant Animation Studios.

4m 20s

Give Up Yer Aul Sins

Give Up Yer Aul Sins humorously animates original audio recordings of Dublin schoolchildren made by their teacher Peg Cunningham in the 1960s. In the short film, a documentary crew arrives to record the activities of the classroom. The teacher chooses little Mary to retell, in her own imaginative way, the bible story of John the Baptist. Thirty years earlier the boys and girls of children of Rutland Street National School were filmed by Father Jack Delaney. They can be seen in the short, silent amateur film Gloucester Street. Give Up Yer Aul Sins is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films. It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Short in 2001. With kind permission of Brown Bag Films.

6m 00s

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

This short animated film offers a bedtime story told with a very modern twist on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. Granny O’Grimm begins to tell the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ to her sleepy granddaughter but there is a twist. The classic fairy–tale is told with a 21st century sensibility as Granny reimagines the story and terrifies the child in the process. In her retelling, the Elderly Fairy is not invited to Beauty’s christening because she is deemed less beautiful than the younger, more glamorous fairies. She exacts her revenge on a society obsessed with youth and beauty in this humorous and thought-provoking cautionary tale. Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films. It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animation Short Film in 2010.

10m 59s

Old Fangs

Old Fangs is a story about a young man in the shape of a small wolf (referred to as Wolf), being confused and frustrated about his childhood. He has very fond memories of his father and his very early life living isolated in the forest, with his whole family. His father, as the young Wolf remembers it, was a very strong person, a loner, but responsible, skilled and brave. The classical father figure. With kind permission of Cartoon Saloon.

10m 19s

Somewhere Down the Line

Somewhere Down the Line follows a man’s life, loves and losses, shown through the exchanges he has with the passengers in his car. With kind permission of Cartoon Saloon.

4m 35s

The Duel

The Duel is a short film inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.The film was created and directed by Giant Animation as part of the Animation Hub, a work experience programme set up for students to work on live projects. With kind permission of Giant Animation Studios.

7m 11s

The Last Elk

The Last Elk re-imagines the story of the last of the wild Irish elk. Each animal is represented by a different musical sound; the elk experience peace, alongside harshness and strife, but always remain harmonious. When the last elk is killed at the hand of man, the music ceases, and the elk becomes a relic of Ireland’s natural history.As each elk dies, so too does the instrument it is attached to till all is quiet. It was written, animated and directed by Alan Shannon, produced by Darragh O’Connell and Cathal Gaffney with music and sound design by Darren Hendley. With kind permission of Brown Bag Films.

1m 05s

The Last Train

The Last Train is a short film that was made as part of The Animation Hub, a new scheme set up by BCFE and Trinity college to promote working relationships between BCFE’s animation students and TCD’s computer science students. With kind permission of Giant Animation Studios.

5m 53s

The Ledge End of Phil

Stuck outside looking in, Phil is forced to face the world he’s been ignoring. Now he must take a leap of faith or be trapped forever. With kind permission of Cartoon Saloon.

2m 00s

Urban Tails

These funky foxes from Dublin sing in their own music video toeducate us about what life is really like for the creatures living among us in our cities. With kind permission of Pink Kong Studios.