2024 Midnight Specials: A Selection that Demystifies the Irreverent!

Every year, the Midnight Specials deliver their fair share of shocks and astonishment! A hand-picked band of brazen minds who serve up unfettered creations that explore the most improbable scenarios.

This year, the section will present the legendary WTF programme including 15 shorts and 5 feature films. Unique, wacky and totally unexpected, guaranteed to delight even the most brazen!

ON THE BILLBOARD

Who Said Death Is Beautiful?

Directed by Nakajima Ryo – Japan

Produced by: Supersub.LCC

Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Directed by Bum-Wook Hur – South Korea

Produced by: Bum-Wook Hur

Not recommended for under 18s

(S)KiDS

Directed by Leslie Solis, Louis Solis – Canada

Produced by: Crooked City Studios

Exorcism Chronicles

Directed by Dong Chul Kim – South Korea

Produced by: Locus

Spermageddon

Directed by Rasmus A. Sivertsen, Tommy Wirkola – Norway

Produced by: 74 Entertainment

WTF2024

The WTF programme features 15 short films from 10 different nationalities. If you are inquisitive and daring enough to watch this completely unhinged content, be prepared to be left speechless: a father sings the praises of his family while slaughtering living creatures, a prisoner shares the story of an encounter and in turn encounters the guard’s fist, a woman becomes lost in her dreams, a young man becomes lost in his lies… We take a look at karma, backlash, today’s society, desire and disgust, bravery and cowardice. Surprises, laughter and amazement will be the order of the day once again at this new WTF edition.

Titmouse, a natural partner

Titmouse, the American animation studio, has a special relationship with the Annecy Animation Festival and its WTF programme. Marcel Jean describes it as “one of the world’s most creative studios”, Titmouse contributes to the resurgence of adult animation that began in the 90s on American cable TV and is now available on streaming platforms. The Festival celebrates this renewed collaboration.

“When the opportunity arose to sponsor Annecy’s WTF Fest back in 2022, we jumped at the chance”, said Chris Prynoski, Co-Founder and President of Titmouse. “This will be our third year sponsoring, and we can’t wait to see the kind of bananas cartoons that will be projected into the eyeballs and earballs of the audience. WTF is like a comforting family reunion where you find out all of your cartoon cousins are just as F’ed up as you are and you can’t wait to see them again next year!”

Programme

Warning: the following programme contains scenes, language or images that may offend some viewers.

Our Love Is Immortal

Directed by Ender Yildizhan – Turkey

Produced by: Kalt

The story: A little boy worries about his parents’ relationship in a dystopian future.

Living the Dream

Directed by Ben Meinhardt – Canada

Produced by: Ben Meinhardt

The story: An indefatigable citizen grabs his bootstraps and lives the dream!

No Flies on Me

Directed by Lars Magnus Holmgren – Australia

Produced by: Frankenskippy

The story: An exploration of Saṃsāra, chasing the phantoms of our own wild desire and the fickle, and at times mundane, repetitive existence and plight of our particular sentient species.

Toothless

Directed by Enzo Gérard – France

Produced by: Enzo Gérard

The story: In Varanasi prison in India, a prisoner shares his experiences and the story of an unlikely encounter with his cellmates.

Larry

Directed by Takeshi Murata, Christopher Rutledge – USA

Produced by: Murata Studio

The story: A dog loses its grasp of shape and time while balling like Shaq.

Martyr’s Guidebook

Directed by Maks Rzontkowski – Poland

Produced by: Maks Rzontkowski

The story: Tony is the ultimate good guy. From nabbing the smallest slice of cake in grade school to guiding lost strangers in the city, his kindness knows no bounds. He also lives with an angel.

Giovanna and the Big Peacock

Directed by Maria Zilli – Italy

Produced by: Maria Zilli

The story: Giovanna is wandering along on her horse in a colorful gummy world in search of a mysterious creature, until a rhythmic sound makes her shake. Suddenly, Giovanna wakes up in the greyness of the real world.

The Shortest Relationship in the World

Directed by Xiaoxuan Han – China

Produced by: Xiaoxuan Han

The story: This may be the shortest relationship in the world.

Stuffed

Directed by Louise Labrousse – France

Produced by: Tchack, Gao Shan Pictures

The story: Olla decides to take a moment for herself. Her “cheat meal,” an instant noodle soup, is waiting for her on a little tray above a hot bath. However, nothing goes according to plan.

Jean-Mi, the Piles Boy

Directed by Marcel Street – France

Produced by: The Mill

The story: Jean-Mi has a crush on Sassa, who is both a waitress at the local Asian restaurant and a masseuse at the salon next door. During an erotic massage, he finds out the hard way that the salon’s clients end up in the restaurant’s saucepans.

Spooky Loops Directed by Stas Santimov – Ukraine

Produced by: Stas Santimov

The story: A compilation of 13 ultra-short animated stories about dreams, fears, cruelty and humanity.

The Bleacher

Directed by Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder – USA

Produced by: Zeus Pictures, Magic Society Pictures

The story: A woman’s life is upended when the disappearance of her sock at the laundromat causes her to get sucked into a washing machine unraveling the age-old question – where do all the missing socks go?

The Personal Issue

Directed by Mehdi Alibeygi – Iran

Produced by: Mehdi Alibeygi

The story: After Filip discovers he has a peculiar problem, he’s not sure if he should tell someone and find a way to fix it, or just keep it a secret.

What If It’s Not Good?

Directed by Haluk Mirac Aykin – Turkey

Produced by: Haluk Mirac Aykin

The story: A portrait of a confused creative mind who experiences the pain of making a graduation movie and fulfilling its responsibilities.

Corn Man Origin Theory

Directed by Alexandre Louvenaz – France

Produced by: Alexandre Louvenaz

The story: Corn Man was just a simple man. One day, his cornfield was invaded by ducks. He decided to chase them away because he had a strong aversion to animals