The baseball as an omen. While people watch spellbound as the leather ball flies through the air, maybe even losing themselves in this entertaining pastime in front of the television set or in the stadium, a worried bird is watching. Because the flying ball is gradually turning into the globe, which the bird now tries to protect with its own feathers in a makeshift nest. Originally conceived as a submission for an MTV competition, Killi has already found her important life themes with this debut film: the use of multiplane cut-out animation and the great empathy with which she articulates her bond with nature and the environment. For her, “The Glass Ball”, visually inspired by Eastern European masters like Yuri Norstein, is a reminder of the fragility of our earth to this day.

Marie Ketzscher

Building bridges over and over again. That is what keeps Florian and Malene busy, because how could it be otherwise: After all, the two children live on opposite sides of a brook but want to play with each other all the time. But then the war comes – and Florian is no longer allowed to visit Malene, because she now lives in enemy country: the brook has become barbed wire. In her child-oriented cut-out adult film (and vice versa!), Anita Killi explores the different ways young and old perceive life, visually inspired by the Norwegian painter Theodor Kittelsen. The microcosms of the little ones are lovingly captured, from playing in the snow to rubbing their noses together, while Killi also directs her attention to the arbitrariness of most conflicts. “War never dies, it just sleeps from time to time”, Florian’s father says, and: It’s the adults who wake it up. But maybe the succeeding generations will come up with something new after all?

Marie Ketzscher

Gosh, how boring and lonely it is here in the castle! That is what the little king thinks and so one day he vanishes. Everyone is desperate and at their wit’s end. The whole staff look for him for six days. No luck. And so the chamberlain, the commander, the jester and the second-in-command set out into the dangerous enchanted forest to find a new king. “The King Who Wanted More Than a Crown” was originally performed as a modern fable for all age groups with live orchestra accompaniment, to inspire a love of classical music especially in children. But even without live elements, Anita Killi's and Randall Meyers' cut-out animation works amazingly well. After all, it is not just brimming with loving detail and lively, colourful characters, but also breathes new life into the old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Marie Ketzscher