SXSW Official Selection Animated Short IN THE BEGINNING: An Interview with Director Ala Nunu

The animated short IN THE BEGINNING directed by Ala Nunu is about a space probe called Beresheet, legless birds of paradise, hamster cull and humanity trying to make the world make sense. This film I wonderfully tonally absurd and colorful, ‘In the Beginning’ features three true stories about humans shaping narratives on animals in their attempt to make sense of the absurdities of the world. One features the doomed space probe Beresheet that aimed to deposit a backup of human civilization on the moon but ended up releasing microscopic tardigrades; another explores how legless specimens of birds of paradise exported to Europe in the 16th Century were widely believed to be otherworldly beings that lived forever aloft; and the last depicts Covid-era Hong Kong, where many hamsters were abandoned after authorities announced a cull as a precaution against animal-to-human transmission.    For a brief two seconds, the film depicts public domain imagery of Jesus flying on a cross with multiple wings, bestowing stigmata upon a kneeling St. Francis. I loved this animated film and will be watching its journey this year on the film festival circuit. #animatedshort #shortfilm #sxsw #film #cinema #bondoncinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #poland #portugal #filmfestival #filmfestivalcircuit