Manchester Animation Festival

It’s Such a Beautiful Day

Dir. Don Hertzfeldt | United States

A story in three chapters, It’s Such A Beautiful Day follows Bill, whose mysterious illness means he struggles with memory loss and strange visions. As his hallucinatory thoughts grow worse, dark and troubling events force Bill to reckon with the meaning of his life.

Originally released as three short films over six years, the film was captured entirely in-camera on a 35mm rostrum animation stand. Built in the 1940s and used by Hertzfeldt on all of his animated films since 1999, it was one of the last surviving cameras of its kind still operating in the world, indispensable in creating his work's wholly unique images and visual effects.

Upon its original release, It's Such a Beautiful Day was named by many critics as one of the best films of the year.