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Anna Mantzaris On Her Penchant for Nuanced Emotion and Finding Humor in the Mundane

Colossal contributor Laura Staugaitis spoke with Anna Mantzaris via Zoom in late September 2020. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.  Shown above is a still from Mantzaris's "Small Decision, Big Impact" for Honest Tea.   Laura: Could you share a little bit about how you got interested in animation? What was the point at which you really identified that it was the creative direction that you were going to move in? Anna: I didn't have the path of always knowing that I wanted to do animation—it wasn't something that I was anticipating seeing in my life. It's not…

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Animation

Interview: Animator Anna Mantzaris Discusses Her Penchant for Nuanced Emotion and Finding Humor in the Mundane

Swedish director and animator Anna Mantzaris has a knack for expressing the frustrating, humorous, and delightful moments of everyday life. Her short films feature quirky felt characters that embody both idiosyncrasies and human commonality, an idea she conveys in works like "Enough," which captures characters as they let their anger emerge. Sometimes reality is better than your imagination. Sometimes when I try to make things up, I cannot make them as funny as a really good observation of something that happens. In a recent interview supported by Colossal Members, contributor Laura Staugaitis recently spoke with Mantzanis about her experimental journey…

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Animation Documentary

Absurd Office Etiquette and Sincere Storytelling: Colossal’s Top Short Films of 2021

Suffice to say, 2021 has been an emotional rollercoaster, so it's no surprise that the short films topping Colossal's list span the gamut: there are uncomfortable situations of poor (and relatable) office etiquette, heartwrenching indictments of the injustices around us, and purely fun works of animation. We've listed the most-watched shorts here and included a few extras in case you need to escape from end-of-year work projects or family gatherings.    "Moonwalk" by Nalle Sjoblad Nalle Sjoblad’s “Moonwalk” uses brutal Home Alone-esque sequences of poor planning, office rage, and failure to appreciate even basic spatial relationships in order to remind…

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Animation

A Stop-Motion Animation Full of Inappropriate Office Behavior Questions the Professional Impact of Motherhood

What poses the biggest threat to women's careers? That's the question behind a new animation by Swedish director Anna Mantzaris (previously) that follows a mischievous character through a series of wildly inappropriate misdeeds and poor office etiquette. Created collaboratively by Passion Pictures and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, the lighthearted-turned-sincere short film compares snipping off a coworker's tie or wreaking workplace havoc to the unfair penalties of being a parent. Coinciding with International Women's Day, the stop-motion animation marks the launch of a new Global Women campaign that advocates for an end to the motherhood penalty, or the systemic setbacks women…

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Animation

ENOUGH: Humorous Stop Motion Film Examines Our Inner Desire to Lose Control

 Swedish director and animator Anna Mantzaris has a penchant for the darkly humous as seen in her 2012 film But Milk is Important. Her recent short ENOUGH was made during her first year at the Royal College of Art where she graduated earlier this year. The stop motion film follows several kind-looking characters as they snap during everyday occurrences such as frustrating board meetings, dealing with demanding customers, or just narrowly missing the bus. "I wanted to have quite soft and sympathetic characters, to contrast with the less soft actions," Mantzaris explained to Directors Notes. "I also liked them to feel a bit…

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