With the Encounters Short Film and Animation festival set to embark on its 23rd Edition this September (and Short of the Week proud to be named ‘Media Partners’ once again), with more than 400 films and 60 events across 6 days, we take a look at the highlights of this year’s programme – including a host of new short films from some our favourite filmmakers. You can check out the full programme – here, buy tickets – here and buy passes – here.

The Baby Shower by Joseph Pierce

When: Wed 20th Sept – 10am

Known for his impressive rotoscope shorts (The Pub, A Family Portrait and Stand Up), which have seen him win awards at Clermont-Ferrand, Hiroshima and of course – Encounters, Joseph Pierce’s latest short Baby Shower see the director drop his trademark aesthetic without compromising the wit, intelligence and impact of his storytelling.

Home by Daniel Mulloy

When: Wed 20th Sept – 12:30pm

This BAFTA-winning reverse-immigration story has been one of the most talked about short films of recent years. Following a comfortable English family as they journey into war-torn lands, Mulloy’s short looks to tackle the dehumanisation of the refugee by bringing the story a little closer to our doorsteps.

The Head Vanishes (Une Tête Disparaît) by Franck Dion

When: Thu 21st Sept – 12:00pm

Having played pretty much every film festival out there over the last year or so, winning a coveted ‘Cristal for a Short Film’ award at Annecy 2016 along the way, Franck Dion brings his follow-up to Edmond was a Donkey, The Head Vanishes to Bristol riding on a crest of critical acclaim.

Life Cycle by Ross Hogg

When: Thu 21st Sept – 12:00pm

Another short that’s killing it on the festival circuit, Ross Hogg’s 4-minute animation is a film about nothing and a film about everything. A rhythmic piece that on the surface appears to be about daily routine, there are some deeper, global implications bubbling under the surface of Hogg’s mesmerising short

Alexithymia by Duncan Cowles

When: Thu 21st Sept – 2:00pm

I’ve had a real soft-spot for Duncan’s work ever since I encountered his The Lady with the Lamp short some 4-years ago. Turning his camera on his own family for his previous two shorts Radio Silence and Directed by Tweedie, for his latest short Cowles takes a reflective look at himself by examining ‘how he connects to his emotions’.

Chris Shepherd Retrospective

When: Thu 21st Sept – 3:00pm

With his latest short Johnno’s Dead playing the festival on Wed 20th Sept at 12pm, fans of Chris Shepherd will be happy to hear this isn’t your only change to catch this short film stalwart at Encounters. Featuring 10-shorts created over a 15-year-span, this special screening even allows the opportunity to revisit Chris’ work on the Big Train series (a personal favourite of mine).

LINK by Robert Löbel

When: Thu 21st Sept – 6:00pm

Grabbing our attention a few years ago with his brilliant graduation film Wind – a stylish 4-min short about the inhabitants of a blustery land – Berlin-based animator Löbel is back with his much anticipated new project LINK. The story of two characters linked by their hair, don’t miss the opportunity to bask in the glorious design and inventive universes Robert creates.

Work by Aneil Karia

When: Thu 21st Sept – 6:00pm

Winner of the ‘UWE European New Talent Award’ at Encounters back in 2013, with one of my favourite short films of recent years BEAT, Aneil Karia returns to the festival once again with his latest short Work – a film that follows its 17-year-old protagonist as she attempts to contain her growing contempt towards an increasingly unjust world.

Have Heart by Will Anderson

When: Thu 21st Sept – 8:00pm

Another BAFTA-winning filmmaker to make my list, Will Anderson’s latest short Have Heart follows a looping GIF as it experiences an existential crisis. Building on the success of previous shorts The Making of Longbird and Monkey Love Experiments, Will’s animations are always utterly entertaining and refreshingly original.

Late Lounge

When: Fri 22nd Sept – 8:00pm & Fri 22nd Sept – 10:00pm

One of my favourite programmes on the Short Film circuit, the Late Lounge at Encounters has thrown up some of the most memorable shorts I’ve experienced in my years of festival attendance and this year looks no different. Highlights of 2017’s two Late Lounge screenings includes Kate Herron’s Smear, Teemu Niukkanen’s Fucking Bunnies and Renata Gasiorowska’s Pussy.