Drawn from Life
animated documentaries inspired by the lives of the people around us
Made in the UK, these short films celebrate the intimate and the epic - reflecting the lives of the people around us. Thought provoking and inspiring, using a variety of animation styles, the works shine a light on the creativity of filmmaking in the UK today.
This special compilation of short animated documentary and semi-autobiographical works is presented by MediaActive Projects in partnership with Animate Projects and Film Hub Midlands. Special thanks go to our community curators, and to Dr Sally Pearce and the BFI’s Animation Curator Jez Stewart, who offered additional advice on the selection.
This special compilation of short animated documentary and semi-autobiographical works is presented by MediaActive Projects in partnership with Animate Projects and Film Hub Midlands. Special thanks go to our community curators, and to Dr Sally Pearce and the BFI’s Animation Curator Jez Stewart, who offered additional advice on the selection.
Programme Notes
A downloadable version of these notes can be found at the foot of this page
PLEASE NOTE: a number of the works deal with challenging moments in life. These experiences are represented with care and consideration towards the contributors and audiences - details are outlined per film in the text below. We consider this programme is suitable for those aged 15 years and over.
Follow The Dogs - Directed by Isabel Garrett
A short, part-animated film made in creative collaboration with, and featuring, Warren Hastings. The film explores and celebrates Warren's resilience, imagination and creativity as he faces the challenges of recovering from major surgery.
Isabel is an award winning Welsh animation director known for creating tactile stop-motion films which are surreal, subversive and laced with a dark sense of humour.
Formerly a resident artist at Alexander McQueen's Sarabande Foundation, and a graduate of the prestigious National Film and Television School, Isabel specialises in crafting intricate, atmospheric worlds that are as surreal as they are charming. Often animating with non-traditional materials and preferring to work with tactile textures, Isabel fluently combines animation styles and techniques to transport audiences into the most unexpected places.
Isabel is an award winning Welsh animation director known for creating tactile stop-motion films which are surreal, subversive and laced with a dark sense of humour.
Formerly a resident artist at Alexander McQueen's Sarabande Foundation, and a graduate of the prestigious National Film and Television School, Isabel specialises in crafting intricate, atmospheric worlds that are as surreal as they are charming. Often animating with non-traditional materials and preferring to work with tactile textures, Isabel fluently combines animation styles and techniques to transport audiences into the most unexpected places.
Jeremy, my Father - Directed by Miranda Peyton Jones
Jeremy, my Father is a film which attempts to navigate a daughter’s bereavement, following suicide. Through animation, archival footage, and sound, the director sensitively guides us to the heart of her grief, love and loss. The voices of her family and her father’s music underscore this deeply personal, powerful, and poignant film.
Miranda is a London based analogue animator and current artist in residence at FishTank Workshop & Gallery. Her work is characterised by a playful, sensitive approach where the interplay of narrative and method/material takes centre stage.
Miranda is a London based analogue animator and current artist in residence at FishTank Workshop & Gallery. Her work is characterised by a playful, sensitive approach where the interplay of narrative and method/material takes centre stage.
Pripyat Horse - Directed by Sally Pearce
Sally Pearce: "Pripyat Horse is a tribute to my friend, Marianne Kuopanportti Fennell, who died far too young. It is a splinter from Chernobyl Journey, a film project we had worked on together for ten years, and also inspired by this famous quote: ‘a sparrow flies swiftly in through one door of the hall, and out through another…. Even so, man appears on earth for a little while….’ (Bede, 673-735 AD.)"
A graduate of the National Film and Television School, Sally initially studied Philosophy at Cambridge, later training as a nurse and working in the NHS. She started making films whilst taking a part time Fine Art Course in Sheffield. More recently Sally completed a PhD specialising in women’s reflexive animation practice. Sally is currently working on an independent live action/animation documentary about her trips to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in search of rare Przewalski Horses, 'Chernobyl Journey'.
A graduate of the National Film and Television School, Sally initially studied Philosophy at Cambridge, later training as a nurse and working in the NHS. She started making films whilst taking a part time Fine Art Course in Sheffield. More recently Sally completed a PhD specialising in women’s reflexive animation practice. Sally is currently working on an independent live action/animation documentary about her trips to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in search of rare Przewalski Horses, 'Chernobyl Journey'.
DAWTA - Directed by Jessica Ashman
Dawta tells the story of a young Black woman, running away from a pivotal moment in her family history. Guided by two elders, she discovers a safe, future utopian planet for Black women through a mysterious superpower. Inspired by the artist Jessica Ashman’s own family history of migration and trans-racial fostering, Dawta explores the idea of inherited cycles of trauma within Black women and asks the question: can the energy this trauma brings be harnessed? Can this power be used to discover new dimensions of hope and a future that pushes past the colonial and imperial histories intertwined in Black consciousness?
Jessica Ashman is a Jamaican Black British interdisciplinary artist, born in Birmingham and based in London. Ashman works in painting, animation, moving image, music (sometimes under the name Spirit Sigh), performance and installation. She creates frenetic, textured and abstract narratives that explore gender, identity and race.
Ashman is particularly interested in concepts of ‘the personal archive’ as a social political force, drawing on the wider stories of the Black British diaspora communities she was raised in and the histories lost or hidden in said communities.
Jessica Ashman is a Jamaican Black British interdisciplinary artist, born in Birmingham and based in London. Ashman works in painting, animation, moving image, music (sometimes under the name Spirit Sigh), performance and installation. She creates frenetic, textured and abstract narratives that explore gender, identity and race.
Ashman is particularly interested in concepts of ‘the personal archive’ as a social political force, drawing on the wider stories of the Black British diaspora communities she was raised in and the histories lost or hidden in said communities.
That Yorkshire Sound - Directed by Marcus Leonard Armitage
Marcus grew up in Pontefract, West Yorkshire and wanted to reflect his experiences of the diverse landscapes and cultures on his doorstep. Over several months he worked with animators Ana Stefaniak and Matthew Armitage to produce the animation using a mixture of watercolour, oil pastel and digital techniques. Thousands of drawings make up this two-minute documentary using colour and sound to move between many different perspectives.
Marcus recorded sound from multiple locations in Yorkshire focusing on different landscapes and the rhythmical aspects of life in Yorkshire. Working with sound designer Marian Mentrup they edited these recordings into a piece that moves quickly between locations and people living life throughout Yorkshire.
Marcus recorded sound from multiple locations in Yorkshire focusing on different landscapes and the rhythmical aspects of life in Yorkshire. Working with sound designer Marian Mentrup they edited these recordings into a piece that moves quickly between locations and people living life throughout Yorkshire.
On Hannah Fields - Directed by Lewis Heriz
On Hannah Fields responds to a community garden in Littleover, north of Derby city centre. Lewis was struck by Hannah Fields’ principle of acceptance – of whoever comes in through the gate: Everyone’s welcome. And you also accept what the garden itself is offering up; you look at it, and you sort of evaluate how it fits in, but you don’t reject it.
Lewis’ film includes celluloid film hand-processed in nettles weeded from Hannah Fields, and phytograms – images made through a chemical reaction between plants and photographic emulsion – made as part of a workshop – and the soundtrack includes voices from members of the Hannah Fields community.
Lewis Heriz is a cross-disciplinary artist based in Shropshire. His MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art in 2021 focussed on tactile processes, optical sound/visual music, consciousness and performance.
Lewis’ film includes celluloid film hand-processed in nettles weeded from Hannah Fields, and phytograms – images made through a chemical reaction between plants and photographic emulsion – made as part of a workshop – and the soundtrack includes voices from members of the Hannah Fields community.
Lewis Heriz is a cross-disciplinary artist based in Shropshire. His MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art in 2021 focussed on tactile processes, optical sound/visual music, consciousness and performance.
Departing - Directed by Mary Martins
Departing is a short experimental documentary that reflects on the themes of migration, the forced displacement and removal of people. Expressed through music, interviews and poetry, the film uses 16mm filmed footage layered with a collage of mixed media animation and 35mm photography to question the immigration laws within the wider context of the current economic and political climate across the world.
Mary Martins is a British-Nigerian independent animator from London. She produces short multi-layered animated documentaries, using the art of storytelling to explore the experiences of marginalised communities in the UK, Nigeria and Brazil. She experiments and collages layers of different traditional and digital animation techniques, pushing the boundaries of filmmaking. Her films have been screened on London Piccadilly Lights, Berlin Limes, Seoul's COEX K-Pop Square and Melbourne's Fed Square, and at film festivals nationally and internationally. She was the winner of the CIRCA x Dazed Prize in 2022.
Mary Martins is a British-Nigerian independent animator from London. She produces short multi-layered animated documentaries, using the art of storytelling to explore the experiences of marginalised communities in the UK, Nigeria and Brazil. She experiments and collages layers of different traditional and digital animation techniques, pushing the boundaries of filmmaking. Her films have been screened on London Piccadilly Lights, Berlin Limes, Seoul's COEX K-Pop Square and Melbourne's Fed Square, and at film festivals nationally and internationally. She was the winner of the CIRCA x Dazed Prize in 2022.
Green Lung - Directed by Simon Hamlyn
Green Lung responds to Derby Arboretum, Britain’s first public park, which was commissioned by mill owner Joseph Strutt, and opened in 1840. Simon’s film makes connections between the nature of the park, and the industrial working lives of those it was intended to benefit. Animating screen-printed images, he was keen to avoid the waste that’s often part of this process, using acetate sheets which were scanned, cleaned and re-used, paper stencils and water-based ink.
Simon: “I started to realise I could use natural materials directly, so that involved collecting and gathering plant material and pressing it and then scanning it and using that imagery, which was really exciting. It got me outside! And had me looking for textures and patterns that were just naturally available, to incorporate into my work”.
Simon: “I started to realise I could use natural materials directly, so that involved collecting and gathering plant material and pressing it and then scanning it and using that imagery, which was really exciting. It got me outside! And had me looking for textures and patterns that were just naturally available, to incorporate into my work”.
And Granny Would Dance - Directed by Maryam Mohajer
Six year old Marmar observes how the adult women in her life navigate their relationships with their loved ones and each other. She listens in on her grandmother’s friends laughing about their partners as they play an illicit game of cards. Based on the director’s memories of her childhood in Iran, And Granny Would Dance is a tale of love, grief and resilience across generations.
Maryam is a British-Iranian, BAFTA-winning animator-director from Tehran, Iran. She has lived through revolution, war and immigration. Maryam’s work is strongly based on her background in painting, focusing on the creative use of cultural background, heritage and identity in storytelling - celebrating the beauty of difference, acceptance and kindness.
Maryam is a British-Iranian, BAFTA-winning animator-director from Tehran, Iran. She has lived through revolution, war and immigration. Maryam’s work is strongly based on her background in painting, focusing on the creative use of cultural background, heritage and identity in storytelling - celebrating the beauty of difference, acceptance and kindness.
Regarding Gardens - Directed by Carolina Melis
Regarding Gardens is inspired by both the historic gardens of National Trust property Ham House and Garden, and the estates 17th century owner Elizabeth Dysart, who held the vision for the garden. The film presents a living portrait of the historic garden of Ham House. The film is supported by the research of Garden History specialist Michael Ann Mullen and is accompanied by an original poem by Simon Barraclough and music by Julia Kent.
Originally from Sardinia, Carolina trained in dance and choreography at Dartington College of Arts, developing an interest in screen-based movement and animation and illustration that led to a Masters at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. Her work, greatly informed by her background in choreography, explores ideas of delicacy, organic development, life-cycles and living relationships, yielding elegantly tragic pieces with a subtle romance.
Originally from Sardinia, Carolina trained in dance and choreography at Dartington College of Arts, developing an interest in screen-based movement and animation and illustration that led to a Masters at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. Her work, greatly informed by her background in choreography, explores ideas of delicacy, organic development, life-cycles and living relationships, yielding elegantly tragic pieces with a subtle romance.
I’m OK - Directed by Elizabeth Hobbs
Following the end of a stormy love affair, Expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka enlists in the First World War. After suffering serious injuries in battle, he experiences a series of memories and visions as medics transport him through the forests of the Russian front. Playful and imaginative, handmade using paint and ink drawings, I’m OK explores the wounds of heartbreak and trauma.
Elizabeth is a British Animation Awards winning and BAFTA nominated traditional animator with a background in artist’s books and printmaking. The films are often based on historical figures or literary adaptations and they’re sometimes funny or rude. Elizabeth likes to share her process and techniques through workshops, masterclasses and lecturing. Elizabeth is senior tutor on the Directing Animation MA at The National Film & Television School, and Associate Lecturer on the MA in Animation at London College of Communication.
Elizabeth is a British Animation Awards winning and BAFTA nominated traditional animator with a background in artist’s books and printmaking. The films are often based on historical figures or literary adaptations and they’re sometimes funny or rude. Elizabeth likes to share her process and techniques through workshops, masterclasses and lecturing. Elizabeth is senior tutor on the Directing Animation MA at The National Film & Television School, and Associate Lecturer on the MA in Animation at London College of Communication.
Cesspit of Freedom - Directed by Oran O’Sullivan
The police’s consistent harassment of a popular gay bar heralds the UK’s first national (non-London-based) Gay Pride March, taking place in the textiles town of Huddersfield, 1981. A short documentary made up of archive interviews, animated by screen printing layered ink on cotton.
Oran Rose O’Sullivan is an animator and printmaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Their practice involves using non-conventional animation mediums (analogue art techniques such as screen printing and intaglio) to synthesise movement with a rich and deeply physical texture. They live and work in Leeds, a freelance practitioner and member of Leeds Animation Workshop.
Oran Rose O’Sullivan is an animator and printmaker from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Their practice involves using non-conventional animation mediums (analogue art techniques such as screen printing and intaglio) to synthesise movement with a rich and deeply physical texture. They live and work in Leeds, a freelance practitioner and member of Leeds Animation Workshop.
A Taste For Music - - Directed by Jordan Antonowicz-Behnan
A Taste For Music is a personal documentary inspired by Jordan’s memories and the record collection of his late father. The film is about a mutual love of music and being with a loved one during their illness, expressing the difficulties and the special moments that are shared in these times. Much of the animation was drawn onto paper recycled record sleeves thus creating a distinct film language for the film.
A Masters graduate of the Royal College of Art, Jordan Antonowicz-Behnan is a filmmaker, animator and visual artist based in Hastings. Behnan’s practice borrows largely from Assemblage; any item can be utilised in his work, and his animation style is unpolished, complementing his hands-on approach to filmmaking.
PLEASE NOTE: A Taste for Music contains flashing images.
A Masters graduate of the Royal College of Art, Jordan Antonowicz-Behnan is a filmmaker, animator and visual artist based in Hastings. Behnan’s practice borrows largely from Assemblage; any item can be utilised in his work, and his animation style is unpolished, complementing his hands-on approach to filmmaking.
PLEASE NOTE: A Taste for Music contains flashing images.
Visible Mending - Directed by Samantha Moore
Emotional repair through wool. Visible Mending reclaims the role knitting plays in many peoples’ lives; helping them face adversity, calm anxiety, and make crucial social connections. A group of stop motion knitted objects tell stories shared by crafters, about how they have used knitting to mend themselves, even if the repair is temporary.
Sam Moore is a Shropshire based, international award-winning and BAFTA nominated animation director and researcher. Head of Animation at the Royal College of Art, London, she loves the joyfulness and eclectic nature of animation. She says “No one ever finds animation intimidating, and yet it can convey complex ideas to a wide audience in an engaging way”.
Sam has made work on diverse subjects, from competitive sweet pea growing, to cutting edge microbiology, archaeology, neuroscience, and her own experience of having twins.
Sam Moore is a Shropshire based, international award-winning and BAFTA nominated animation director and researcher. Head of Animation at the Royal College of Art, London, she loves the joyfulness and eclectic nature of animation. She says “No one ever finds animation intimidating, and yet it can convey complex ideas to a wide audience in an engaging way”.
Sam has made work on diverse subjects, from competitive sweet pea growing, to cutting edge microbiology, archaeology, neuroscience, and her own experience of having twins.
Select the image below to download the Drawn From Life programme notes
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