Father Christmas

Hamburg cab driver Axel Parschke finds himself in the Ore Mountains shortly before Christmas Eve: what begins as a lucrative job for IT analyst Jan Olsmer, who has gone blind after an accident and wants to meet his internet acquaintance Jenny Feller in the small village of Bergroda, turns into an emotional journey into a new life for the man who has been divorced for many years. With strangers who become friends along the way, such as his passenger Jan or the high school graduate Linh Ngyuen, who are picked up along the way. And then there's the car mechanic Sofia Lieberwirth, in whose workshop Axel and his cab, damaged in an accident, are involuntarily stranded. After the celebration in Mettenschicht and a Christmas Eve spent together against their will, the cards are reshuffled for everyone.

Blending fantasy and reality, this animated short is a bold inquiry into an as yet unresolved problem - the nature of human identity. When a scientist creates a machine that can make copies of physical objects, including humans, a number of ethical questions arise. Is the technique moral? What of its safety? A film by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Weldon (who also wrote the catchy banjo tune that punctuates the story's changing moods).

This story is based on an ancient northern legend according to which the souls of the drowned people turn into sea animals. The Hunter steals a seal-girl’s skin, so she can’t turn back into an animal. She becomes his wife, but often she glances at the sea.

Even though Sam's father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.

Perihelion is a sort of animated tone poem. It is a short film that toes the line between narrative and non-narrative, essentially having no real beginning, middle or end.