Know Your Indie Filmmaker: Chintis Lundgren
In this series, we profile the most interesting independent animation filmmakers working today — the artists who, through short films and other projects, change our ideas of what the medium can do.
Today’s profile is Estonian-born, Croatian based animator Chintis Lundgren, whose idiosyncratic voice is both comic and empathetic.
In a sentence: Self-taught, Lundgren quickly made a mark in the animation world with her visually distinct and quirky works that place animal characters in frequently absurd, kinky, and distinctly human situations.
Where to start: Manivald (2017). Manivald is a 33-year old man who lives with his mother. Everything is about to change though when Toomas the sexy handyman arrives to fix the washing machine. An absurdist yet heartfelt portrait of an emotionally starved generation and a satirical poke at the sometimes unhealthy bonds between parents and their kids.
What to watch next: The Life of Herman R. Rott (2015). This variation on The Odd Couple depicts the messy love affair between Herman, a slobby rat, and a tidy, uptight cat. A hilarious and uncomfortably accurate of how volatile and challenging it can be to keep a relationship alive.
Other key works: Kingfisher (2014), Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wolves (2019), Sparks: One for the Ages (2020)
Influences: Priit Pärn, Aki Kaurismäki
Says: “Experiencing a perfectly balanced monochrome picture gives me a strange sense of satisfaction. I can’t explain why but having too many different colors in one frame disturbs me. At the moment I really like the combination of different shades of reds and pinks, I’m not sure why, I just like it.”
Currently working on: Manivald and the Absinthe Rabbits, a proposed series that follows Manivald’s life after he leaves his mother’s home.
