About the Detroit International Festival of Animation

Welcome Movie Fans and Fellow Detroiter’s!

The 6th Annual Detroit International Festival of Animation (DIFA) will showcase a wide variety of animations on April 2nd and 3rd. The 90 minutes of animated showings will be streamed free digitally on the DIFA website.

Parental Guidance is suggested due to some maturity and language of certain films.

Detroit International Festival of Animation Films

A Family That Steals Dogs” – John C Kelley (2020 Tennessee 7:30)

Strange experiences and realizations lead a grieving artist to reconsider his identity and beliefs in this meditation on grief, family and mental illness.

“Anxty” – Antoinette Marshall (2020 United Kingdom 1:20)

A short 2D conceptual style experimental animation film exploring the effects of anxiety.

“Bisogno” – Matteo Zallocco (2020 Italy 1:12)

Lockdown. A slow vertical tracking shot that spying on a small building, at night, reveals contrasting situations and emotions, even in the same apartment, between people and animals, to end up on the roof of the building where two pigeons reveal their “need”.

“Charlie Brontoson in: Bus Stop” – Christian E. Rosado (2019 Puerto Rico 2:25)

Charlie Brontoson is a middle-age long neck dinosaur that missed his bus ride to work, resulting on him waiting for the next one at the Bus Stop. As the day passes and the bus still hasn’t arrived, Charlie’s frustration gets to a boiling point.

“Essential Workers” – MCR/Electric Otto (2020 Michigan 0:34)

On the Front Line with a Mask getting Burgers and Fries for your @$$!

“Exceptional Minds Promo – Mitsubishi Electric” – Howie Hoffman, Scott Sackett (2020 California 5:24)

Animated promo video for Exceptional Minds – a non profit visual effects and animation school and studio for young adults on the autism spectrum. Sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric of America.

“He Flies By His Own Wings” – McKena Boos (Michigan 2:48)

Falling through a dream, a man longs for flight with wings he does not have.

“In Red” – 贺天 (2020 China 8:01)

A two-dimensional animated short film that combines music, dance and animation and focuses on the transmission of emotions. The short film tells the story of the war in the stream of consciousness, all the lives are suffering, even the perpetrators themselves… It advocates for peace and for equal rights.

“In Shape” – Nolan J Downs ( United States 1:52)

“Just For The Record” – Vojin Vasovic ( Serbia 7:01)

In an abandoned attic, dictaphone robot REC desperately tries to connect to a bird that stops on its window. Using his play button to say something, he finds himself shocked by the content and scares the bird away. He rushes to make her come back, to record over his “own voice” before his battery leaks.

“Melted” – Nikki Chapman (2020 Indiana 1:45)

A macabre girl laments about the inevitability of death after being given a melting cartoon character popsicle.

“Mime Your Manners” – Kate Namowicz, Skyler Porras (2020 Florida 3:20)

An arrogant man berates a mime. As a consequence, he is transformed into a mime until he learns to treat others how he would like to be treated.

“My Tagalong” – Jerry Wang (2020 Canada 6:40)

A story about two brothers’ journey on the earth. The Older brother wants to enjoy the trip himself, but his younger brother always follows him and makes a lot of troubles.

“Psychophonic” – Aline Romero (2019 Spain 5:42)

During a full moon night, a cat is trapped inside a spooky house where a gramophone is playing, the cat will discover a secret while trying to escape and run for his life.

“SALT” – (United States 2:41)

An irritated little brother and his bossy older sister come to learn that saying “I love you” doesn’t always mean saying “I love you”.

“Stache and the Inner Walk” – Joanne Fisher (2020 Canada 3:30)

Salvador Dali’s mustache rises in the crypt and journeys into the world of its subconscious.

“The Beakmann Incident” – Jared D. Weiss (2020 California 3:42)

Three housemates recount an unspeakable event that took place in their home.

“The Dessert” – Yury Tomilov (2019 Russian Federation 4:45)

The pear, the orange and the banana show off in front of the beautiful cherry. They fight for her attention, bother each other. But boasting and aggression usually lead to sad consequences.

“The Moon and Me” – Alejandro Mavarez (2020 Florida 3:38)

A young man has fallen in love with the moon, and he will do anything to be with “her”.

“The Organized Life” – Patrick Yu Wang, Nguyet Nghi Duong (2020 New York 2:29)

A 3D animated short film that presents the relationship between mother and son through the son solving the issue of not being able to control himself from organizing everything in life.

“Ways of Keeping” – Miles Aijala, Anna-Ester Volozh (2020 United Kingdom 2:47)

In this stop-motion animated short film, a gardener lives a quiet life, tending to their little home. When the mysterious locked door in their house starts leaking a dark substance that threatens to taint everything it touches, they struggle to face what they’ve locked in the closet.

“We Can Still Be Friends” – Ewa Sztefka (2020 Poland 5:14)

An unrequited love for a friend grows out of control. An intimate look into processing emotions through the lens of BPD.

“Yikásdáhí – Awaits the Dawn” – Gabriela Clar (2019 Argentina 7:35)

When the time comes to create the sky chart, the Black God takes his blueprints and a sack filled with stars to set about creating the constellations. But things get complicated when his actions catch the eye of Coyote, a troublemaker who thinks any excuse is good enough to make some mischief. Based on a Navajo legend.