The Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey, is hosting the festival of the best animated short films from the past year. Screenings begin on Friday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. and continue through Nov. 17.
After a two-year COVID hiatus, the “Animation Show of Shows” returns to theaters and campuses across North America. This 22nd edition includes 10 recent films and one restored classic that deal with the anxieties and hopes of a world faced with a seemingly endless series of existential crises. Their tone ranges from the whimsical to the profound, and techniques range from stop-motion to hand-drawn to computer-aided.
While “Beyond Noh” shows the prevalence of masks through all cultures, and “Rain” uses humor to explore the dangers of groupthink, “Ties” takes the notion of connectedness from the symbolic to the actual. The nine new films come from Europe, Asia and North America. The program culminates with a restored 4K digital remaster by the Academy Film Archive of Frederic Back’s 1987 Oscar-winner, “The Man Who Planted Trees.”
Tickets are $9 and and $8, and information about screening times can be found by visiting theparktheatre.org or calling the box office 603-532-8888.