Human Rites: LINOLEUM Festival 2025 Reveals International Competition in 4 Distinct Programmes
Skwigly
LINOLEUM International Animation Festival will be held live in Kyiv between 1-5th October. This year’s topic HUMAN RITES, which depicts how chaos and war give rise to something new. The play on “human rights” reminds us of our aspirations for peace and justice, while “human rites” exposes the struggle and violence that persist. Peace is only a fleeting moment of rest between battles, while struggle remains the essence of human existence.
The International Competition program includes 32 animation films divided into 4 blocks:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The world outside screams, but inside, there is silence. These films are about collisions: with others, oneself, and a reality falling apart at the seams. Here, absurdity brushes against pain, fantasy blends with the mundane, and intimacy walks hand in hand with loneliness. Everything feels close, almost at hand — and yet it slips away.
- A Little More Action by Alexis Beaumont (France)
- Hic Svnt Dracones by Justin Fayard (France)
- Voiceless by Samuel Patthey (Switzerland)
- Kyiv Cake by Mykyta Lyskov (Ukraine, Estonia)
- I would eat it if I could by Bence Hlavay (Hungary)
- dipolar bipolar by Quankai Li (Japan)
- MINE! by Lou Morton (USA)
- I Can’t by Renato Klieger (Brazil)
God is none of us
The world of these films looks at us askew — like through a shattered mirror. Here, kings fear their own bodies, silence speaks louder than words, and the line between comedy and horror is erased with every second. These are stories about those who search for meaning in absurdity, friendship in emptiness, and humanity in a world that has long forgotten it.
- The Golden Donkey by Anne Verbeure (Belgium)
- Hello, Headquarters by Zuzanna Zofia Heller (Poland)
- No Room by Jelena Oroz (Croatia)
- You’ve got a friend in me by Peter Millard (UK)
- Mother’s Child by Naomi Noir (Netherlands)
- Detlev by Ferdinand Ehrhardt (Germany)
- God is shy by Jocelyn Charles (France)
- A Round of Applause for Death by Stephen Irwin (UK)
We Had All the Time in the World
These stories whisper of suspended memories and lost moments, conversations across generations, and threads that bind us through pain and hope. Here, the chaos of everyday life meets the quiet magic of reflection. Past and present merge, and the weight of trauma becomes lighter. These films invite us to slow down, listen closely, and find meaning in the pauses between seconds.
- HEY DAD by WeiFan Wang (Taiwan)
- Off-Time by Nata Metlukh (USA, Japan, Ukraine)
- I Beg Your Pardon by John W. Lustig (USA)
- My Grandmother is a Skydiver by Polina Piddubna (Germany, Ukraine)
- Lights, Haze by Tata Managadze (Belgium, Finland, Georgia, Portugal)
- Cannot sleep! by Yingjie Zhou (Japan)
- Psychonauts by Niko Radas (Croatia)
- Sulaimani by Vinnie Ann Bose (France)
The Discreet Charm of the Truth
Quiet, intimate stories are woven through the details of daily life. This is a journey into the depths of human souls — a place where laughter and tears live side by side, and unnoticed moments gain unexpected power. These films open doors into a world where authenticity is a subtle, barely visible shimmer in a sea of familiar shapes.
- Hurikán by Jan Saska (Czech Republic)
- The Long Coming of the Fire by Zharko Ivanov (North Macedonia)
- Snake Soup by Zack Demirtshyan (Armenia)
- S The Wolf by Sameh Alaa (France)
- Funeral Crasher by Louise Gib (France)
- LARVAL by Alice Bloomfield (UK)
- Something That Is Missing by Pola Lotta Włodarczyk (Poland)
- Wish You Were Ear by Mirjana Balogh (Hungary)