An animated short film by Rafael Sommerhalder
9 min 30 sec, no dialogue, Switzerland, 2016

Synopsis

A scarecrow, a storm, a broken leg.
The resonant sound of a sea shell.
Leaving forever.

Trailer

You can buy or rent “Au revoir Balthazar” here.

Credits

A Film by Rafael Sommerhalder
Producers Stella Händler, Claudia Frei
Puppets & Sets Zita Bernet, Rafael Sommerhalder
Music Hansueli Tischhauser, Tobias Preisig
Sound Design, Mix Zhe Wu
Colour Grading Philippe Gallay
Titles Zita Bernet
Lighting Mentor André Pinkus
Additional Editing Rosa Albrecht, Marina Rosset
Music Recording Peter Bräker, Laura Endres
Storyboard Thomas Ott
Multiplane Stand Motorsänger
Lighting Equipment FTK Filmtechniker Kollektiv
Dubbing Theatre Magnetix
Grading Studio Tweaklab
Production freihändler Filmproduktion GmbH
Financial Support BAK Bundesamt für Kultur
Zürcher Filmstiftung
FA BS/BL Audiovision/Multimedia
Aargauer Kuratorium
Migros Kulturprozent
BAK Succès Cinéma
Succès Passage Antenne SRG

Making-of

Awards

Swiss Film Award – Best Animated Short Film
Cardiff Independent Film Festival, UK – Best Animation
Shorts Mexico – Best Int. Animated Short Film
Animayo, Spain – Best Stop Motion
Arlington Int. Film Festival, USA – Best Animation Short
Fastnet, Ireland – Shortlisted for Best Animation
Festival Brasil Stop Motion, Brazil – Best Art Direction
Semaine sans télévision, Switzerland – Audience Award
Transilvania Shorts, Romania – Best Animation
Solothurner Filmtage – Audience Award, 2nd place
Etiuda&Anima, Poland – Honorary Diploma
Animated Dreams, Estonia – Shut Up!, Silver Price
Airport Animation Fest, JP – North Pacific Bank Award
AJAYU Animation Film Festival, Peru – Special Mention
Animatou, CH – Audience Award, Swiss Competition
Canterbury Anifest, UK – Winner, Best International Film
Canterbury Anifest, UK – Runner Up, Best Sound
Fantoche, CH – Special Mention, Swiss Competition
In the Palace, BG – Nominated Best Narrative Animation
Farcume, Portugal – Third prize, animation category
Gässli Film Festival, Switzerland – Special Mention
Great Message, India – Animated Short, Best Direction
Travel FilmFest, Cyprus – Best Animated Short
Winchester Short Film Festival, UK – Special Mention
Make It Short Lewes, UK – Best Adult Animation
CUCIF, Perú – Best Animation Short
ArtMov Festival, Spain – First Prize
Bahía Ind. Cinema Festival, Brazil – Best Animation
Wag Film Festival, Italy – Best Short Film
Baja CineFest, Mexico – Best Animated Short Film
Bayamón Int. Film Festival, Puerto Rico – Best Animation

Screenings

August 2016 Int. Animation Festival Hiroshima (Japan)
September 2016 LA Shorts Fest (USA)*
Fantoche (Switzerland)*
Gesticulation (Switzerland)*
October 2016 Canterbury Anifest (UK)*
Festival du nouveau cinéma (Canada)*
Animatou (Switzerland)*
Balkanima (Serbia)
Anima Mundi (Brazil)*
Festival de courts-métrages de Nice (France)
Banjaluka Anima (Bosnia and Herzegovina)*
KLIK! Amsterdam (Netherlands)*
November 2016 New Chitose Airport Animation Festival (Japan)*
AJAYU Animated Short Film Festival (Peru)*
Animated Dreams (Estonia)*
Etiuda&Anima (Poland)*
RICA Wissembourg (France)
Mar del Plata Film Festival (Argentina)
International Izmir Short Film Festival (Turkey)
Anilogue (Hungary)
Animalada, Seville Animation Festival (Spain)*
Seoul Best of the Best (South Korea)
December 2016 LIAF – London Int. Animation Festival (UK)
In the Palace, Short Film Festival (Bulgaria)*
Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale (China)
Bogotá short film festival (Colombia)
Animateka (Slovenia)*
January 2017 Solothurner Filmtage (Switzerland)*
Max Ophüls Preis, MOP-Shortlist (Germany)
February 2017 IndieJúnior (Portugal)*
Dublin Int. Film Festival (Ireland)*
Portland International Film Festival (USA)
Festival Travelling (France)*
El Findecoin (Venezuela)*
March 2017 Monstra (Portugal)*
GLAS Animation Festival (USA)*
Craft Animation Night London (UK)
Tehran Int. Animation Festival (Iran)*
HAFF Junior (Netherlands)
Mecal Pro (Children’s section) (Spain)
Ciné court animé (France)*
Cape Town Int. Animation Festival (South Africa)
Be there! Corfu Animation Festival (Greece)*
Transilvania Shorts (Romania)*
Animakom Bilbao (Spain)*
Speechless Film Festival (USA)*
Athens Animfest (Greece)*
RiverRun (USA)*
Festival Mundial de Cine de Quito (Ecuador)*
April 2017 Festival de Cine de Lanzarote (Spain)*
Athens Film and Video Festival (USA)*
Ankara Int. Film Festival (Turkey)
Brasil Stop Motion Film Festival (Brazil)*
Mediawave Film & Music Festival (Hungary)*
Animatricks (Finland)*
Cortoons Gandia Festival (Spain)*
MedFest Alexandria (Egypt)
May 2017 Cardiff Independent Film Festival (UK)*
Golden Kuker (Bulgaria)*
Anifilm (Czech Republic)
Animayo (Spain)*
KloosterKino (Netherlands)
Leiden Int. Short Film Experience (Netherlands)*
Fastnet (Ireland)*
Cinema in Sneakers (Poland)*
La Truca (Colombia)*
FICII (Peru)*
Festival de la Petite école du film court (France)
June 2017 River Film Festival (Italy)*
Fest Anča (Slovakia)*
CayFilm (Cayman Islands)*
FICA (Brazil)
Cheste in Motion (Spain)*
Palm Springs ShortFest (USA)*
NexT (Romania)
Countryside Animafest (Cyprus)*
Euganea Film Festival (Italy)*
Short Film Festival Detmold (Germany)
July 2017 Savigny Animation Film Festival (Switzerland)*
LifeArt Media Festival (Greece)*
Vidlings & Tapeheads (USA)*
Constantine’s gold coin (Serbia)*
Ojo al Piojo (Argentina)
Insomnia (Russia)*
Fünf Seen Filmfestival (Germany)*
Zabut (Italy)*
Cartoon Club (Italy)*
OpenEyes Filmfest (Germany)*
Guanajuato Int. Film Festival (Mexico)
Freiluftkino Baden (Switzerland)
Motovun Film Festival (Croatia)*
SICAF (South Korea)*
Animation Block Party (USA)*
Two Riversides Film and Art Festival (Poland)*
TAIS Animation Showcase (Canada)*
August 2017 La Guarimba (Italy)
La Matatena (Mexico)*
Openair Cinema Basel (Switzerland)
Lucania Film Festival (Italy)*
Open-Air Cinéma La Tour-de-Peilz (Switzerland)
Film Festival della Lessinia (Italy)
Imaginaria (Italy)*
Turku Animated Film Festival (Finland)
Kraljevski Filmski Festival (Serbia)
Nancy International Film Festival (France)*
Festival Interactif de Cinéma de Lévis (Canada)
BuSho (Hungary)*
Gässli Film Festival (Switzerland)*
Krakow Summer Animation Days (Poland)
ANIMAZE (Canada)
StopMotionMx (Mexico)*
FARCUME (Portugal)*
Atlantic International Film Festival (Colombia)
Portobello Film Festival (UK)
September 2017 FICBUEU (Spain)
SESIFF (South Korea)*
Varna – World Festival of Animated Film (Bulgaria)
Festival Stop Motion Montréal (Canada)*
Great Message Film Festival (India)*
Tournez court (France)*
Shorts Mexico (Mexico)*
Québec City Film Festival (Canada)
Bolton Film Festival (UK)*
CyBorg Film Festival (Italy)*
Another Independent Int. Film Festival (USA)*
Kinofest Film Festival (Romania)*
Best-Of Gesticulation (Switzerland)
Ficit (Peru)*
October 2017 3D Wire Market (Spain)
Animarkt (Poland)
Cinemagic (Northern Ireland)*
Minikino Film Week (Indonesia)*
Filmfest Eberswalde (Germany)*
Innsbruck Nature Film Festival (Austria)*
ANIMA Córdoba (Argentina)*
Brasilia Animation Festival (Brazil)*
TIAF (Taiwan)*
TOHorror Film Fest (Italy)*
Twin Cities Film Fest (USA)*
shnit (Switzerland)
Oaxaca FilmFest (Mexico)*
Make It Short (UK)*
BANGIFF (Thailand)*
Travel FilmFest (Cyprus)*
Primanima (Hungary)
Thessaloniki Animation Festival (Greece)*
Leiden International Film Festival (Netherlands)
Kerry Film Festival (Ireland)*
Orlando Film Festival (USA)*
CRAFT (Indonesia)*
Gig Harbor Film Festival (USA)
Arlington Int. Film Festival (USA)*
Austin Film Festival (USA)*
Chicago Int. Children’s Film Festival (USA)*
FilemKING (Belgium)
Filem’on (Belgium)*
November 2017 Festival de Cine de Autor (Mexico)*
Reggio Film Festival (Italy)
Bit Bang Fest (Argentina)
St. Louis International Film Festival (USA)*
Leeds International Film Festival (UK)*
The Animattikon Project (Cyprus)*
Winchester Short Film Festival (UK)*
Automata LA – Unnatural Selection (USA)
CINANIMA (Portugal)*
Film Festival For Children and Youth (Armenia)*
Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival (Peru)*
Palm Springs Int. Animation Festival (USA)*
Wag Film Festival (Italy)*
PSSST! Silent Film Festival (Croatia)*
Hollywood North Film Festival (Canada)*
Filmkreis Shorts (Germany)*
Red Rock Film Festival (USA)*
ArtMov (Spain)*
Lublin Film Festival (Poland)*
Tangier International Film Festival (Morocco)
Les Nuits Magiques (France)*
B3 Biennial (Germany)*
Seoul Int. Youth Film Festival (South Korea)*
December 2017 Pentedattilo Film Festival (Italy)
Mirror Mountain Film Festival (Canada)*
Festival De Cine Y Vino (Spain)*
Bucharest Short Film Festival (Romania)*
Lecce Film Fest (Italy)*
Bahía Independent Cinema Festival (Brazil)*
Animation Chico (USA)*
Chhatrapati Shivaji Int. Film Festival (India)*
Baja CineFest (Mexico)*
January 2018 TOHorror – Black Monday (Italy)
Borrego Springs Film Festival (USA)*
Premiers Plans (France)
Trieste Film Festival (Italy)
Bayamón Int. Film Festival (Puerto Rico)*
February 2018 Four Seasons Film Festival (UK)*
MiCe Film Festival (Spain)*
Providence Children’s Film Festival (USA)*
PequeFilmes (Spain)*
Winter Film Awards (USA)*
Destiny City Film Festival (USA)*
Cine de Lebu Film Festival (Chile)*
Durango Independent Film Festival (USA)*
March 2018 New Renaissance Film Festival (Netherlands)*
InterAnima (Brazil)
RapidLion (South Africa)*
FIFEM Montréal (Canada)
Festival Int. du Film sur l’Art (Canada)
Yubari Int. Fantastic Film Festival (Japan)*
Indie-Lincs (UK)*
Garden State Film Festival (USA)*
El Ventilador (Argentina)*
April 2018 Crossroads Film Festival (USA)*
Independent Days (Germany)*
Clujshorts Int. Short Film Festival (Romania)*
* in competition/official selection

Contact Producer

Stella Händler
freihändler Filmproduktion
Gärtnerstrasse 50
4057 Basel
Switzerland
+41 61 631 45 05
mail@freihaendler.ch
www.freihaendler.ch

Contact Director

Rafael Sommerhalder
Crictor
Zimmerlistrasse 6
8004 Zurich
Switzerland
+41 44 401 55 92
rafael@crictor.ch
www.crictor.ch

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