May 14, 2022

Get to Know Indie Filmmakers Thunder Jun

This series will feature some of the most interesting independent animators working today. Through their short films and other projects, these artists are changing the way we think about what can be done with this medium.

This week's featured artist is Estonian animator Sander Jun. He creates absurd scenarios with bold minimalist design and stylish abstract animation.

In a nutshell, he combines Estonia's unique blend of comedy and graphic design to create surrealistic landscapes and scenarios.

Where to Start: Velodrool (2015). Jun's debut film, produced at the Estonian Academy of Arts, is a hand-drawn, fast-paced piece about a chain smoker who decides to participate in a rather bizarre cycling race in order to get more cigarettes. Blending a scenario that could have come straight out of Monty Python or Kids in the Hall with loose, colorful, sketchy design, "Velodor" is a wonderfully paced and funny piece of entertainment (for example, a snotty-nosed kid in the audience, after a racing bicycle wheel with kitchen scissors, forcing the cyclists to perform on unicycles in a moment that inspires insanity). Jun pays tribute to cycling while at the same time examining the absurd acts drug addicts engage in to get their fix.

The next film to watch Sounds Good (2018) is a trippy tale of a boom operator struggling to record the sounds of mushrooms. It has all the elements for an engaging and mysterious experience: minimalist graphics, absurd scenarios, and a suitably bizarre soundtrack

Other key films: Moulinet (2017), Rick and Morty Exquisite Corpse (2017 )

Influences: David O'Reilly, Priit Perun, Jun Wada

says: "For me, a good film is one that brings something new and unexpected, whether in form or story. When talking about short films, I feel that filmmakers often see them as stepping stones to making a feature film. They go crazy with their ideas and miss the chance to experiment, I think. In short films, audiences are more tolerant of ill-defined plots than in feature films."

Currently in production: Jun's latest film, "Sierra" (2022), is a surreal and hilarious (with some poignant moments) film about a boy, his father, and auto racing. The film has already been screened at Clermont-Ferrand, Regal, GLAS, and the Glasgow Short Film Festival.