We’ve finally reached the end of my Cardiff Animation Festival 2026 coverage and I want to begin by saying a huge huge thank you to Lauren and the team for hosting yet another amazing and successful festival and allowing me to cover press.
As an avid animation fan, I am always amazed by the skill and craftsmanship that goes into making a film and CAF did not disappoint. It was great to speak with some of the filmmakers and talk to them about their processes and inspiration.
The final slot of the festival is the awards show and, this year, it was hosted by film critic, Ali Plumb, who did a wonderful job of MC’ing and engaging with the audience.
In this roundup, I’ve listed the winners from the Festival’s award show and will conclude with my top 3 films from the festival.
Ali Plumb hosting the awards show
CAF 2026 Award Winners
Here are the winners from the CAF 2026 awards show:
Best Micro Short
Boglach directed by Sarah Benson
Young Jury Award
Lost Marble – The Shortcut directed by Laura Quinn Geyer
Best Student Short
Foreign Bodies directed by Lysander Wong
Student Special Mention
Pear Garden
directed by Shadab Shayegan
Best Short Film
And Granny Would Dance directed by Maryam Mohajer
Special Mention
A Night at the Rest Area directed by Saki Muramoto
Audience Award
The Undying Pain of Existence directed by Oscar Jacobson
CAF’s adorable mascot, Dotty, and the the beautiful puppet from Chloe Herbert’s Aster.
Small Pics CAF 2026 Picks
Top Pick
Boglach directed by Sarah Benson
Special Mentions
PASALUBONG! directed by Sophia Uy
Pear Garden directed by Shadab Shayegan
That concludes my CAF 2026 write ups. What a fantastic year filled with talented filmmakers from all over the globe.
Well done to the team at CAF for another successful year!
It’s finally here! The third segment of my CAF 2026 reviews. A lot of these films demanded reflection as there were concurrent themes of change, identity, and acceptance.
Before diving in, I just want to mention that it has been an absolute privilege to be able to review and discuss talented filmmakers from all over the world.
Here is the final group of review write ups:
Shorts 2: Pause
This collection of shorts celebrate the peaceful moments in life. Featuring playful characters and plenty of whimsy, this selection boasted some of the strongest offerings of the weekend.
Sarah Benson’s Boglach is a charming micro-short that follows a small community that creates clouds, which in turn generates rain and helps the land flourish. The design of the people is reminiscent of Ponyo and its environmental discussions did remind me of Studio Ghibli because of this. Benson achieves a fully realised world within a couple of minutes which is an incredible achievement and it is for this reason that this was my highlight from this selection.
I also enjoyed The Sycamore by Jared D. Weiss which is a fable about two friends who seek shade from the titular tree. Based on “The Travellers and the Plane Tree” by Aesop, The Sycamore tells the story from the point of view of the tree and gives metaphorical voice to nature and its frustrations with mankind.
Boglach – Sarah Benson
Small Pics highlights:
Boglach directed by Sarah Benson (Ireland)
The Sycamore directed by Jared D. Weiss (USA)
Shorts 3: Rewind
As the name suggests, these films are about turning back the clock and reflecting on memories past. Whether that is looking at generational trauma or personal growth, these are shorts that showcases the lessons and tribulations in life.
My personal favourite from this batch was Polliwog which follows a prepubescent girl who is struggling with the sudden changes in her body. During a school trip, she encounters a polliwog and relates to the changes it is going through. The warm colour palette and vivid shapes ensure that the shared experience is perfectly conveyed.
While Polliwog presents change from an individual’s perspective, Memoria Colectiva explores the devastating affects of the Peruvian Armed Conflict in the Ayacucho region of Peru and the toll it took on the community, especially the women. It is one of the longer shorts of the festival and it’s easy to understand why. Film is one of the best mediums to share and educate on major events and the directness of the storytelling and the way documentary elemts are combined with animation gives us a look into a regime that took a lot away from the Ayacucho communities but also showcased the women’s courage and resilience.
Polliwog – Julia Skala
Small Pics highlights:
Polliwog directed by Julia Skala (Germany)
Memoria Colectiva directed by Cristina Colmenares and Manuel-Antonio Monteagudo (Colombia, France, Peru)
Family Shorts
The last set of shorts I watched was the Family Shorts. As the name suggests, these are films that have been made with younger audiences in mind. Don’t be fooled, however, as these films may be family-friendly, but that doesn’t mean that they shy away from difficult topics. A lot of the films dealt with isolation, identity and finding your place in the world. There was plenty of whimsy and bright colour palettes scored with an undertone of these deeper themes.
My highlight from this bunch was Marion Jamault’s Filante, a predominantly silent film (save for the singing of some sparkly mermaids) that follows a young girl who has lost her pet rat and befriends a bat during her quest to find him. The textures in this film are stunning, especially when Jamault makes use of the sparkling elements and the colour palette is vivid and dreamy, immersing the audience from the first frame.
Another strong offering in this selection was Chloe Herbert’s, Aster. This is a stunning stopmotion that features some of the most intricate puppet design I’ve seen. The film follows an ethereal being that shifts and changes shape, manipulating the space around it. What Herbert achieves is incredible, especially the scenes in which the being becomes a dragon. I was mesmerised and moved by the originality and fearlessness on display.
Filante – Marion Jamault
Small Pics highlights:
Filante directed by Marion Jamault (France)
Aster directed by Chloe Hebert (UK)
That concludes my film reviews, but I’ll be posting a final roundup which includes the CAF Award winners, plus my overall personal picks, so stay tuned!
Please go and seek the films out if they pique your interest and remember to celebrate and push independent filmmakers, especially in the animation space!
It’s time to dive back into the fun of Cardiff Animation Festival and talk about the next bunch of films from Shorts 1 and Shorts 8. I had the opportunity to meet and speak to many of the filmmakers and enjoyed learning about their creative processes and what influenced their decision-making when making the films.
Attending CAF is always exciting because there’s always something going on. From screenings to workshops to exhibitions, there is something for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
Model of Nessie, star of Loch Ness 1303 – Joshua Chawner
Here’s a roundup of Cardiff Animation Festival Part II:
Shorts 1: Play
These films find the extraordinary in everyday life, showcasing the strength of imagination in storytelling. Some provide classic tales with a twist, while others find joy in the simple things.
Wuthering Hearts by Laura Jayne Hodkin was a hilarious retelling of Wuthering Heights through an emo lens and nostalgic references, particularly the aesthetic and work of My Chemical Romance.
The first film shown in this selection, Huayi Yu’s Family Dinner, is about imagination and finding fun in observations. Yu plays with shapes and proportions which goes along brilliantly with the young boy’s observations. For example, we watch him recount his achievement riding his bike up a huge hill which turns out was just a little bump. Playing with perspectives this way means you never know what to expect, even when faced with the seemingly mundane tasks.
Loch Ness 1303 by Joshua Chawner is an epic of Lego proportions. This stop-motion is a masterclass in utilising Lego animation in a way that plays on scale. We are immediately immersed in the eponymous year as Chawner’s mythical retelling blends classic Hollywood tropes (insert Wilhelm scream here) and contemporary humour.
Family Dinner – Huayi Yu
Small Pics highlights:
Family Dinner directed by Huayi Yu (USA)
Loch Ness 1303 directed by Joshua Chawner (UK)
Shorts 8: Welsh Works
As the name of this selection suggests, these films are a celebration of Welsh identity and culture. Some films did this by incorporating Cymraeg (Welsh language) fully or partially into their pieces, while others took inspiration from folklore, culture, and current issues.
Paper Trees by Paddy Merrigan draws inspiration from the Welsh tradition of storytelling. Creating his own new folktale, Paper Trees is a fable about taking from the land to make art and the consequences for doing so. Merrigan’s choice to tell this story through silhouette animation brings a timeless quality reminiscent of Lotte Reiniger, while the environmental issues discussed cement the film in the present day.
The standouts for me where Tommy Howlett’s All Hail the Duck King, a chaotic glimpse into searching for artistic greatness and finding joy in what you create as you establish your artistic identity. Crayon style colour palette and abstract line-work combines with non-stop music and movement resulting in a film that has fun with the medium.
Another highlight was Eleri Edwards’ Crybaby, a symbolic tale about a young woman diagnosed with autism as an adult. She reflects on her life as a child and teen and struggles that come with not understanding why certain events happen. The use of space and shadow is beautifully done to encapsulate the overwhelming emotions the protagonist is faced with as she grapples with her diagnosis.
All Hail the Duck King – Tommy Howlett
Small Pics highlights:
All Hail the Duck King directed by Tommy Howlett (Wales)
Crybaby directed by Eleri Edwards (Wales)
What I have noticed about films across all categories is that a good chunk of them delve into what it means to be an artist and finding your identity through your craft.
Others explore the struggles of being a working artist in an increasingly detached and problematic world, using animation as a means to provide hope and optimism.
Cardiff Animation Festival has been an amazing platform for aspiring and professional filmmakers alike and it’s been great having the opportunity to watch all these films.
It’s been a while since I have attended a film festival and the lovely folks at Cardiff Animation Festival let me stretch the old critic legs and enjoy a weekend full of brilliant and quirky films made by students and professionals alike.
As ever, CAF was excellent from beginning to end. I saw a lot of familiar faces and met lots of talented filmmakers. It was truly a privilege to watch the result of months of hard work and passion, so it’s only fair I celebrate the work by spreading it out across several posts rather than a single long posts.
Here is Part I of my Cardiff Animation Festival coverage:
Shorts 5: Home
There we 13 films in this category with each bringing their own visual style and perspective on the theme. Interpretations of home ranged from a personal residence to a whole community or country, exploring themes including homesickness, hoarding, and how our home shapes our identity.
We were treated to beautifully abstract works in Homesickness which boasts vivid oil pastels to full narrative stories such as the wonderful stop-motion piece, Two Black Boys in Paradise, is a visual poem exploring two young men’s journey to self-acceptance.
For me, the standouts were Sophia Uy’s PASALUBONG! and Qianhui Yu’s Statue in the Garden. PASALUBONG! explores the friendship of two Filipino children in an airport mall before one of them moves to the USA. In Statue in the Garden, a young woman finds a statue of a dog in the garden of her new home and discovers its history.
PASALUBONG! – Sophia Uy
Small Pics highlights:
PASALUBONG! directed by Sophia Uy
Statue in the Garden directed by Qianhui Yu
Shorts 6: Shuffle
Shuffle had 10 films which were all about bringing the unexpected and experimenting with the medium. Thematically, these films are abstract.
There are films that explore the nuances of everyday life to those that deal with external crises. Ostrich and How to Build a Sand Castle are fast-paced vibrant pieces that explore identity and finding one’s voice in a very personal way, while De Imperio is an intense glimpse into imperialism and the struggles to fight against it.
My highlights in this selection were Shadab Shayegan’s Pear Garden in which a six-year-old girl visits her grandma following the latter’s mastectomy. Not fully understanding the situation, the little girl chases grandma’s shadow at night to try and get her breasts back. One of my favourite shorts of the entire festival, the animation was stunning and had a childlike quality and perspective. Shayegan’s use of mismatched colours and shapes that seem out of place convey the confusion and plight faced by the child.
Ovary-Acting is a comical stop-motion film following a young woman who is frustrated with people pressuring her to have baby. When she unexpectedly gives birth to her reproductive organs in the bathroom, the two talk through societal expectations through a brilliant musical number.
Pear Garden – Shadab Shayegan
Small Pics highlights:
Pear Garden directed by Shadab Shayegan
Ovary-Acting directed by Ida Melum
Different Voices Short Films
Different Voices is an ongoing program developed by Biggerhouse Film that provides neurodiverse filmmakers the opportunity to create and present their work. Before the screening, we got to hear from some of these wonderful filmmakers and the selection was incredibly strong.
Fawn by Molly Mayhew follows the eponymous character returning to her childhood home and dealing with the trauma she experienced growing up at the hands of her parents. We see adult Fawn encounter her child self and come to terms with what has happened, literally and figuratively confronting the trauma and comforting her inner child.
Marco Luke Drago’s The Man, the Moth, the Legend is a mockumentary following American folklore legend, Mothman, and his life in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. In two minutes, we see watch Mothman recount his life as an outcast and the unexpected celebrity he became later.
Fawn – Molly Mayhew
Small Pics highlights:
Fawn directed by Molly Mayhew
The Man, the Moth, the Legend directed by Marco Luke Drago
The subsequent parts will follow in the coming days, so stayed tuned. I’m going to be stretching and celebrating this as long as possible because the festival is such a major platform for many of these artists and filmmakers and I had such a blast.
And remember: support independent filmmakers and artists!
Paul Thomas Anderson turns his attention to a period drama involving high fashion in 1950’s London. The hype for this film was electric with much of the buzz revolving around Phantom Thread being the swansong for method acting master, Daniel Day-Lewis. Anderson’s previous efforts centre on dreamy Californian landscapes, but here he swaps the American Dream for a film that captures the essence of the time, indulging in the opulence that the characters live with.
Day-Lewis shines as Reynolds Woodcock, a renowned classically trained fashion designer who finds himself lost for inspiration. He soon finds it in his muse, Alma (Vicky Krieps) who almost becomes a lifeforce for Woodcock as his creativity is sparked.
On the surface, the film explores the flight and fancy of high society in 1950’s London but beneath lies a darker world of manipulation, the unwavering quest for perfection and the consequences this has. The film is a love story but underneath the romance lies something much darker.
Reynolds is controlled by his watchful sister, Mabel (Lesley Manville) who openly dislikes Alma who controls Reynolds by poisoning his tea with wild mushrooms. It’s an endless cycle of creativity and struggle to maintain that inspiration. He survives and thrives on that perfect idea but when it fails or runs out, it physically and mentally takes its toll.
Alma is an interesting character because the world she comes from clashes drastically with Reynolds. Having worked as a waitress previously, she is thrust into the spotlight and into the eye of high society. She fits the role physically with ease but the emotional impact the societal expectations and, more important, Reynolds expectations have on her makes for some intense encounters. Manville also lights up the screen as Mabel and her character is blunt and brash but her job is to keep the standards high. She is the constant as Reynolds wavers from high to low and high again.
Mabel’s presence is not only exciting but necessary to the friction between the characters as her treatment is consistent and her unapologetic way in demanding respect from Reynolds in particular is exciting as we rarely see a woman so equally challenging and empowering.
Phantom Thread has a moodiness that is exacerbated by a luscious colour palette. Some scenes are reminiscent of the longing and melancholy of Edward Hopper’s painting with its character-driven focus. It is a film that thrives on the reaction rather than the actions that happen.
If ever there was a director bold enough to take on an adaptation of postmodern behemoth Thomas Pynchon, it’s Paul Thomas Anderson. Inherent Vice is based on the 2009 novel of the same name set in 1970s California. Anderson sets himself a difficult challenge as the first (and still only!) person to adapt Pynchon for the screen. Remarkably enough, he even received Pynchon’s support which is incredible considering how much of a recluse the author is.
Inherent Vice is the most straightforward text as far as plot and setting goes as the focus on a singular character, Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) makes the film more accessible than say Gravity’s Rainbow which has hundreds of named characters. Phoenix delivers another knockout performance as the aloof Sportello, a drugged out cop trying to find his missing ex-girlfriend, Shasta (Katherine Waterston).
Waterston is the “find” of the film, gaining her mainstream breakthrough with her portrayal of Shasta Fay Hepworth. While other characters including Doc and Lieutenant Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen (Josh Brolin) are larger than life caricatures, Shasta is the heart of the film and acts as its emotional anchor. Not only does Waterston hold her own against Phoenix’s transformative performance, but her presence is felt throughout the film, despite only being onscreen for around 15 minutes of the film’s 148-minute runtime.
The score is provided by longtime collaborator, Jonny Greenwood who taps into the mystery elements of the plot. While the songs on the soundtrack emphasise the uplifting hazy dreamland of hippie California, Greenwood’s score brings a darker edge with lovely motifs that linger and repeat throughout the film. The “Shasta” tracks are wonderful, getting longer and more complicated as the film goes on.
As a fan of Pynchon and the novel in particular, I understand why this one was picked to adapt out of all of them as he’s not a writer for the light-hearted. Even after the unique use of syntax and whirlpool of characters, he introduces drug-fuelled ideas that only make relative sense once you allow yourself to be fully immersed in the text.
The unfamiliarity of the source material can be off-putting for some, but it’s a great film with a brilliant script. A highly underrated film, it’s not one to underestimate.
The Big Kahuna. The game changer. The film that made Anderson a solidified mainstream beast of cinema. There Will Be Blood takes its inspiration from the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair and follows Daniel Plainview (played magnificently by Daniel Day-Lewis) and his climb to the top during the Southern California Oil Boom.
The film is set in the late 19th century and is a seemingly traditional retelling of the American Dream but as with any PTA, not all is as it seems.
Quickly Plainview’s ambition is replaced with cruelty, deception and manipulation particularly in the relationship deterioration with his son, H. W. Plainview (played by Dillon Freasier and Russell Harvard as child and adult H. W., respectively) and the mistreatment of local preacher/proclaimed prophet, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano who also plays Eli’s twin brother, Paul Sunday).
Winning Day-Lewis a second Best Actor Oscar (my favourite Day-Lewis performance) and featuring a career smash for Dano, Anderson shows his control and maturity as a filmmaker with this one. Masterpiece is a term often thrown around meaninglessly but it is more than justified here.
It’s a shame that it was up against the Coen Brothers’ offering, No Country for Old Men, as it lost out on several deserved Oscars. Not to say No Country for Old Men shouldn’t have won but I personally prefer There Will Be Blood due to how well-realised Plainview’s character is while the direction is as slick as the oil they drill.
Punch-Drunk Love is Paul Thomas Anderson’s take on a romantic comedy, but still maintains his signature absurdity and intricacy. Following a more streamlined narrative and a smaller cast of characters, Punch-Drunk Love is a 90 minute whirlwind.
Whoever says that Adam Sandler has never turned in a great performance has never seen this gem of a film. Sandler plays Barry Egan, a depressed businessman who owns a company selling novelty items such as toilet plungers. He has seven sisters who constantly ridicule and abuse him, making fun of his shortcomings and inability to find a fulfilling relationship. He meets the elusive Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), who works with one of sisters and the two get on well with relationship between them soon blossoming.
Soon enough, Barry finds himself engaged in a slew of unfortunate events when a sex-line operator extorts him and demands the collection of a large sum. He tracks down the manager of the sex-line and finds mattress store owner, Dean Trumbell (Philip Seymour Hoffman). His interaction with Dean is interesting because it is Barry’s vulnerability and sensitivity (which are often perceived as “feminine” traits) that actually intimidate Dean.
What Anderson presents us with is a complex insight into masculinity and femininity and the societal expectations that are held for both. Barry and Lena are ostracised because they openly hold traits in both and reject the norm. Lena is a successful travelling businesswoman.
The final act of the film sees Barry agree to openly support her, subverting the stereotypical gender norms. However, it isn’t done to show a sign of weakness in the relationship but rather Anderson concluding that their relationship is stronger because of their differences and unwillingness to fit in.
Commonly remembered as Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic, Magnolia is 3 hour saga follows the seemingly isolated lives of various characters and their eventual biblical crossover. Building on the legacy of Boogie Nights by incorporating more stars and more stories than its predecessor.
Set in LA, we follow the day of a policeman who finds a body in a closet, a terminally ill gameshow producer and a child progeny who is set to compete on the gameshow while suffering from abusive parents behind the scenes.
The cast features Anderson regulars such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore and John C. Reily but also brings a wider cast led by Tom Cruise who brings an energetic and charismatic performance as motivational speaker, Frank T.J Mackey and Jason Robards as the ailing gameshow producer, Earl Partridge.
Magnolia tends to split critics and the audience due to its melodramatic feel and long running time but these aspects are justified and adds to its uniqueness. It’s seemingly ingrained in its own reality but this is turned on its head with the iconic scene in which frogs suddenly fall from the sky.
The film takes its audience through the full spectrum of emotions. Anderson wants us to feel uncomfortable and confused at times. It is centred around human nature and the emotions within that.
Boogie Nights marked Paul Thomas Anderson’s cinematic breakthrough with his pitch perfect observation on the porn industry in 1970s Los Angeles. We follow Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), a high-school dropout who has a chance encounter with porn producer, Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who propels him into the spotlight of adult film under the moniker, Dirk Diggler.
The film brings drama, light comedy, acting legends, newcomers, movie magic and gritty realism which is interweaved into a large spiderweb that is just as complex as the mind. It is a colourful insight into the human condition and the lengths that a person will go in order to retain their legacy.
The cast is as starry as the Hollywood lights with Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle and Philip Seymour Hoffman being the standouts for me (the number of standouts shows just how star-studded this film is!). Boogie Nights brought two of its cast, Reynolds and Moore Academy Award nominations and gave Anderson his first Best Original Screenplay nomination.
It would be easy for a film about the porn industry to turn into a gratuitous portrayal from a male gaze but Anderson is mindful not to fall into this trap.
The film is not made to be aspirational or shaming and provides a more factually based and neutral perspective. The wonderful thing about Anderson is that he doesn’t patronise his audience and encourages the audience to draw their own interpretations from the film.
Indeed, by viewing Boogie Nights a simple flick on the porn industry would be to miss the underlayer that explores tragic themes such as the American Dream as a lie, female oppression, misogyny and racism.
