Shorts Block 5: Family Films

From intergalactic cardboard adventures to magical whales, stubborn staircases, and unexpected animal mishaps, this delightful collection of short films celebrates imagination, resilience, and the connections that bring us together. Animation giant Bill Plympton (The Fan and the Flower, Festival 2006), Academy Award®-winning actor Renée Zellweger (making her directing debut), and a cohort of talented independent filmmakers blend inventive animation with thoughtful live-action tales that span cultures and generations. Filled with warmth, wonder, and a touch of mischief, this program invites children, parents, and curious viewers alike to see the world through playful and heartfelt perspectives. —Chris Lawrence

Recommended for ages 5 and up. Films are in alphabetical order rather than order of play. Total runtime 64 min

The Apricot
Alex Z. Avila (USA, Mexico 2025, 9 min)
A young boy is eager to prove himself to his Mexican American family while working a long day on his grandfather’s apricot farm.

Cardboard
J.P. Vine (UK 2025, 8 min)
A struggling single dad pig fears he’s failed his piglets after moving them into a rundown trailer park—until a cardboard box launches them on an intergalactic adventure.

Duet
Léo Brunel (France 2025, 1 min)
Two movers struggle to haul a grand piano up a stubborn staircase—only to discover a passion neither of them saw coming.

First Winter
Schantelle Alonzo (USA 2025, 5 min)
While experiencing his first winter in Chicago, Ángel, a young immigrant, reminisces about his time at home.

Little Things
Noam Rignault Clement (France, Spain, USA 2026, 6 min)
Taking his mother’s advice to enjoy the little things in life, a nine-year-old boy in the charming French countryside embarks with a stolen garden gnome on an inquisitive quest to find just that.

A Pain in the Butt
Elena Walf (Germany, Croatia 2025, 5 min)
As a hedgehog prepares to hibernate, one of its quills lodges in a dog’s behind. Desperate for a solution, the animals embark on an unexpected journey.

Swim Sistas
Catherine Joy White (UK 2025, 11 min)
Four Black women, including Great Britain’s first Black female Olympian, explore healing, resilience, and their historical relationship to water through swimming.

THEY
Renée Zellweger (UK 2025, 8 min)
In a complaint-ridden town, a hopeful hero and his trusty dog hatch a plan to encourage a return to better days.

Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale
Daniel Neiden (USA 2025, 11 min)
Drawing on the legend of the “loneliest whale,” a boy with selective mutism and an aging widower—bound by loss and sorrow—discover a magical pen and journal that allows them to hear each other’s unspoken cries and find healing.