Over the past year, Visiting School Animalesque City have organised and held a competition to find the best short films exploring the relationship between humans and non-humans in urban contexts. Sjoerd Krijnen from the Visiting School commented that: 'A year ago, while Covid-19 was shaping its impact on our daily routines, we were re-thinking the format for the Animalesque Visiting School. Using the format of a competition and the medium of film in a mainly architectural playfield was new for us. We did not know which direction the project would take and what outcomes to expect.'

The competition was held this Spring, with a panel jurors judging over 50 films submitted as part of the competition. The jurors, comprised of: Dunya Bouchi, Emanuele Coccia, Ricardo de Ostos, Anh-Linh Ngo, Christopher Pierce, Pinar Yoldas and Liam Young selected five winners, with one film, Vendor Beast by Finn Dove specially selected for exhibition at the ARCH+ Cohabitation Exhibition in Berlin.

Animalesque City team member Jorge Jodoy Roman commented that he was 'amazed by the variety in perspectives, techniques, and formats. Going through all the movies, certain relations and themes started to appear to us. But more than that, through this kaleidoscope the contours of the Animalesque City start to take shapes. We want to shout out a sincere “Thank you!” to all participants!'

The other winners selected by the Jury were Dirt by Blanka Dominika Major; Elysia by Natalya Dikhanov, Sadie Imae and Zak Forrest; I’m not mad, I’m Nomad by Tomiris Batalova, The Golden Age by Valeria Meiller and Agustin Schang and A Dove Tale by Will Fu.

On Finn Dove's specially selected film, Vendor Beast, the Animalesque City team commented that: 'It shows the beauty as well as the dilemmas of cohabitation in a strong and appealing way. Only a glass layer separates the two artificial worlds of the polar bears and us, humans. This glass sheet is the medium that allows for interaction but at the same time forms an essential and controlled boundary between two species that in nature would be hunter and prey. The film raises questions about freedom and equality. The polar bear can also be seen as a reference to species extinction and global warming, addressing some of the world’s most urgent issues.'

You can find out more about all the winning films, including commentary from the jurors, on the Animalesque City Website