On the up and up

Jonatan Schwenk was successful with his film at one of the most important international festivals for animated films in Annecy (France) in 2017. Other important awards followed, such as at the Palm Springs ShortFest (USA), the Interfilm Festival (Berlin) or the Premiers Plans Film Festival (France). The up-and-coming filmmaker also won the "European Animation Award" at Encounters Short Film & Animation Festival Bristol (UK) and the award for Best International Animated Short Film at Flickerfest in Australia, one of around 90 qualifying festivals for the Oscars.

Jonatan Schwenk has been a visiting student at the Kunsthochschule Kassel (Animation class) since 2014 and also studies at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach. The Göttingen native (born in 1987) appreciates the luxury of learning from two universities. This is reflected in the film. Sog is not a pure animation film: "The production team was made up of members from both universities. The animation part was made in Kassel and the video part in Offenbach. This interdisciplinary collaboration was a great enrichment for all of us. From the cameraman to the scriptwriter to the technical advisor - we complemented each other well," says Schwenk.

The ten-minute film leaves room for many topics. It is universal and a witty allegory for many problems of our time: After a flood, fish on the trees in front of a cave are in danger of drying out and therefore emit cries for help. The cave dwellers feel bothered by the cries, but deal with the disturbance in different ways. While some are passive and sit out the situation until a solution is found, one resident takes the reins and reacts with violence. Another tries to resolve the situation with empathy and understanding. He wants to help the fish and bring them back into the water. In the end, the situation escalates and takes an unfortunate turn.

The screenplay for the film emerged from the filmmaker's mental examination of the subject of disturbances in the neighborhood. But for Schwenk, Sog touches on many essential aspects such as fear, strangeness, exclusion and excessive demands. Some festivals place the film in the science fiction genre and others show it in the context of the refugee debate. "For me, it's more about showing what can happen when characters find themselves in an unstable system or become distressed themselves. Dealing with newness leads to overwhelm on both sides. That's why I also wanted to create a little understanding for the annoyed cave dwellers with my film," Schwenk sums up.

Sog is fascinating not only because of its thematic significance. The technical realization is also convincing. The hybrid film was made over a period of about four years. The elaborate production includes numerous scenes. This often pushed the filmmaker to his limits. He fuses old techniques with new ones, such as stop-motion and 3D animation. As a result, he succeeds in creating strong images and settings. He plays perfectly with light and shadow and cleverly uses a composition of sounds.

Schwenk studied a wide variety of filmmaking fields during his studies, then specialized individually in certain topics. "From generalist to specialist," is how the filmmaker sums up this process. The next project is now to be his graduation film: "After one successful film, producing the next one is not easy. One's own expectations are high and a certain pressure can be felt," Schwenk explains. After Sog, something completely new is to follow thematically. Those interested in films can look forward with anticipation.

Text: Cigdem Özdemir