A routine tree inspection unexpectedly gives way to a journey into the deep. Set in a hidden subterranean world, the film’s mesmerizing visuals are a constantly shifting blend of 2D and 3D animation, photogrammetry, motion capture, and live-action material. Jeffrey Zablotny’s Sub Terra crafts a haunting mystery from a cryptic first-person perspective.
Anna Mernieks
Canada/Germany
2022
English
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Credits
Producer
Jeffrey Zablotny
ANIM
Jeffrey Zablotny
Editor
Jeffrey Zablotny
Director
Jeffrey Zablotny
Jeffrey Zablotny is a Toronto-based director. His work explores how interior landscapes mirror a hidden world outside ourselves through experimentation with sound and unconventional use of animation. His films have premiered at TIFF, DOK Leipzig, Hot Docs, and internationally at festivals in Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. A member of VES (Visual Effects Society), his work has been made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the NFB.
Filmography: Sub Terra (2022); The Immaculate Conception Photography Gallery (2017); Chamber Drama (2014); Leonardo (2013); Max (2009)
VIFF Short Forum
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Short Forum 1: The Scarier One
The return of scary: fear in all its chilling, suspenseful, and unsettling shades.
Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx
Dogs, frogs, hogs, and more!
Short Forum 3: Workers of the World
The grind of the working class in a system that betrays its promises.
Short Forum 4: Immanence: A Life
You don’t have to look far; life is beautiful!
Short Forum 5: Somewhere Else
If space and time are pure perception, let’s build them differently.
Short Forum 6: Archive Lives!
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Short Forum 7: War at Home
Truly, no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Short Forum 8: Queer Magic
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Short Forum 9: Big Time Sensuality
Explorations of desire and intimacy serve both pain and pleasure.
Short Forum 10: Are the Kids Alright?
The future kinda depends on it.