Bullfrog Films
10 minutes
Grades 4-12, College, Adult

Directed by Susanne Horizon-Fränzel
Produced by Sultana Films

VHS Purchase $59
US Release Date: 2000
Copyright Date: 2000
Subjects
Animation
Children's Stories: Animation
Peace/Conflict Resolution
Europe
Film Studies
Humanities
Humor
Language Arts
Non-Verbal

Awards and Festivals
German Short Film of the Year
Sundance Film Festival
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Short Film Award
Prize of the International Jury, Ekotopfilm
Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis
Best Short Film, Sedona International Film Festival
Best Foreign Film, Kidz Kino Jury, MountainFilm, Telluride
Taos Talking Picture Festival
Filmfest Münster
Ann Arbor Film Festival
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
Dok Leipzig
Biberacher Filmfestspiele
Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Film
Newport Beach Film Festival
Interfilm Festival, Berlin
Atlanta Film & Video Festival
Kinofest Lünen
Filmschau Baden-Württemberg
Oldenburger Filmtage
Women in Animation Shorts Fest
Independent Feature Project/West
Carolina Film and Video Festival
Western Psychological Association Annual Convention
Rochester International Film Festival
Florida Film Festival
Nashville Independent Film Festival
The World Film Festival, Montreal
World Animation Celebration, Agoura Hills
International Animation Film Festival, Annecy
Women's Film Festival, Creteil
Film Festival of Corto Bra
Filmtage Tuebingen
Animated Encounters Film Festival, Bristol
Guetersloher Filmtage
Film Festival of Huesca
Mediawave Gvoer
Flight of the Stone (Short Version)
(Steinflug)

Witty pixilation follows a stone, thrown in anger, in its flight around the world.

"This is what short films are all about: creativity, exploration, and tireless dedication." Rochester International Film Festival

This action-packed, witty, thought-provoking, and wordless film has a lot to say about violence and about humanity.

A young man pries a cobblestone from the street and throws it at an enemy. The stone misses its mark, enters into a very low earth orbit, and from there witnesses the trials and tribulations of human relationships around the world...until it finally approaches--from behind--the person who threw it.

PRODUCTION NOTES: In order to produce the "flight" of the stone, the filmmakers literally walked around the world. Using a technique called pixilation, they shot one frame of film every few steps with a 16mm Bolex film camera. The pictures are shot from the stone's point of view. When these individual frames are shown at normal speed the stone appears to be hurtling through villages in Germany, across harbors in Brittany, through the desert in Arizona, over rice fields in Japan, and temples in Thailand, across the endless barren steppe in India, and over various islands around the world. Amazed "onlookers" are photographed in real time.

Directors of Photography were Dietmar Ratsch, Juraj Liptak and Guido Frenzel. Their work was long and arduous. For a 2-second "flight" they had to walk for one or more hours, depending on the topographical and climatic conditions of the country in which they were filming. Walking across the Swabian Alb plateau in Germany on a sunny day was quicker and easier than hiking in the mountains of Greece, wading in a paddy field in Thailand or waiting in the American midwest until clouds or a thunderstorm had passed!

Note: The original German title of this film is Steinflug.

Web Page: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/flt2.html

Reviews
"A wordless tour de force that seems almost like a stunt or thrill ride. Including some subtly implied sociological commentary, this award-winning German production really rocks."

Booklist

"A magical journey around the world...We honor the non-destruction and kindness of the magic stone."
Kids Jury, MountainFilm, Telluride

"One of the most popular films."
Sundance Film Festival

"Through the magic of very clever film making, witness the improbable flight of a stone, hurled in outrage, that visits influences on people in every corner of the global village."
Timothy McGettigan, Wake Forest University

"This delightful winner...is an ingenious slice of life in the world, and recommended for Multicultural Studies, Animation and Film Studies as well as Geography."
Oksana Dykyj, Head, Visual Media Resources, Concordia University, Montreal, MC Journal

"Superbly produced...will hold great appeal and interest...Highly recommended for school and community library video collections."
Midwest Book Review

"An excellent discussion starter for younger students."
The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution

"This is what short films are all about: creativity, exploration, and tireless dedication."
Rochester International Film Festival