Emerging Colombian animation talent María Cristina Pérez’s experimental short film “Once in a Body” (“Una vez en un Cuerpo”) is featured in the sidebar of the Annecy Animation Festival’s Perspective section, and human connections are an overriding theme in her growing body of work.
This is her fourth short story dedicated to her sister. “The story of the childhood protagonist and her teenage sister in this short film is completely fictional,” she emphasizes. “This work brings together a lot of anecdotes and experiences, some of my own, some of them from people close to me who have gone through similar situations, but the story itself is fiction,” she told Variety.
Traditionally animated in 2D with oil on paper, this 10-minute experimental drama centers on a heavily set woman who floats and morphs on screen as her voiceover narrates a traumatic experience she shared with her sister. She also deals with the strange presence that lives inside her while trying to reconcile with her brother over an incident from her childhood.
She says the short story is not only a love letter to her sisters, but above all to intimacy, loss, and the fragility of women seen through their bodies.
“I kept thinking about how our bodies affect us and how we are shaped by everything we experience. It’s as if our bodies have a life and will of their own that we have to learn to accept. Somehow I connected the idea of mind and body being pulled in opposite directions with the persistence of certain emotions even in the midst of that cacophony,” she declares in a director’s statement.
Perez is currently working on his first animated feature film, titled “My Dad the Truck,” which he hopes to release in 2028. “This film is the story of a broken relationship between a father and daughter, and how they gradually rebuild their bond as they travel together from the countryside to the city.”
Reflecting on her stay in Annecy, where Once in a Body also competed for the Audience Award, she said: “My experience at Annecy is always incredibly rewarding and a unique opportunity to reconnect with the Latin American animation community and my colleagues in the global animation industry.”
Regarding Colombia’s animation industry, she says, “Colombian animation is certainly a young industry, but it is one that is growing and maturing at an amazing pace. I think the most exciting developments have occurred in the short film format in recent years, allowing for the bold exploration of themes through an increasingly personal perspective, alongside an aesthetic approach that reflects a strong desire to experiment with both form and content.”
“We are also seeing a wider range of academic programs specializing in animation, and more production companies are being integrated across the country. Together, these developments will foster a unique and highly sensitive animation scene and continue to strengthen Colombia’s presence on the international stage,” she added.
But there are still some hurdles to overcome, especially funding. She points to the fact that Colombia offers a wide range of funding programs that are essential to sustaining the audiovisual ecosystem, but are still not sufficient to fully support animated productions.
“Unlike live-action filmmaking, animation takes significantly more time and requires a larger, more specialized team. As a result, filmmakers are often forced to compromise on creative decisions and, in some cases, fail to complete the project.”
“Once in a Body” is produced by Pez Dorado Animaciones in collaboration with Cartuna.
The Annecy Animation Festival was held from June 21st to June 27th.
