Director:

Zhanna Bekmambetova

Genre:

Animated short film

Country/Region of production:

Russia, Kazakhstan

Synopsis:

In a cottage on the edge of the grassland, a father and his physically disabled son depend solely on each other for survival. The son, Anvar, cannot walk and struggles to lift a spoon with great effort. On the verge of despair, the father finds renewed hope when images of a Mars rover broadcast on television ignite their deepest yearnings for hope and the unknown. A small spoon – in reality a symbol of one of life's difficulties – becomes the key to rescuing the rover in their imagination, blending cosmic exploration fantasies with raw family emotions.

Why we recommend it:

The animated short film "Son" has been officially selected for the Short Film Competition at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival's Golden Goblet Awards, with its world premiere taking place during the festival. This marks another appearance at SIFF for director Zhanna Bekmambetova, whose work "Tweet-Tweet" won Best Animated Short Film at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival's Golden Goblet Awards in 2018.