Rob Munday

Originality is something we continuously search for in our curation, with our belief that short film is where innovative storytelling is born, a driving force behind our programming. We also recognise how hard it is to be truly innovative, while still maintaining the levels of narrative engagement we look for in our S/W picks. Winner of the ‘Best Student Animation’ award at the 2019 Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ivan Li’s space-age short Finding Uranus is as distinct, compelling and…erm…unforgettable as they come.

Described as a coming-of-age sci-fi film and playfully dedicated to “my brothers who couldn’t make it”, Li’s film follows a young “incel” man who embarks on a futuristic jerk-off session after a little online stalking. Donning his VR headset and grabbing his lotion pump (not a euphemism), we follow our pantless protagonist’s virtual experience as he becomes a spunky spacemen on a cosmic adventure.

From runaway vaginas to pregnant bathtubs, masturbation as a subject isn’t exactly an original theme in short film (the S/W team came-up with a MUCH longer list when I asked for examples), but Finding Uranus certainly puts a new spin on the Ménage à Moi. Driven by some off-kilter covers of classic 90’s Radiohead track Creep, featuring some mind-bending 3D animation and with a trippy psychedelic atmosphere, Li’s film feels like one of most original pieces we’ve featured in some time.

Created as his thesis film at Emily Carr university, Finding Uranus is an unconventional short with a completely bonkers narrative. It’s fair to say this probably won’t be a film with broad appeal, but for those of you who can truly get onboard and enjoy this twisted tale of hand-relief, you’ll hopefully find it quite the stimulating experience.