Animated Short Film

A man swims in the sea. As he moves through the water, memories come back to him from the bright beaches of the Indian Ocean to the grey of the concentration camps.

An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger.

Disillusioned with his life, Ray dreams of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement.

One day, three sisters on an isolated island are forced to rent out one of their houses. This film is part of the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Animation Shorts viewing which is 88 min total.

A poor boy’s love for a girl whose tears turn to pearls leads him into a perilous bargain between love, greed, and survival.
In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the magic of stop-motion animation. With handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Colm Feore and a haunting score by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception and the price of innocence.