Screening format: DCP
Director: Christiane Cegavske
Screenwriter: Christiane Cegavske
Country of production: USA
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Length: 1 hour & 11 minutes
Blood Tea and Red String is a rarity: a stop-motion animated film without dialogue, rooted in the world of fairy tales. Director Christiane Cegavske spent 13 years working on it by hand. The story unfolds in a world that seems conjured from dreams and the subconscious, opening up countless associations. We meet a group of aristocratic mice who hire the so-called Oak Dwellers to create a doll for them. The Oak Dwellers become enamored with their own creation and wish to keep the doll for themselves, but the upper-class mice decide to steal it. This ignites tensions between the two groups, and we witness a struggle driven by a desire for creation, love, and more.
Cegavske’s 13-year-long project is primarily known for its unique visual style. Everything is handmade, down to the smallest detail. The little animals come to life in felt, and each creature feels meticulously and painstakingly assembled. It is as if the animals grow out of the world Cegavske has crafted alone in her home, taking shape and breathing life into one another over time. The story unfolds at a slow pace, and with the absence of traditional dialogue, the film is closely aligned with dark fables. Cegavske’s style is clearly inspired by Gothic aesthetics and dreamlike perspectives, and has been compared to “a David Lynch fever dream on Beatrix Potter terrain,” yet it remains entirely singular. Although it has achieved cult status among animation enthusiasts and festival audiences, it has not received widespread attention outside these circles—but it would not be surprising if it someday stands a reference point for all stop-motion animation.