"a brilliantly executed masterclass in animated psychogeography".
Malcolm Turner - London International Animation Festival
A man, troubled by a severe nervous system condition, finds himself paralyzed in a remote and hostile environment after an accident. His situation takes new directions as he surrenders and accepts his new reality.
"The cactus" is an independent horror short film based on the short story written by the Argentinian author Santiago Dabove.
It started in 2018, when I found an interesting aesthetic that had me searching for the perfect project to use it.
I came across the short story "Ser polvo", by Santiago Above, and everything came together. It was the perfect material to explore.
The project was almost abandoned and resumed many times during 2019 to 2021, but eventually I managed to finished it at the end of 2022.
Festivals and Awards:
- Animafest Zagreb 2023 (Croatia), Official Selection, in competition.
- Annecy 2023 (France), Official Selection, in competition.
- Põff Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival) 2023 (Estonia). Official Selection, in competition.
- Goiânia Mostra Curtas 2023 (Brazil), Awarded "Best Animation Director".
- Anima Córdoba 2023 (Argentina), Awarded "Best Latin American Short Film".
- Animasyros 2023 (Greece), Official Selection, in competition.
- World Festival of Animated Film Varna 2023 (Bulgaria), Awarded "Best Horror Short Film".
- Anima Latina 2023 (Argentina), Awarded "Best Latin American Short Film".
- Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de La Plata 2023 (Argentina), Awarded "Best Fantasy Short Film".
- Cinanima 2023 (Portugal). Official Selection, in competition.
- London International Animation Festival 2023 (UK). Official Selection, in competition.
- Fancine Málaga 2023 (Spain). Official Selection, in competition.
- Cinefantasy 2023 (Brazil). Official Selection, "Honorable Mention".
- Future Film Festival 2023 (Italy). Official Selection, in competition.
- Animanima 2023 (Serbia). Official Selection, in competition.
- Festival of Animation Berlin 2023. Official Selection, in competition.
- Primanima 2023 (Hungary). Official Selection, in competition.
- Animest 2023 (Romania). Creepy animation Night programme.
- Banjaluka International Animated Film Festival 2023. Official Selection, in competition.
- Canlandiranlar 2023 (Turkey). Official Selection, in competition.
- Mecal Pro 2023 ( Spain), Offical Selection, in competition.
- Fantaspoa 2023 (Brazil), Official Selection, in competition.
- Manchester Animation Festival 2023 (UK). Panorama.
- Festcurtas BH 2023 (Brazil). Horror program.
- Vienna Shorts 2023 (Austria), Expedition program.
- Anifilm 2023 (Czech Republic), Midnight Shorts program.
- Bogo Shorts 2023 (Colombia), Offical Selection.
- PIAFF (Paris International Animation Film Festival 2024 (France), Official Selection, in competition.
- FIXION Fest 2024 (Chile), Official Selection.
- Cinelatino, Rencontres de Toulouse 2024 (France), Official Selection.
- Kinolatino, Festival de Cinema Latinoamericain en Belgique 2024 (Belgium), Official Selection.
- Anima Lleida 2024 (Spain). Official Selection
- Lanterna Mágica 2024 (Brazil), Awarded "Best Art Direction"and "Best Film - Critics Choice".
- Kaboom 2024 (Netherlands), Official Selection, in competition.
- Rio International Short Film Festival (Curta Cinema) 2024 (Brazil), Official Selection, in competition.
- Mostra Som quadro a Quadro 2024 (Brazil) , Awarded "Best Film".
In the media:
"In The Cactus Kump rocks a brilliant, compelling and unsettling aesthetic that – somehow – blends together a world and characters made up of disconnected compositional cartilage while at the same time giving each a vividly separate capacity to communicate their most distinguishing traits at us. In doing so, the whole rapidly evolves as being much more than simply the sum of the parts and the film contains enough narrative oxygen to give us plenty of time to contemplate how the internal state of the character is being changed and reprogrammed by the worlds the poor sod is being dropped into, dragged through and abandoned within. It’s a brilliantly executed masterclass in animated psychogeography – arguably. "
Malcolm Turner, London International Animation Festival
read full article here
"Ricardo Kump makes his directorial debut in style with a work that takes us with skill and torment through the limits of reality and fiction."
"O Cacto establishes itself as another triumph for our animated industries and as one of the most powerful debut works that we can remember."
Viridiana Torres, Radix Animación
Trailer
