Watch: Animated Short ‘Arka’ Follows a Colossal, Lavish Cruise Ship

Watch: Animated Short ‘Arka’ Follows a Colossal, Lavish Cruise Ship

by Alex Billington
November 18, 2022
Source: Vimeo

All aboard!! Will you go down with the ship when it sinks? Will you even notice that it’s sinking? That’s the key question in this film. Arka is a funky, intriguing animated short made by a Croatian filmmaker named Natko Stipaničev. This would play perfectly as the opening to Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. Arka, a grotesque story about a grandiose transoceanic cruise ship sailing the seas, is Stipaničev’s first film after university. The young animation artist earned his BA from the Arts Academy in Split and his MA from the Animation Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. It’s clearly commentary on climate change and how so many ignore the fact that we’re on a sinking ship. The people are wonky – but it’s worth a watch.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this one. Here’s the very brief synopsis from Vimeo: “A grandiose transoceanic cruise ship sailing the seas.” Arka is both written and directed by Croatian animation and 3D filmmaker / illustrator Natko Stipaničev – you can see more of his unique animation work on his Vimeo or visit his Croatian.film profile. It’s produced by Igor Grubic and Keativni Sindikat. All the sound and editing and compositing is also by Natko Stipaničev. Distributed by Bonobo Studio. This initially premiered at many film festivals in 2020, starting at Annecy and playing at Trieste, Sitges, POFF, Hong Kong, and a few others. For more info on the short, visit Vimeo or Bonobo. To discover more short films, click here. Your thoughts?

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