Problems End

1964
Sound
3m

Petty party politics gets animated - literally - in this amateur cartoon with a message.

If you've got something to say, animation is a great medium to get your point across, even for an amateur. Derek Phillips made over 40 films in under a decade, taking on religion, politics, the environment and the art world. Constantly experimenting with technique, in this film he recreates binary politics through a red and blue design, with the characters reduced to simple mouthpieces and empty gestures - and with a typically pessimistic conclusion.

Animated satire on political speech making - despite an increasingly desperate call to intervene on poverty, two politicians spend all their time on party politics and disagreements.

DIY Animation

Amateur animation auteurs bring their homegrown creations to life

The requirements for making an animated film are pretty low. With a camera that shoots in single frames and an idea in your back pocket, you're well on your way. This collection showcases an assortment of dining table Disneys, who combine homebrewed talent with the all-important dedication and patience required to bring a story to life one frame at a time. Not that this was necessarily a solitary pursuit. From the 1950s onwards networks of amateur animators like The Grasshopper Group collaborated on filmmaking and distribution, and animated shorts were often a highlight of the amateur filmmaking scene.