21st Annual Animation Show of Shows

An annual curated selection of the best animated shorts from around the world, the Animation Show of Shows has included scores of films that went on to win Oscar nominations — and showcased mini-masterpieces the Academy overlooked. Featuring 11 films from 7 countries, including at least one that has been shortlisted for the 2020 Oscars already, this edition offers an array of highly imaginative, thought-provoking, and moving works that reflect the filmmakers' unique perspectives and their relationships to the world. 

Personal relationships are at the heart of several of the films in this year’s program, including Daria Kashcheeva’s International Student Academy Award-winning puppet animation Daughter, a deeply moving exploration of the ties between a father and daughter. Charting a very different, but related, course, “The Fox and the Bird” by Sam & Fred Guillaume, is a beautifully observed fable about an unlikely friendship. Filmmaker Michael Frei and game designer Mario von Rickenbach provide a more clinical view of human behavior in their mesmerizing KIDS, which explores the nature of group dynamics.

The question of individual identity informs both Hounds by Amit Cohen & Ido Shapira and (Self-Narrative) by Géraldine Charpentier. In the former, a highly domesticated dog undergoes a disturbing change when a pack of wild hounds gathers near his house, while the latter offers a clear-eyed and heartfelt look at a young girl’s journey to self-realization as a transgender person.

Joanna Lurie’s mysterious and transcendent Flowing through Wonder chronicles an extraordinary ritual and celebrates the transformative mystery that underlies life and death. Natalia Mirzoyan’s Five Minutes to Sea, in which a young girl waits impatiently to go back in the sea, takes a more lighthearted approach, while playing with conundrums of time and perspective.

The program is rounded out by Gil Alkabetz’s Rubicon, a frenetic and very funny hand-drawn animation based on the classic riddle about how to ferry a wolf, a sheep, and a cabbage across a river without something getting eaten. In addition to the slapstick, the film also serves as a parable about the convoluted nature of political negotiations, specifically those related to the Middle East.

The program also includes two mini-documentaries about the creative process featuring Alkabetz and Amit Cohen & Ido Shapira (Hounds).

"A stylistically varied collection with nary a cutesy-pandering 'toon in the bunch." -Hollywood Reporter

QUESTIONS about this or another Miniplex event? Please EMAIL us at: info@miniplexevents.com for the quickest response. We are unable to change your screening to a different showtime after you purchase a ticket but if you contact us at least 24 hours in advance we may be able to refund you so you can buy a ticket to another showing (assuming there are other showings that are not sold out). Thank you for understanding.

***If you have a free Miniplex movie ticket and want to be sure you get a seat, please show up EARLY and exchange it for a ticket from the bartender/cashier in Richards' Goat Tavern. Thank you!

***Please note that NO OUTSIDE DRINKS OR FOOD are allowed inside Richards' Goat Tavern & The Miniplex for legal reasons and violators of this rule may be banned from the theatre permanently. Cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, popcorn, and cookies are available at the bar. If you are interested in one of our hot food specials, please show up at least 30 minutes early to finish it in the bar area, as hot food and glass is not allowed inside the dark theatre for your safety. Thank you, see you at the movies!