Passion Paris, Apparat Filmproduktion and Miyu unveil trailer for stop-motion short ‘PLEASE’, directed by Anna Mantzaris
Skwigly
Anna Mantzaris returns with PLEASE, a comedy about humankind’s desire to love and to be loved. An animated short centred around neediness, intimacy and romance, with a starring performance from Stellan Skarsgård as Winston.
Today, Passion Paris, Apparat Filmproduktion and Miyu unveil the official trailer for the film ahead of its world premiere at Animafest Zagreb and its upcoming screening at Annecy International Animation Film Festival this summer.
PLEASE marks Mantzaris’ highly anticipated return to short filmmaking following her enormously successful shorts Good Intentions, Enough and her Emmy-winning film for Apple, Fuzzy Feelings.
Told through a series of loosely connected, tender and absurd scenes, the film follows people who are searching for closeness and acceptance. In a world that preaches self-control, the film explores the sides we try to hide, such as feeling needy and pathetic.
The stories overlap and reappear, gradually forming a portrait of collective longing. Combining meticulously crafted stop-motion animation with Mantzaris’ signature blend of uncomfortable humour and emotional honesty, the film gradually descends into increasingly chaotic and revealing territory.
Mantzaris said:
I believe that, at our core, we all want to be connected and seen. I was interested in how we perform ourselves to find love, and in the self help culture that tells you to filter away negative emotions such as feeling needy or pathetic. I wanted to let those feelings exist instead of fixing them.
Created across Sweden, France, the Czech Republic, Norway and Finland, PLEASE continues Passion Paris’ commitment to bold auteur-driven animation and international creative collaboration.
The film is produced by Apparat Filmproduktion AB and co-produced by Passion Paris Production, Arte, Film i Väst, SVT, Mikrofilm AS and Kuli Film, in association with YLE and Böhle Studios. International sales and distribution are handled by Miyu Distribution.
PLEASE will premiere at Animafest Zagreb in the Grand Competition – Short Film 1 programme on Monday June 8th, 8pm