Tales of friendship, love, loss, and coming to terms with one's own mortality.
Our Dark 'Toons program enters into realms of the unconscious often left untapped, encompassing fantasy, tragedy, and romance. While not all these characters are human, the emotions expressed, from pain to aspiration, are the most human we have.
Though the films in this program are certainly "dark" - from fantastical nightmares to criminal horror shows - many also explore our tenderest concerns, including making new friends and bidding farewell to old ones, losing love, entering unknown worlds, and facing our mortality. They may all be somewhat bleak in nature, but the films ultimately ache with hopefulness and desire. We hope you are as moved by these films as we are.
-Sarah Palmer
Watch films from this program.
Presented in partnership with: IFC, New York magazine, vitaminwater, Open Road NY, New Design High School, Fontanas, the NYC Council Manhattan Delegation & NYS Senator Daniel L. Squadron
MUZORAMA (Elsa Brehin | France | 3:15 min.)
Just a typical spring day in a Surrealist nightmare town that echoes Magritte. Based on the universe of French illustrator Jean-Philippe Masson, AKA Muzo.
Crew: Elsa Brehin, Raphael Calamote, Mauro Carraro, Maxine Cazaux, Emilien Davaud, Laurent Monneron, Axel Tillement
RUNAWAY (Cordell Barker | Canada | 9 min.)
As we fly toward our impending and inevitable doom, we party to stave off our fear. But no one's driving this train and whether we're oppressors, oppressed, or oblivious to the world in our lovemaking - we're not going to make it.
BLACK HORSE (Tomi Malkki | Finland | 6:13 min.)
A disturbing family portrait in which toys and disembodied chicken heads have special powers.
N.A.S.A. A VOLTA (Alexei Tylevich | Los Angeles, CA | 4 min.)
Another day, another drug deal gone wrong in this NC-17 bit of ultraviolence set in an 8-bit isometric metropolis. logan.tv
THE SURPRISE DEMISE OF FRANCIS COOPER'S MOTHER (Felix Massie | Los Angeles, CA | 7:25 min.)
We're going to make mistakes, act with negligence, and, of course, die someday. The question remains, can we control our own destiny, even in a small way? worldofarthurcox.com
WEDNESDAY MORNING TWO A.M. (Lewis Klahr | Los Angeles, CA | 7 min.)
A classic story of lost love, told with vintage pulp characters, with music is by The Shangri-Las.
THE LITTLE DRAGON (Bruno Collet | France | 8 min.)
The dragon spirit is reincarnated in a doll's body trapped in a box for 35 years, and sets out to discover the oversize world outside. vivement-lundi.com
SAM'S HOT DOGS (David Lopez Retamero | United Kingdom | 9:30 min.)
Life is just like a big, tasty hot dog, so cook it, season it, and enjoy it. Before it enjoys you.
INUKSHUK (Camillelvis Thery | France | 8:45 min.)
On the last polar day, up on the howling ice, a little Inuk man and a mischievous bear see their white world metamorphosed into a huge whale ocean of darkness.
DREAMS FROM THE WOODS (Johannes Nyholm | Sweden | 9 min.)
This beautiful and quiet shadow puppet animation encompasses our joys and fears - love, death, and the dark and stormy night. johannesnyholm.se
THE TERRIBLE THING OF ALPHA-9! (Jake Armstrong | Brooklyn, NY | 5:45 min.)
A space bounty hunter travels to a lonely planet to kill a terrible monster. jakehatesyou.blogspot.com
MRDRCHAIN (Ondrej Svadlena | Czech Republic | 9:40 min.)
In this Frances Bacon-esque horror film, the whole world is a slaughterhouse. What holds you together once your limbs, skin, and veins are several and everything is undulating and undead? Perhaps only the hope of meeting your doppelganger in a field of doom. ondrejsvadlena.com
LET'S HARVEST THE ORGANS OF DEATH ROW INMATES (Max Joseph & Chris Weller | Los Angeles, CA | 1:46 min.)
In 2008, 37 death-row inmates were executed. None of their organs were donated. Considering that there are currently 2,775 people on the waiting list for heart transplants, shouldn't we be harvesting healthy organs from executed inmates? maxjoseph.com / christopherweller.com



























































