Ice Merchants

Eric Leiser displays his boundless creativity in this short collection; A stunning compilation of works presented with a mixture of live action, stop motion animation, puppetry and pixilation techniques, produced between 2001 and 2006.

The world of 10-year old Nina has been in turmoil since her father lost his job. Despite weeks of strike, his factory closed down. The manager had tampered with the accounts and precipitated its collapse. But rumour has it that a nest-egg remains hidden somewhere in the factory. Nina and her friend Mehdi spring into action to help Nina’s dad out. This tale of our times, which is also a coming-of-age story, stages the interaction between the concerns of children and those of adults.

On a Summer afternoon, Pedro packs the last few boxes before having to leave his apartment in New York. 12 years ago, Pedro and Ana had arrived in America from Portugal, in search of a dream. Now, Ana's voice describes, from the other side of the ocean, that same country to which they are returning. As the rooms are emptied, Pedro bids farewell to one life, welcoming another. But the dream that brought him will remain forever in the city that never sleeps, awaiting his return.

Set in Han Imperial China, the plot follows the adventures of enslaved girl Ping with ancient dragon Long Danzi. Dragons had been banished from the kingdom. Ping, an orphan, finds one of the last remaining dragon eggs. Palace guards force Ping to run away in order to return the dragon egg to the ocean and save all dragons from extinction. Ping discovers that she is a true Dragonkeeper.

Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger" (the Olympic motto), this experimental animation explores the interplay of abstract shapes and motions. How can the substance of motion be visualized? What degree of abstraction allows a communication with the viewer? Therefore movements of famous Olympians were digitalized into 3D through motion tracking and rotoscoping of original footage of Olympic competitions. Camera motions and playback speed of the footage were borrowed and the movements of the athletes were recreated frame by frame. The specific character of each sport is reflected in the visual language and the illustration of its motions.

It’s the summer of 2004. Three boys play ball in a parking lot. Two brothers interfere with the game. One ball.

This is the story of a poor fisherman, who was looking for and wanted happiness. A quiet family life, filled with the love and care of a woman, was not enough for happiness. Happiness is luxury, wealth... thought the fisherman.

A boy falls into his prehistoric book and falls in love with a cave girl.

Led by Dylan Arnold (Oppenheimer, Halloween, Halloween Kills, Netflix's You), premiering at Cannes Court Métrage and landing its creators on Variety Magazine's "Students to Watch" list, Helpless comments on the high stakes of violence in America.

One night, the phone rings in a traditional Portuguese snack bar from the country side. The Spanish Civil Guard is looking for Kunta. He isn't there and till he arrives people speculate about those phone calls and about who is that man. His he a thief? A terrorist?

Eternal daydreamer Mel can't wait to quit her sucky catering job and fly to her dream destination: Portugal. Things change when the beautiful Jenny literally crashes into her life when Mel nearly runs her over in her classic BMW. It is love at first sight, however there is just one problem: Jenny mistakenly assumes Mel to be a boy. Despite this, the pair become boyfriend and girlfriend. With Mel attempting to disguise her true gender at every turn, her journey from tomboy to out lesbian is fraught with life-defining dilemmas and sweet surprises.