Squirrel Island (dir. Astrid Goldsmith, UK 2016, 21:11)
Squirrel Island is an award-winning stop-motion animated film, made by Astrid in her garage in Folkestone over the course of eight years.
A 20-minute sci fi action thriller about squirrel apartheid, Squirrel Island follows a lone renegade grey squirrel called Dot, who is trapped on a hostile and mysterious red squirrel island. Thrown together with an unlikely partner, Dot and her new friend Mr Acorn uncover a horrifying secret red squirrel plot…can Dot and Mr Acorn survive Squirrel Island?
A puppet stop-motion film that was eight years in the making, Squirrel Island was shot on 16mm in a garage in Folkestone, using a 1969 Bolex film camera. Inspired by the complex issues surrounding invasive species and the controversial policies implemented to protect native wildlife in Britain, Squirrel Island is a sideways look at the choices we make between good and bad animals.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for post-production, the film was completed in 2016.
Awards
Best Film, Jury des enfants – Festival Cinema Jeune Public, Lausanne
Best Film, Children’s Jury – Soria International Film Festival
Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Portland Film Festival
In competition
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, 2017
London Short Film Festival, 2017
Tampere Film Festival, 2017
Warsaw Film Festival, 2016
Foyle Film Festival, 2016
Aesthetica Short Film Festival, 2017
Savannah Film Festival, 2016
Norwegian Short Film Festival, 2017
Portland Film Festival, 2016
Tacoma Film Festival, 2016
Newport Beach Film Festival, 2017
Sarasota Film Festival, 2017
Beijing International Short Film Festival, 2017
Vilnius International Film Festival, 2017
Vilnius International Short Film Festival, 2018
Underexposed Film Festival, 2017
Fest Anca, 2017
Athens Animfest, 2017
Lago Film Festival, 2017
Festival de Cine de Madrid, 2017
Special Selection Screenings
Brest Short Film Festival, Opening Screening, 2017
La Guarimba Film Festival, UNICEF touring programme, 2017
LCC special selection from BISFF, 2017
You can follow the film’s news and progress on Twitter @SquirrelFilm and on Facebook
