Fantagraphics Blog

September 23, 2013

FantaBlog

Max Andersson’s TITO ON ICE at VIFF

Tito on Ice 
Embarking on a barnstorming tour of the former Yugoslavia, cartoonists Max Andersson and Lars Sjunneson (Bosnian Flat Dog) cart along a macabre papier-mâché "mummy" of Marshal Josip Broz Tito encased in a refrigerator. At border crossings, intimidating guards are reduced to giddy fans, clambering for photos with the late dictator's effigy. Subsequent stops prove stranger still: artisans incorporate the shells that destroyed their cities into their handicrafts… a makeshift gallery of illustrations is found on the walls of a decimated apartment block… a collector has amassed a menagerie of "mutant" Mickey Mouse figurines originating from former communist countries…

Only heightening their journey's surreal nature are the astonishing stop-motion animation sequences conceived by Andersson (who shares directing credit with Helena Ahonen). Dramatically shot in 8mm and featuring dozens of sets handcrafted from refuse, these fantastical interludes offer a cracked-mirror reflection of a real world in which recognizable borders-on both maps and in art-have fallen. Furthermore, they pay tribute to the scrappy DIY spirit that inspires individuals to pull themselves from the wreckage and strive to create spaces for art to happen, simply because it's something that needs to happen. Guided by a propulsive soundtrack of Balkan new wave and punk, Tito on Ice is a freewheeling exploration of the enduring power of icons and the importance of identity, be it national or personal.

Showtimes are as follows!

Sep 27 07:00 pm
The Cinematheque

Oct 06 08:45 pm
The Cinematheque

Oct 08 04:45 pm
The Cinematheque  

More information for those three showings is on the VIFF site.