Binocular Briefs – Spotlight on Stuttgart [Video]

In this month’s special edition of Binocular Briefs, we look at some highlights from this year’s main competition at the Stuttgart Animation Festival, which takes place from April 23-28th in Stuttgart, Germany. Now, there are a few gems in their competition that we’ve already reviewed here so we’ll shift the spotlight over to some of the lesser-known works to keep an eye or two on.

The Miracle, Nienke Deutz, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, 2023

The latest work by Nienke Deutz (who made the very fine Bloeistraat 11 that won the Grand Prize at the 2018 Annecy International Animation Festival) is another inspired, mixed-media wonder.

Irma arrives at the Miracle Hotel. It’s a sorta White Lotus-type resort with endless food, drink, and activities. Surrounded by families and couples, the woman soon finds herself out of sorts, constantly reminded of all that she doesn’t have: a partner, kids, and family.

The Miracle reminds us that the concept of …