‘Deer Flower’ by Kangmin Kim

“Dujung, an elementary student, goes to a farm in the suburbs with his parents. While his parents believe the expensive and rare specialty from the farm will strengthen their son’s body, Dujung suffers side effects.”

Says director Kangmin Kim:

Deer Flower is a stop-motion-animated recount of an event that happened to me when I was little. I attempted to translate my own experiences on screen and to reinterpret my memories to cinematic experiences, using stop-motion, 3D printing, and 2D animation. ‘What was the most terrible, and at the same time, most beautiful experience that’s ever happened to me?’ That question I asked myself became Deer Flower. Deer antlers are used as medicine in East Asia. It’s also a tradition in Korea for a long time. Deer blood is known as a nutritional supplement for rejuvenating body and increasing stamina. Not everyone drinks fresh deer blood. I don’t think it’s common and it could be considered a luxury. Drinking the deer blood still lingers with me as such a bizarre and strong memory. When I told my filmmaker friends this idea, no one seemed to like it.Part of me knew that this film would be an unfamiliar and strange one.

Winner of grand prix at Busan Int’l Short Film Festival and China Independent Animation Film Forum. Nominated for an ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Award. Screened at over 60 festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand, Aspen Shortsfest, Animafest Zagreb, Edinburgh In’t Film Festival, AFI Fest, and Siggraph Asia.

Puppet assembly video