Responses by Jerred North, animation director, Afterman; Marilena Vatseri, executive producer, NOMINT; and Tsvetelina Zdraveva, animation director, Afterman.
Background: “In Limbo” is an animated short film commissioned by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, a London-based independent human rights litigation center. The project highlights the devastation that enforced disappearances in the North Caucasus inflict upon the lives of surviving family members and the impossibility to find true closure. We wanted to remind the international community that the fight for justice and accountability is far from over.
Design thinking: Drawing inspiration from theater—especially the work of director Robert Wilson—we envisioned the film as a 3-D theatrical experience told in very abstract, evocative visuals. We wanted to place the focus on the emotional journey of our characters rather than create a linear narrative of their literal struggles. It was important to us that we could draw in the audience and make them feel the never-ending frustration, hope and despair of families searching for their missing loved ones.
Challenges: Finding the balance between showing the atrocity of enforced disappearances while paying tribute to the bravery and resilience of all families fighting for justice. Achieving this balance required close collaboration with our team and a carefully considered storytelling approach.
Favorite details: The project began as an interdisciplinary collaboration. From the outset, we knew we wanted to create something visually unique. The aesthetic language blends elements of architecture, stage design and graphic design, which help us tell the story in a poetic way. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our whole team.
Visual influences: Wilson’s visual language was a key inspiration for our project. We borrowed from his powerful staging, his minimalist set design and stark figure silhouetting to underscore the emotional world of our protagonist. The perpetually moving circular stage is a symbol of the never-ending search for justice. Two primary colors mark the two very different worlds our protagonist is locked in-between. By stripping away unnecessary visual detail, we connect the audience to the feelings of loss and hope.
Time constraints: We worked within a very tight production schedule with two months in pre-production and one month to create the finished film. The timeline definitely pushed us to make very bold creative decisions, work within a minimalist visual style and explore a nonlinear narrative.
Browse Projects
