Jordan Buckner’s debut short film //_sleeper has been chosen as part of Britain’s best animation talent
An independent filmmaker and lecturer at the University of Portsmouth has had his first short film, //_sleeper, chosen to screen at an international festival.
Jordan Buckner, who teaches art direction for animation at the University, has also completed a second film, When the Tides Went Down, for BBC Arts and Arts Council England which recently screened at the Turner Contemporary. Both films will later be available on BBC platforms.
It is a huge honour to have my debut short film //_sleeper selected for London International Animation Festival at the Barbican. The film was made a year ago, so to see it continue to reach an audience is incredibly rewarding.
Jordan said: “It is a huge honour to have my debut short film //_sleeper selected for London International Animation Festival at the Barbican. The film was made a year ago, so to see it continue to reach an audience is incredibly rewarding. And to see it shown alongside some incredible work in the British Showcase – with big names like Will Anderson, Anna Ginsburg and Blue Zoo – is mad to me.
“As an independent animator making strange films about mental health, climate change and the weirdness of the UK, it means a great deal to know that people care about the work at all, and that it has a place up on the screen alongside those superb talents. I’m really proud of the work."
As an independent animator making strange films about mental health, climate change and the weirdness of the UK, it means a great deal to know that people care about the work at all, and that it has a place up on the screen alongside those superb talents.
Bleak: A still from Jordan Buckner’s debut short film //_sleeper, chosen as part of Britain’s best animation talent
“I recently finished another short film, When the Tides Went Down, for the BBC which explores climate change, the British countryside and our different responses to these turbulent times. It is pretty different to //_sleeper, perhaps a bit calmer, but hopefully still haunting.”
//_sleeper set in a dying industrial town and tells the story of Frank, a recluse who wakes each day to black treacle skies, glowing monitors, strange phone calls and a strange anomaly on the horizon are the backdrop to this unsettling character journey.
I recently finished another short film, When the Tides Went Down, for the BBC which explores climate change, the British countryside and our different responses to these turbulent times. It is pretty different to //_sleeper, perhaps a bit calmer, but hopefully still haunting.
It was made as part of Animation 2018 – a BFI and BBC Four-funded scheme to support 12 emerging UK filmmakers. It first aired in December 2018 on BBC4 and can be watched on the BFI Player.
His second film, When The Tides Went Down, uses British landscape to tell a story about humans’ response to the threat of climate change, with music by Nanita Desai (For Sama, Telling Lies.)
It was made in just eight weeks in 2019 as part of a Screen South, BBC and Arts Council New Creatives project.
London International Animation Festival opens at the Barbican on Friday 29 November.
Jordan posts updates on his new work and information on film releases to his Instagram and Twitter accounts.