LUNATIC an Improvisation Animation
Logline
This seriously absurd environmental comedy, tackles urgent earthly issues, and unearthly issues like space debris, as seen by a lonely astronaut, called Antonio, who was left behind on the moon after his coming out.
Release Note
Lunatic had its official Dutch première at the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival in 2024. In 2025 however, after a postproduction grand of the Dutch Film Fund, a complete new soundmix with the voice of Jack Benjamin as Antonio Astronaut was released.
Facts and figures
The 'LUNATIC' film:
• is an experimental and absurd environmental comedy,
• has received 22 awards and is selected for over 120 international film festivals,
• is an iconoclastic improvisation animation, a stop-motion film of over 24.000 photographs.
• is based on the directors poem about our capability to produce waist everywhere, even in outer space,
• is not only a film about waste, the set and props are made out of waste and recycled stuff as well.
• is also based on the directors juvenile drawing of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander.
• features a large model starship he made 40 years ago, which was lost and only recently returned.
• is made with a little help from AI.
• is a one man, low budget production of stunning multi layered depth in storylines with a dazzling array of world threatening lunacy.
Synopsis
The film tackles urgent earthly issues, as seen by a lonely astronaut, called Antonio, who was left behind on the moon after his coming out. The Moon Guard, a statue of a skinned warrior rising from the moon's surface, symbolizes defense against the danger of space debris from above. In addition to the climate crisis, human waste, even in space, determines our fate. Ultimately, collisions between space debris and satellites will cause a cascade of collisions that will destroy all communications. It's called Kessler syndrome. The earth ends up with a Saturn like dust ring of metal and silicon. The lunar tardigrades witness the developments. Antonio is aware of these problems and as he put's it: “It is one small scrap by man, one giant heap by mankind.” He tries to do some terra forming on the moon and finally he meets the all knowing 'I am AI' who also happens to be the voice over.
Lunatic is a zero budget improvisation animation film by Robin Noorda, based on his poem about the human behaviour of leaving waste everywhere, even in outer space and his juvenile drawing of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander.
Themes and genre
Themes: human behaviour, earthly issues as climate catastrophe, global heating, the big burn, drought and floods, waste, space debris (Kessler Syndrome), danger of AI, danger of tech-totalitarianism, call to diminish digital dependence, death and extinction, pandemics, panspermia, terraforming, inclusiveness and awareness.
Genre: improvisation animation, hybrid, experimental and absurd environmental comedy.
Director's statement
The array of urgent crisis the world is facing is of an absurd magnitude. The people who really can do something about it, do too little or are looking the other way. Since we are aware of man's lunacy, perhaps it is best to laugh about it.
It is an improvisation animation as the workflow was not based on a fixed script, storyboard or plan. As a result, the film plan could not be funded by funds and it is therefore a zero budget production. I started with only some ideas and images in my head. An approach promoted in order to maintain creativity during production instead of being merely a slave of the pre-production script and storyboard.
The film is based on my poem and my lost and recently re-emerged juvenile drawing (made in 1975) of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander. It also features a 40 years lost model spaceship I made during my internship at Toonder Studio's that also recently came back to me.
Critics
"Great choice of score and whimsical editing! Intriguing from start to end with the visual experimentation and self-aware voice over. Fantastic film!" - Conor Norrington, Big Fridge International Film Festival (initial reaction upon submission, even before selection).
"It’s an extraordinary film, and I have no idea how you made it on no budget. And it’s very very funny". - Greg Hackett, LMFF (initial reaction upon fee waiver submission, even before selection).
More information on www.tropism.eu/lunatic
Logline
This seriously absurd environmental comedy, tackles urgent earthly issues, and unearthly issues like space debris, as seen by a lonely astronaut, called Antonio, who was left behind on the moon after his coming out.
Release Note
Lunatic had its official Dutch première at the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival in 2024. In 2025 however, after a postproduction grand of the Dutch Film Fund, a complete new soundmix with the voice of Jack Benjamin as Antonio Astronaut was released.
Facts and figures
The 'LUNATIC' film:
• is an experimental and absurd environmental comedy,
• has received 22 awards and is selected for over 120 international film festivals,
• is an iconoclastic improvisation animation, a stop-motion film of over 24.000 photographs.
• is based on the directors poem about our capability to produce waist everywhere, even in outer space,
• is not only a film about waste, the set and props are made out of waste and recycled stuff as well.
• is also based on the directors juvenile drawing of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander.
• features a large model starship he made 40 years ago, which was lost and only recently returned.
• is made with a little help from AI.
• is a one man, low budget production of stunning multi layered depth in storylines with a dazzling array of world threatening lunacy.
Synopsis
The film tackles urgent earthly issues, as seen by a lonely astronaut, called Antonio, who was left behind on the moon after his coming out. The Moon Guard, a statue of a skinned warrior rising from the moon's surface, symbolizes defense against the danger of space debris from above. In addition to the climate crisis, human waste, even in space, determines our fate. Ultimately, collisions between space debris and satellites will cause a cascade of collisions that will destroy all communications. It's called Kessler syndrome. The earth ends up with a Saturn like dust ring of metal and silicon. The lunar tardigrades witness the developments. Antonio is aware of these problems and as he put's it: “It is one small scrap by man, one giant heap by mankind.” He tries to do some terra forming on the moon and finally he meets the all knowing 'I am AI' who also happens to be the voice over.
Lunatic is a zero budget improvisation animation film by Robin Noorda, based on his poem about the human behaviour of leaving waste everywhere, even in outer space and his juvenile drawing of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander.
Themes and genre
Themes: human behaviour, earthly issues as climate catastrophe, global heating, the big burn, drought and floods, waste, space debris (Kessler Syndrome), danger of AI, danger of tech-totalitarianism, call to diminish digital dependence, death and extinction, pandemics, panspermia, terraforming, inclusiveness and awareness.
Genre: improvisation animation, hybrid, experimental and absurd environmental comedy.
Director's statement
The array of urgent crisis the world is facing is of an absurd magnitude. The people who really can do something about it, do too little or are looking the other way. Since we are aware of man's lunacy, perhaps it is best to laugh about it.
It is an improvisation animation as the workflow was not based on a fixed script, storyboard or plan. As a result, the film plan could not be funded by funds and it is therefore a zero budget production. I started with only some ideas and images in my head. An approach promoted in order to maintain creativity during production instead of being merely a slave of the pre-production script and storyboard.
The film is based on my poem and my lost and recently re-emerged juvenile drawing (made in 1975) of a skinned warrior, trying to defend itself against a lunar lander. It also features a 40 years lost model spaceship I made during my internship at Toonder Studio's that also recently came back to me.
Critics
"Great choice of score and whimsical editing! Intriguing from start to end with the visual experimentation and self-aware voice over. Fantastic film!" - Conor Norrington, Big Fridge International Film Festival (initial reaction upon submission, even before selection).
"It’s an extraordinary film, and I have no idea how you made it on no budget. And it’s very very funny". - Greg Hackett, LMFF (initial reaction upon fee waiver submission, even before selection).
More information on www.tropism.eu/lunatic
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International Festival Awards
The film is selected for more than 120 international festivals. Lunatic had its official Dutch première at the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2024 and was nominated for the Méliès d’argent. The 22 awards are a nice array indicating the genres of Lunatic:
London UK, New Arts International Film Festival - Poetry Award
Istanbul TR, Anatolia International Film Festival - World Building Award
Milano IT, Absurd Film Festival - Absurd Award
Cleveland Ohio US, Short Sweet Film Fest - Environmental Award
Kookai IN, International Film Festival - Current Issue Award
Reno Nevada US, Sci-on - Winner Best Animation Short
Jaipur IN, Cinema Cappuccino festival - Best Film on Climate Issues
Ramsgate UK International Film Festival - Experimental Award
Brooklin, Ontario CA, International Motion Picture Awards - Special Jury Award
Cocoa Beach, Florida US, Touchstone Independent Film Festival - Best Stop Motion Short Award
Standish UK, MegaFlix Film Awards - Sci-Fi Award Winner
Toronto, Ontario CA, Film For Peace - Best Animation Short Award
Joutseno FI, Art Summer International Film festival - Animation Award
Standish UK, Fortean Film Festival - Winner WTF Award
Genova IT, Flight - Mostra del Cinema di Genova - Best Film Student Jury Award
Foggia IT, 24h Cinematografica - Award Winner Best Animation
London UK, Activists Without Borders Film Festival - Best Animation Film
Amsterdam NL, Shortcutz - Best Experimental Award
Amsterdam NL, Indy Film Library Awards - Best Experimental Film, Best Sound Design
Birmingham UK, My Name Is Climate Film Festival - Best Director Award
Kraków PL Science & Technology Film Festival - Best Animation Award
The film is selected for more than 120 international festivals. Lunatic had its official Dutch première at the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2024 and was nominated for the Méliès d’argent. The 22 awards are a nice array indicating the genres of Lunatic:
London UK, New Arts International Film Festival - Poetry Award
Istanbul TR, Anatolia International Film Festival - World Building Award
Milano IT, Absurd Film Festival - Absurd Award
Cleveland Ohio US, Short Sweet Film Fest - Environmental Award
Kookai IN, International Film Festival - Current Issue Award
Reno Nevada US, Sci-on - Winner Best Animation Short
Jaipur IN, Cinema Cappuccino festival - Best Film on Climate Issues
Ramsgate UK International Film Festival - Experimental Award
Brooklin, Ontario CA, International Motion Picture Awards - Special Jury Award
Cocoa Beach, Florida US, Touchstone Independent Film Festival - Best Stop Motion Short Award
Standish UK, MegaFlix Film Awards - Sci-Fi Award Winner
Toronto, Ontario CA, Film For Peace - Best Animation Short Award
Joutseno FI, Art Summer International Film festival - Animation Award
Standish UK, Fortean Film Festival - Winner WTF Award
Genova IT, Flight - Mostra del Cinema di Genova - Best Film Student Jury Award
Foggia IT, 24h Cinematografica - Award Winner Best Animation
London UK, Activists Without Borders Film Festival - Best Animation Film
Amsterdam NL, Shortcutz - Best Experimental Award
Amsterdam NL, Indy Film Library Awards - Best Experimental Film, Best Sound Design
Birmingham UK, My Name Is Climate Film Festival - Best Director Award
Kraków PL Science & Technology Film Festival - Best Animation Award
