Manchester Animation Festival

MAF are pleased to present Don Hertzfeldt’s newest animated short film ME is a 22-minute musical odyssey about trauma, technology, and the retreat of humanity into itself. We will be screening this alongside his rarely-shown 2012 masterpiece, It’s Such a Beautiful Day, a film hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of the best animated films of all time.

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 imagery.

This screening contains flashing images that may trigger seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.