The Missing Spots/FLECKENLOS, animated short for children and all audiences, 2.22min, german&english DCP

 

“The missing spots” is a poetic short film about a little leopard born without spots, who tries all sorts of creative solutions in order to fit in.

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug | Musik, Sound: Simon Öggl

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award: Kinderfilmpreis at Landshuter Filmfestival 

currently available on ORF on as part of framebyframe

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screenings (selection): Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis, Cinanima, Monstrinha, Filmfestival Rathausplatz, Insomnia, Supertoon, La Guarimba and many more

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Funded by Land Niederösterreich

A hint of daily terrors, 2min., No Dialog, DCP

 

A hint of daily terrors follows a man with his piggy bank to a cozy Café. He expects coffee, cake and no bad surprises. However, he is soon visited by three malicious creatures hiding in inconspicuous everyday items. 

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Funded by Stadt Wien

DISPERSAL, 3min., no dialog, DCP 

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This short animated film without dialog seeks a way to portrait human greed in regard of natural recourses and the environment, deforestation and unnecessary hunting activities using a man chasing a constantly morphing animal being until it dissolves, leaving him with nothing but perplexity. It is an approach to capture the numb feeling of not having the possibility to change a vast system built upon exploitation of this planet, while the constant greedy hunt for more resources continues. 

(german) 

Der animierte Kurzfilm ohne Dialoge beschäftigt sich mit dem verschwenderischen Umgang der Gesellschaft mit wertvollen

Ressourcen und dem Respekt oder Mangel an Respekt gegenüber der Flora und Fauna unseres Planeten. Visualisiert wird dies

durch einen Menschen, der ein sich konstant transformierendes Tierwesen verfolgt, welches sich schließlich, am Ende der „Jagd“

auflöst. Der Hintergedanke liegt auf der Hand: Der Verfolger kann nicht erbeuten, was bereits ausgelöscht wurde.

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug I Sound : Simon Öggl

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awards: honorable mention at Independent Shorts Awards

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Funded by: Stadt Wien 

The Stolen Dream, animated short for children and all audiences, 8.15min, english DCP

 

“The Stolen Dream” tells the story of a girl with big dreams. However, when her greatest dream is stolen from her, the huge dreamworld she enters every night is at risk of collapse.

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug | Musik, Sound and narration: Phil Brookes​​

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Funded by Land Niederösterreich and BMKOES

Nature Deficit, 2.37min, english and german

 

Nature deficit is an animated short film telling the story of a girl growing up in a dystopian world. Nature has turned into a luxury good for the wealthy. Due to their unhealthy environment, people such as the main character of this story develop a depression, a nature deficit.

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug | sound: Ken Rischard I mix: Rudolf Pototschnig I
original score : Angel Vassilev I voices: Elina Christof, Stefanie Früholz, Martin Krahbichler, Ken Rischard, Markus Lindenhofer, Astrid Rothaug

supported by Bundesministerium für Kunst, Kultur, Öffentlicher Dienst und Sport and Land Niederösterreich​

AIR, neue Wege für die Klassik. commissioned

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Attending a concert by STYRIARTE, the music inspired an animated film, where the orchestra constantly morphs into vivid dreamlands, carried away by the music

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watch it for free on STYRIARTE

AZUKI, animated short for children and all audiences, 3.14min, german&english DCP 

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This animated short will have it's planned premiere at the FEST Filmfestival in Espinho, Portugal, in June 2026. Inspired by Astrid Rothaugs own dog Azuki, whom she adopted from a shelter in Rumania, this film tells the story of a little stray dog on his adventurous journey, seeking a place to call his home.

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug I Sound : Ken Rischard I Original Score: Angel Vassilev

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funded by: Land Niederösterreich​​

Challenges of a solitary mind, distributed by sixpackfilm (AT), Kurzfilmverleih (DE) and L´Agence du Court Metrage (FR)

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Astrid Rothaug's animated film, Challenges of a solitary mind is about a female protagonist in midst of familiar everyday situations: big family dinners, parties, office work, me-time, romantic love, bonding with a kindred spirit. Rothaug captures all of this in clean black pen-strokes with sparing color accents. The sound follows the actions and highlights the mood, ranging from benevolent to exhausting to threatening. The snail's shell either covers her up with a sonorous noise or fans back to reveal her – it all depends on whether the everyday heroine needs protection or is in a state of exaltation. It is her decision as whether to calcify or not. Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Snail and the Rosebush” comes to mind, about how the two protagonists exchange philosophical views on their peaceful coexistence. The bush always has to sprout blossoms to emerge from itself, unlike the snail beneath her which, “[...] has much inside itself, it has itself,” just like the solitary mind that lends Rothaug's film its title. Very reassuring. (Melanie Letschnig)

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug I Sound : Ken Rischard 

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broadcasts: ARTE Kurzschluss (DE & FR)

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awards: Blickwechsel Preis at Flensburger Filmtage, audience award at Tricky Women Festival, audience award at Best austrian animation Festival, best animated short at Festival of Nations, honorable mention at T-Short filmfestival

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funded by Stadt Wien

METANOIA, 9min., english

 

This film is a poetic experimental animated short about shifts of mind, expressed in form of a mysterious modern fairy tale. 

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug I Sound : Ken Rischard

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Screenings (selection): VIENNA SHORTS, Dumbo Filmfestival, Independent Shorts Awards, ANIMATEKA and many more

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awards (selection): Austrian Indie Adler at Austrian Filmfestival, Best animated short at Short Shot Fest, best animated short at Beyond the curve Filmfestival

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funded by: Philanthropie Österreich

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watch it for free on youtube

SWALLOWED, 2.37min, no dialog

 

Where do we go, when we dream? 

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Script, Animation: Astrid Rothaug | Musik, Sound: Benedikt Palier

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award: Hubert Sielecki Preis at Under the Radar Award: 

Sielecki statement: A short animated film of 2.5 minutes, drawn with a thin line, leads us in an unspectacular but impressive way through a phenomenal land of fantasy, accompanied by music that goes with the movement. It’s about youth, old age, the relationship between humans and animals in metamorphoses. Sky and clouds show dreams that lead from the reality of being awake into a cycle film.
A sensitive large work of art.

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watch it for free on vimeo ​

No Shape, Animated music video for the song "No Shape" by Claire Parsons. Commissioned. 4.54min

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awards: winner of the Palm Beach International Music Awards 2021

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available on youtube

Trailer for Kinosommer Niederösterreich. commissioned​​

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concept, animation: Astrid Rothaug I sound: Simon Öggl