【120 Years of Short Animation】Don Hertzfeldt
At Hiroshima Animation Season 2026, we have organized a special feature titled "120 Years of Short Animation (1906-2026)" to celebrate the rich history built by short animation. This commemorates the 120th anniversary of "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" (1906), a work often considered one of the origins of animation.
This special booklet compiles the results of a survey conducted among visiting artists and award winners of Hiroshima Animation Season, primarily those from the Pan-Pacific and Asian regions that the festival focuses on, based on the following theme.
This project does not aim to create an "authoritative list," but rather a "passionate archive" of those who love animation.
Below is the response from Don Hertzfeldt.
Don Hertzfeldt's Paper Trail has been selected for the Hiroshima Animation Season 2026 Short Competition and will be screened at the festival. He also designed the title lettering for the booklet Your Favorite 12 Animated Short Films From the Past 120 Years 1906–2026, which brings together the results of this survey.
Official trailers and other publicly available materials can be viewed below.
The following film selected in this response will be screened at Hiroshima Animation Season 2026 (August 19–23). We hope you will enjoy it at the festival!
・When the Day Breaks — Wendy Tilby /Amanda Forbis (1999, Canada)
→Contemporary Classics (World)
Saturday, August 22, 12:15 PM
JMS Aster Plaza – Medium Hall
https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/program/00001551/
Tickets for Hiroshima Animation Season 2026 are available via Peatix:
https://has2026.peatix.com/
Please purchase either a One-Day Pass or a Festival Pass. Free U25 tickets are also available.
At the festival venue, we will also be selling Your Favorite 12 Animated Short Films From the Past 120 Years 1906–2026for ¥1,000. The booklet includes responses from all 68 participants, along with an appendix featuring a chronological list of every film mentioned in the survey. We hope you will have a chance to pick up a copy.