Annecy Colombian entry ‘Once in a Body’ explores human bonds

For Colombian emerging animation talent María Cristina Pérez, whose experimental short film “Once in a Body” (“Una vez en un Cuerpo”) competed in the Annecy Animation Festival’s Perspectives sidebar, human connection is the overriding theme in her growing oeuvre.

This is her fourth short film, which she dedicates to her sister. “The story portrayed in the short film, about the main character as a child and her sister as a teenager, is completely fictional,” she emphasizes. “It brings together a number of anecdotes and experiences – some my own, some from people around me who have been through similar situations – but the story itself is fiction,” she says. Variety.

Using oil on paper in traditional 2D animation, the ten-minute experimental drama focuses on a heavyset woman who floats and changes across the screen as her voiceover narrates the traumatic experience she shares with her sister. She also has to deal with a strange creature living inside her as she tries to reconcile with her sibling over the incident in their childhood.

The short film is not only a love letter to a sister, but above all to intimacy, loss and female vulnerability seen through the body, she says.

“I kept thinking about the way the body influences us, but is also shaped by everything we experience, almost as if it has a life and will of its own that we must learn to accept. Somehow I associated the idea of ​​body and mind in opposite directions with the persistence of certain feelings even in the midst of that dissonance,” she explains in her director’s statement.

Pérez is now developing her first animated film titled “My Dad the Truck,” which she hopes to premiere in 2028. “It tells the story of a broken relationship between a father and his daughter, and how, through a journey they take together from the countryside to the city, they gradually rebuild the bond between them.”

Reflecting on her time at Annecy, where “Once in a Body” also competed for the Audience Award, she says, “My experience at Annecy has always been incredibly rewarding. It is also an invaluable opportunity to reconnect with the Latin American animation community, as well as colleagues from the global animation industry.”

Regarding the Colombian animation industry, she notes that “Colombian animation is indeed a young industry, but one that is growing and maturing at a remarkable pace. In recent years, I believe the most exciting developments have taken place in the short film format, allowing for bold explorations of themes from increasingly personal perspectives, alongside aesthetic approaches that reflect a strong desire to experiment with both form and content.”

“We are also seeing a much broader range of academic programs dedicated to animation, as well as the consolidation of more production companies across the country. Together, these developments have fostered a unique and highly sensitive animation scene that will continue to strengthen Colombia’s presence on the international stage,” she adds.

However, there are still some hurdles to overcome, especially in terms of financing. She points to the fact that Colombia offers a wide range of financing programs that are essential for maintaining the audiovisual ecosystem, but are still not sufficient to fully support animation productions.

“Unlike live-action filmmaking, animation requires significantly more time and a larger, more specialized team. As a result, filmmakers are often forced to make compromises on creative decisions or, in some cases, are unable to complete their projects.”

“Once in a Body” is produced by Pez Dorado Animaciones in co-production with Cartuna.

The Annecy Animation Festival took place from June 21 to 27.