Éva Darabos’ award-winning hand-drawn animated film tells the personal story of her own surreal farewell to the ‘beloved blockhouse’ where she grew up.
Éva Darabos’ animated short Bye Little Block! debuted today as part of the latest Vimeo “Staff Pick’ lineup. The filmmaker’s graduation film at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, follows a young woman who is overwhelmed by emotions after learning she must move from the blockhouse flat she lives in.
Speaking of her two-year filmmaking journey, Darabos shared the film’s inspiration and the personal story it told. Bye Little Block! is “about a surreal farewell to my beloved blockhouse area where I grew up,” explained Darabos. “The quirky atmosphere and all of its characters of this typically Central/Eastern European neighborhood always inspired me.”
“It was a huge challenge, but I was very lucky because of my fantastic crew,” she continued. “The whole process took two years. I wanted to visualize my personal memories, so I made all of the character and background designs. I chose the hand-drawn digital technique because it can keep the personal touch, and it’s very easy to work in a team with it. Most of the animators were my brilliant schoolmates, and I had the opportunity to work with a professional editor and sound designer/composer, too.”
Watch: Bye Little Block!
The film began its festival life in 2020, winning awards including Best Design at OIAF 2020, and Best Student Film at Animator Poznań 2020. It also screened at festivals including PÖFF Shorts, Animafest Zagreb, and Sarajevo Film Festival.
Darabos is currently developing her own projects and works as a freelance animation artist and teacher.
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
