Forever
2024 · 6m · France
Directed by Théo Djekou, Pierre Ferrari, Cyrine Jouini, Pauline Philippart, Anissa Terrier
Genres: action, animation, comedy
Tones: absurdist, tense, whimsical
Garden gnomes in a quiet backyard find themselves under attack from stray golf balls hit by golfers on the other side of a fence. When one gnome is destroyed, the group bands together to wage a miniature war against the unseen adversary — a parody of Hollywood action blockbusters played entirely straight, at ceramic-figurine scale.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Six and a half minutes of immobile ceramic garden gnomes in a dialogue-free Hollywood action parody — a perfect joke shape for a student film. Five co-directors usually means the seams show, but the conceit could carry it.
Dialogue-free blockbuster-parody starring immobile garden gnomes who must communicate entirely through staging is a precise, witty formal constraint. École des Nouvelles Images student work tends toward technical polish; this one has the additional virtue of a real conceptual gag.
Six minutes twenty-six of ENSI 3D animation that's a dialogue-free Hollywood blockbuster parody played entirely straight at ceramic-figurine scale — five co-directors keeping the action-movie pastiche coherent while staging emotion through immobile faces and sound design alone is the technical brief. Sharp.
Reviews
A playful tribute to the blockbusters of our youth.
Surprisingly suspenseful with robust humor and terrific energy.
Garden Gnomes Go to War in the Wildly Fun Animated Short FOREVER.
Festivals
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025
- Kaboom Animation Festival 2025
- MyMetaStories Festival 2025
- Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival 2025
- Show Me Shorts 2025
- Leiden International Film Festival 2025
- Animateka International Animated Film Festival 2025
- Piccolo Festival dell'Animazione 2025, Winner, Animakids II (voted by elementary school students)
- Athens International Film + Video Festival 2026
- Cleveland International Film Festival 2026
- Alliance Française Animation First Festival 2025