Directed by Matthias Hoegg at the Royal College of Art, London and nominated for a BAFTA for Short Animation. An everyday love story set in the not so distant future sees blackbirds battling with technology, automatic palm readers and power cuts.

More info at matthiashoegg.co.uk

French title La Mare aux Têtards. This cute and charming video was made five graduates from Gobelins L’Ecole in Paris, La Poudriere, and L’ESAAT in France and distributed by Passion Pictures.

The story is about the Dreammaker who once made the most beautiful dreams for people. Now he lives solitary for only one purpose, the creation of a special dream – his dream. It was created as a diploma project at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany over a period of four years. Apart from the music and sound track it was a one man project. The main goal was to tell a little fairy tale. But a fairy tale more aiming at an adult audience. Dreammaker won the “Best Screenplay” award at the Aniwow! 2008 Filmfestival in China and was nominated for Outstanding Achievement.

More info at dreammaker.de

This graduation film was made at the University of Wales, Newport in 2010. The poignant tale begins with the line “He was bald with some liver spots on his head”. It gained the Royal Television Society Student Undergraduate Animation Award, Wales Region.

This stylish computer animation is a graduation film directed by Bertrand Avril, Pierre Chomarat, David Dangin and Thea Matland at Supinfocom Arles, France. While his wife is undergoing slimming treatment, André goes on a discovery tour of this very unusual center.

An unusual hand drawn animation that plays with scale and perspective. A house at the center is home to dog and cat. The sun shines down, and a day goes by. This was a degree project at the Rhode Island School of Design. Most of the animation was done in about 2 months or so. It was hand drawn on paper, shot with dragon stop motion, and composited in after effects.

This short film was created by Dave Chen, Naomi Chen, Michelle Czajkowski and Krzysztof Fus from the School of Visual Arts Computer Art Department in Manhattan. Little Emily wanders into a hidden part of town and stumbles upon a failing magic shop, where she is given a magical mechanical stuffed Rabbit. She brings him to life, expecting a magic show, but gets more than she bargains for.

French title Le silence sous l’écorce. In the depths of a great forest clad in a great white mantle, curious little creatures discover how beautiful, fascinating and white snow is. A nocturnal tale brimming with tenderness. The director Joanna Lurie grew up in the Landes’ forests of southwest France among trees and fairy tales. She is currently living and working in Paris.

More info at joannalurie.com

A man / orchestra plays a concert you have never heard before. Produced, directed and animated by Michal Socha as a student at the Academy Of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

Joseph McCauley’s fourth year film at Sheridan College. A father thinks about taking on his small son at tennis to get him away from video games. The story is nicely visualised.

More info at joemccauley.blogspot.com