“A gothic-noir journey through sexual perversion and corruption”.
One dark night. Two separate sexual encounters. Disturbing dream fragments with a stylistic nod to film noir and surrealism.

Condensed Night is my interpretation of the term “gothic”. Not perhaps the literal gothic of mist, moors and mansions, but twentieth century gothic. A love poem to Kafka, Lynch, Burroughs and Bunuel. An intense black comedy roller coaster ride through sexual perversion and corruption.

I wanted to create a very real sense of place without any overtly textural or experimental qualities to distract or distance the viewer.  The style informs the mood yet remains almost invisible. I decided upon traditional drawn/cell animation to give the action a more sensual, squishy quality.

I wanted to create a short film that would rivet the viewer from start to finish yet would also reward further viewings by leaving a sense of openness in the viewer’s mind.

1999 New York Animation Festival; SICAF, Seoul; “Young Blood” Animarita Puris Lintas/ Shots, London; Edinburgh International Film Festival; Ottawa International Student Animation Festival: Official Competition; Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Film: Competition Section; Leipzig Documentary and Animation Festival: Competition Section: Stuttgart, Internationales Trickfilm-Festival, International Competition Programme

2000 British Animation Awards: Public Choice Award Nomination; Brussels Cartoon and Animated Films Festival; Dresden Film Festival: RCA Programme;  Zagreb International Animation Festival: Official Competition; Singapore Fiesta 2000: RCA Programme