Synopsis

Two-time Academy Award nominee and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Don Hertzfeldt partners with Ink Films to release Animation Mixtape, an 85-minute short film program personally selected by Hertzfeldt. An exclusive collection of animated shorts by talented artists from around the world, Mixtape features many recent films from up-and-coming animators next to classics that originally inspired Hertzfeldt to start animating.

“Animated short films are a vital part of our cinematic ecosystem, and I’ll always leap at every opportunity to bring the work of amazing artists to the biggest screens we can find,” said Hertzfeldt. “This feature-length collection includes many strange treasures I’ve admired over the years —from new films that haven’t been released widely yet, to titles that inspired me to become an animator over thirty years ago.”

Celebrated for his emotionally resonant and visually inventive animated films, Hertzfeldt has long been a champion of independent animation. His latest collaboration marks a milestone for both him and Ink Films, as it becomes the company’s inaugural release and for theaters only. While over 10,000 short films are made every year by filmmakers at various stages of their career, only a fraction make it into film festivals and are able to be seen in a classic theatrical setting. Once a staple of the moviegoing experience with a short film paired with every feature screening in a cinema, barely any short film gets a theatrical release today. The Animation Mixtape is taking 11 short films to theaters across the U.S. and Canada, providing a special, one-time chance for these stylish and unique films to be seen by animation fans on the big screen. Like a concert, Mixtape is a live event by design and will be shown only in cinemas.

About Don Hertzfeldt: Don Hertzfeldt is an American independent filmmaker whose animated films have screened around the world. His work has received two Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short Film, two Sundance Film Festival Grand Prizes for Short Film, a Short Film Palm d’Or nomination at the Cannes Film Festival, and numerous other awards worldwide. www.bitterfilms.com

Trailer

Film Details

Director: Various
Studio: Bitter Films / Ink Films
Running Time: 85 minutes
Country: USA
Release Year: 2025
Rated: Unrated

Reviews