WORTH WATCHING

Watch: Stop-Motion Short Film 'Winter's Blight' Made in New Zealand

by Alex Billington
August 6, 2021
Source: Vimeo

Must get firewood to stay warm for the winter. This gorgeous, moving stop-motion animated short film is made by a filmmaker based in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Winter's Blight is a stop-motion short written and directed and animated by filmmaker Claire Campbell, and it's available to watch on Vimeo now after playing at festivals for a few years. The film tells the story of a reclusive elderly man Bill who livies in a remote forest in Central Otago. "This film has been a true labour of love and has received great support from the local film and Arts commission to get it made." It also features a really lovely score by fellow New Zealander composer Hanan Townshend, known for his work on feature films including To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, Strawberry Days, Semper Fi, and Blue Miracle. It's a dialogue-free short that is so tender and heartfelt, and rather poetic in the way it takes its time telling the story. This is definitely worth a watch.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this. Brief description from Vimeo: "In a clearing amongst a forest of pines lives a lonely old man who struggles to keep himself warm, though help comes from an unexpected friend." Winter's Blight is written and directed and animated by filmmaker Claire Campbell - you can see more of her work on Vimeo and follow her for more updates on Instagram at @clairecampbell_animation. It's produced by Jon Wilson from Shine on Films. Featuring cinematography by DP Jon Wilson, and a score composed by Hanan Townshend. Winter's Blight is a stop motion short made in Dunedin, New Zealand. This initially premiered at film festivals back in 2019, and it eventually won Best Short Animation at this year's Melbourne Film Festival. Watch the behind-the-scenes making-of video for the film here. Or for more info on the short, visit Vimeo or Shine On's site. To discover even more shorts, click here. Thoughts on this?

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