"1981" Animated Short Sundance Selection | The Beauty and Terror of Being 14 years old

Our guests today are writers/directors and animators Andy and Carolyn London. Since 1999, they’ve been creating films, music videos and animated content through their company London Squared Productions. They have created award-winning films that have screened at festivals including Tribeca, Annecy, and Ottawa, and at MoMA’s Talk to Me exhibition. Today, they are hear with their official selection to the Sundance Film Festival, the animated short film 1981. A 14-year old Douglas gets a birthday surprise that will change his life forever. "1981" is a psychedelic coming-of-age story that captures the beauty and terror of teenage desire. Ladies and gentlemen, Andy and Carolyn London’s animated short film “1981” pushes us toward the edge in search of honesty. The film gives us the cringeworthiness and awkwardness of adolescence. We get caught in the moment of embarrassment, but with a smile on our face. This film brought back memories of my childhood where the same feelings came to life. What makes this film unique is the wide range of age groups, different generations who will be sitting in the movie theaters at various film festivals this year and watching this film. The mental and emotional outcome will be vastly different and that’s what makes this film and its concept spot on for 2026. The animation is surreal experience so reminiscent of the late 1970s to the early 1908s and I loved it. #sundance #sundancefilmfestival #oscars #shortfilm #animatedshort #animation #comingofage #teenagers #youth #stripper #birthdayparty #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #cinema #bondoncinema