LUNATIC an Improvisation Animation by Robin Noorda
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.
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.
Receiving the Best Experimental Award at Shortcutz in Eye Filmmuseum. Photo: Martin Koolhoven
International Festival Awards
News: Lunatic has won the Best Experimental Award at the Shortcutz Mr. Zee Best Film 2025 Award during the international annual award ceremony in Eye Filmmuseum Amsterdam.
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 20 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
Poster
Synopsis
The Moon Guard, a statue of a skinned warrior rising from the moon's surface, symbolises defence 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 chain reaction 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 an 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 man-made urgent crises the world is facing are of an absurd magnitude. And since the early days of slapstick, man's lunacy in film always made us laugh. So this film is a serious environmental comedy and perhaps it indeed is best to laugh about it. Life will continue without us. Probably there will be a dynasty of Tardigrades. But then again, that sentence from the poem is quite relevant: 'Terra forming is now opportune. Not on Mars or the moon, but on our own dying Earth.' As keeping this planet habitable takes much less effort than making another suitable. We are Lunatics!
It is an improvisational animation because the workflow was not based on a fixed script, storyboard or plan. The only way to be truly independent meant making the film without a budget. So, afterwards I did apply for some postproduction funding only.
I started with only some ideas and images in my head. Improvisation animation is an approach I promote 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.
Waste
The film is not only a film about waste, the set and props are made out of waste and recycled stuff. Sustainability in the making of this film is evident. From the recycling of materials through to the reuse of waste, which, taken out of context, results in new sets or props. Almost everything that appears in the film experiences a second life. Like the astronaut, he was originally made for a different production. The satellite in the title sequence is actually a vintage toaster. Even the spaceship is recycled. I made it 40 years earlier at the Toonder Studios and consists of waste such as plastic coffee cups, cut-open audio cassettes, perfume bottle caps, toy-scrap etc. So besides being a film about our waste, even in outer space, the film is made out of waste, creating a trash-world in space.
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.
• "Lunatic is a highly poetic film that the jury found sensitive to the colossal effort put into creating a version lasting over 15 minutes. The voiceover works exceptionally well and is well-written. The music is original and captivating, perfectly complementing the universe presented. There are some occasional lulls, but overall, it's filled with philosophy, and the underlying idea is quite potent. Congratulations on this work, which is of high quality and enjoyable to watch." - feedback of the jury of Paris in the Dark Film Festival where it received a Special Mention.
• "In the Video Art Zone, attendees were captivated by exceptional art projects such as 'Lunatic' by Robin Noorda from the Netherlands." - Video Poetry Festival in the Institute for Experimental Arts, Athens.
• "Your submission stood out among a highly competitive pool of entries, and we are excited to showcase your creative vision as part of our festival program. Your film's innovative approach to storytelling and visual aesthetics perfectly embodies the spirit of éphémère, and we are honored to have it as part of our lineup." - éphémère ~ London experimental film.
• "We would like to have your film as premiere and offer you a place in the Méliès d’argent competition for Best European Short Film." Chris Oosterom, director Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, Amsterdam .
• “intellectually and aesthetically engaging film.” acclaimed critic CS Venkiteswara, jurypanel ALT EFF 2924.
• Lunatic is a particularly articulate film, rich in content, addressed in a very original way.
The author works on contemporary themes such as loneliness, abandonment, homosexuality, artificial intelligence, and humanity’s ecological footprint on the planet, which we even see extended to the moon. The visual and scenographic impact of the materials and techniques used is remarkable, as he uses discarded objects, giving them new life. The sharp humor holds up the narrative allowing the viewer to reflect without feeling overwhelmed by their own guilt. In our opinion, this work is an extremely effective representation of the modern phobias that afflict new generations.
Motivation of the Student Jury of Genova Flight Film Festival that awarded Lunatic as Best Film.
• "As realistic and smooth as CGI might become, its imagery is muted behind a pallid, grey-blue veil – but each rustling, jerky frame of a stop-motion is inherently bursting with life. Even in the most banal of moments, there is a charm to the art form championed by Lunatic – a feeling that whether or not an audience engages with it, somebody suffered for it, crafted it, nourished it, loved it into life." Excerpt of a great four star review by Jack Benjamin of Indy Film Library.
• Lunatic is a particularly articulate film, rich in content, addressed in a very original way.
The author works on contemporary themes such as loneliness, abandonment, homosexuality, artificial intelligence, and humanity’s ecological footprint on the planet, which we even see extended to the moon. The visual and scenographic impact of the materials and techniques used is remarkable, as he uses discarded objects, giving them new life. The sharp humor holds up the narrative allowing the viewer to reflect without feeling overwhelmed by their own guilt. In our opinion, this work is an extremely effective representation of the modern phobias that afflict new generations.
Motivation of the Student Jury of Genova Flight Film Festival that awarded Lunatic as Best Film.
• "As realistic and smooth as CGI might become, its imagery is muted behind a pallid, grey-blue veil – but each rustling, jerky frame of a stop-motion is inherently bursting with life. Even in the most banal of moments, there is a charm to the art form championed by Lunatic – a feeling that whether or not an audience engages with it, somebody suffered for it, crafted it, nourished it, loved it into life." Excerpt of a great four star review by Jack Benjamin of Indy Film Library.
Facts and figures
The 'LUNATIC' film:
• is an experimental and absurd environmental comedy,
• 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 an iconoclastic improvisation animation, a stop-motion film of over 24.000 photographs.
• is a one man, a low budget production of stunning multi layered depth in storylines about world threatening lunacy.
The 'LUNATIC' film:
• is an experimental and absurd environmental comedy,
• 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 an iconoclastic improvisation animation, a stop-motion film of over 24.000 photographs.
• is a one man, a low budget production of stunning multi layered depth in storylines about world threatening lunacy.
Alternative Poster
Trailer
Awards, Nominations, Honorable Mentions and the like
Official Selections, Finalists and the like
a selection of film stills
A range of lunar news papers elaborate on matters.
Credits
script, art, direction, camera, animation, edit, vfx, sfx, production - Robin Noorda
Astronaut Puppet - Jeroen Zijlstra, 5 A.M. Studios
Music - Alfred Marseille
Technique - Paul Godschalk
Soundeditor - Camiel Muiser
Re-recording mixer - Jos van Galen, Posta
Graphic Design - Margot van de Stolpe
Producers - Tropism Art & Science Collective, Morphosis
Executive Producer - Marc Thelosen, seriousFilm
Distribution - Ursula van den Heuvel, Kaboom Distribution
Funding
For an improvisation animation, asking for funding is very difficult, because there is no script and storyboard to assess in advance.
Originally, the film was therefore realised without money, but, after the film was finished, the Netherlands Film Fund still awarded the film an exceptional finishing subsidy, for which I am very grateful to the fund.
script, art, direction, camera, animation, edit, vfx, sfx, production - Robin Noorda
Astronaut Puppet - Jeroen Zijlstra, 5 A.M. Studios
Music - Alfred Marseille
Technique - Paul Godschalk
Soundeditor - Camiel Muiser
Re-recording mixer - Jos van Galen, Posta
Graphic Design - Margot van de Stolpe
Producers - Tropism Art & Science Collective, Morphosis
Executive Producer - Marc Thelosen, seriousFilm
Distribution - Ursula van den Heuvel, Kaboom Distribution
Funding
For an improvisation animation, asking for funding is very difficult, because there is no script and storyboard to assess in advance.
Originally, the film was therefore realised without money, but, after the film was finished, the Netherlands Film Fund still awarded the film an exceptional finishing subsidy, for which I am very grateful to the fund.
The music for Lunatic by Alfred Marseille
Podcast during Imagine Fantastic Film Festival
Robin Noorda was interviewed for a podcast during Imagine Fantastic Film Festival. His talk starts at 19.36 and ends at 37.21
You can find it here.
Concept art
Concept art
The film is pasword protected