Dagon (Short)

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original title:

Dagon

directed by:

Paolo Gaudio

screenplay:

Paolo Gaudio, from the eponymous tale by H.P. Lovecraft

cinematography:

Andrea Gabriele

animation:

Gianluca Maruotti

editing:

set design:

costume design:

music:

production:

country:

Italy

year:

2024

film run:

6'7"

format:

4K - colour

status:

Ready (25/07/2024)

genre:

animation film

festivals & awards:

BIF&ST – Bari International Film& Festival 2025: Sarò breve
BIFFF - Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2025: European Short Films Competition
ICFF Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2025: Shorts
Tampere Film Festival 2025: Generation XYZ Competition
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia 2024: Sitges Family
Trieste Science+Fiction Festival 2024: Selezione ufficiale
World Festival of Animated Film Varna 2024
Festival Court Métrange – International Strange and Unusual Fantasy Short Film Festival 2024
Festival Boca do Inferno 2024
Sentiero Film Factory 2024: Miglior colonna sonora
FIPILI Horror Festival Livorno 2024: Miglior Cortometraggio Horror
ScreamFest Horror Film Fest 2024: Miglior cortometraggio animato
Abertoir Horror Festival 2024
Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival 2024: Vespertilino award
ToHorror Fantastic Film Festival 2024
Festival International de Cine Fantastico y de Terror de Navarra 2024
IMAGINE Fantastic Film Festival 2024
Sansalvastorie Film Festival 2025 2025
Inventa un Film 2025
La Guarimba 2025
Concorto Film Festival 2025
Cabin in the Woods Film Festival 2025: Miglior corto d’animazione + miglior corto sci-fi/fantasy
Macabro Horror Film Festival 2025
H.P.Lovecraft FF in Providence 2025
Umbertidead Award 2025: secondo posto miglior film
Not Film Fest 2025
Bakunawa Fest 2025
Septimius Awards 2025
ANIMATICA 2025
MOTELX 2025
Fangofest Amposta 2025
Giovani Costruttori Film Festival 2025: miglior regia + miglior fotografia + miglior scenografia
H.P.Lovecraft FF in Portland 2025
Darkside Maremma Film Festival 2025
Film Olympiad 2025: medaglia d’argento
Chaniartoon 2025
Dieciminuti Film Festival 2025
HorrOrigins Film Festival 2025
Picentia Short Film Festival 2025
ITAICINE 2025
Torino Underground CineFest 2025
Weird Market 2025
Narni Horror Night 2025
Beyond the horror fest 2025
Mountain of Horror Film Festival 2025
Breaking TV Film Festival 2025
Curt a la Fresca - Sitges 2025
Santiago Horror Film Festival 2025
Grimmfest 2025
Fantasmagoria Festival 2025: Best Animated Short Film
From Beyond Film Festival 2025
Carnival of Darkness 2025: The Monument Award
Secondogliano Film Festival 2025
Sinistro Fest 2025: Best international Short Film
SPASM 2025
Razor Reel 2025: Vincitore Méliès d’Argent - miglior cortometraggio fantastico europeo
FilmQuest 2025
Alessandria Film Festival 2025
Lund Fantastic Film Festival 2025
Monsters Fantastic Film Festival 2025
Floripa Que Horror! 2025
La Settimana del Cinema Fantastico 2025
Dracula International Film Festival 2025
Kurzfilm Festival Fabrika 2025
El Grito 2025
Caligari Festival international de cine de Terror 2025: Miglior Cortometraggio d’animazione
Stop Motion MX Film Festival 2025
CineUnderground Film Festival 2025: Premio Speciale - GASPA Award
FogFest 2025
FANTAELX 2025
Histeria 2025
BaiDeFest 2025
Fan Festival Napoli 2025
Soho Horror Film Festival 2025
San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Fest 2024
24FRAME Future Film Festival 2024
CURTAS Festival do Imaxinario 2024
Morbido Fest 2024
Minsk International Film Festival "Listapad" 2024
TAIS Animation Showcase Toronto 2024
Matera Film Festival 2024
FERATUM Film Festival 2024
ANIMAFEST Gdańsk 2024
Abertoir Horror Festival 2024
Emisferi CineFest 2024
CortDino Film Festival 2024
Fantasticon Film Festival 2024: Miglior cortometraggio Giuria giovani
Be afraid Horror Fest 2024: Premio speciale della giuria "We want more"
Fantafestival 2024
Anilogue International Animation Festival 2024
Drag me to Fest 2024
Roma Creative Contest 2024
Heroes International Film Festival 2024
CortoDino Film Festival 2024
Viterbo Short Film Festival 2024
Fabrique du Cinema Awards 2024
Festival Città di Spello 2025
Nox Film Fest 2025
Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival 2025
Aurora International Horror Film Festival 2025
Romford Horror Festival 2025
Nevermore Film Festival 2025
BoneBat "Comedy of Horror" Film Fest 2025
2300 plan 9 Festival 2025
In the Palace International Film Festival 2025
Athens Animafest 2025
Athens Animafest 2025: Distinction Award
Cartoon on the Bay 2025: Pulcinella Award miglior cortometraggio
Nastri d’Argento 2025: cinquina finalista
Stop e-Motion days 2025: premio del pubblico
Borgo Film Fest 2025: miglior cortometraggio d’animazione
HOFF Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival Felice Film Festival 2025: miglior cortometraggio d’animazione
Adriatic Film Festival 2025: miglior cortometraggio d’animazione + miglior poster
Caostica 23. International Short film & Music Video Festival 2025
River Film Festival 2025
Asolo Art Film Festival 2025
Ravenheart International Film Festival 2025
El Ojo Iluso 2025: miglior cortometraggio animato
Rome Prisma Award 2025: premio del pubblico giovane
Portland Horror Film Festival 2025
Etreum Horror Film Festival 2025
Medellin Horror Fest 2025
SMOF Stop Motion Our Fest 2025
Apulia Horror Film Festival 2025: premio della critica
ShorTS International Film Festival 2025
PUFA Pucela Fantastica 2025
Sopot Film Festival 2025
Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival 2025
Mediterraneo Festival Corto 2025
Vertigo Film Festival 2025: Miglior scenografia
Bridge Film Festival 2025
Animare LAFF 2025
Fantasy Day Film Festival 2025: Gran Premio della giuria, Menzione speciale della critica
Fantosfreak 2025
Cartoon Club 2025
Marateale Premio internazionale Basilicata 2025
Golden Apollo Award Santa Marinella short film festival 2025
Ostia in corto 2025
Alta Marea Festival 2025: miglior poster
Sansalvastorie Film Festival 2025
Inventa un Film 2025
La Guarimba 2025
Concorto Film Festival 2025
Cabin in the Woods Film Festival 2025: Miglior corto d’animazione + miglior corto sci-fi/fantasy
Macabro Horror Film Festival 2025
H.P.Lovecraft FF in Providence 2025
Umbertidead Award 2025: secondo posto miglior film
Not Film Fest 2025
Bakunawa Fest 2025
Septimius Awards 2025
ANIMATICA 2025
MOTELX 2025
Fangofest Amposta 2025
Giovani Costruttori Film Festival 2025: miglior regia + miglior fotografia + miglior scenografia
H.P.Lovecraft FF in Portland 2025
Darkside Maremma Film Festival 2025
Film Olympiad 2025: medaglia d’argento
Chaniartoon 2025
Dieciminuti Film Festival 2025
HorrOrigins Film Festival 2025
Picentia Short Film Festival 2025
ITAICINE 2025
Torino Underground CineFest 2025
Weird Market 2025
Narni Horror Night 2025
Beyond the horror fest 2025
Mountain of Horror Film Festival 2025
Breaking TV Film Festival 2025
Curt a la Fresca - Sitges 2025
Santiago Horror Film Festival 2025
Grimmfest 2025
Fantasmagoria Festival 2025: Best Animated Short Film
From Beyond Film Festival 2025
Carnival of Darkness 2025: The Monument Award
Secondogliano Film Festival 2025
Sinistro Fest 2025: Best international Short Film
SPASM 2025
Razor Reel 2025: Vincitore Méliès d’Argent - miglior cortometraggio fantastico europeo
FilmQuest 2025
Alessandria Film Festival 2025
Lund Fantastic Film Festival 2025
Monsters Fantastic Film Festival 2025
Floripa Que Horror! 2025
La Settimana del Cinema Fantastico 2025
Dracula International Film Festival 2025
Kurzfilm Festival Fabrika 2025
El Grito 2025
Caligari Festival international de cine de Terror 2025: Miglior Cortometraggio d’animazione
Stop Motion MX Film Festival 2025
CineUnderground Film Festival 2025: Premio Speciale - GASPA Award
FogFest 2025
FANTAELX 2025
Histeria 2025
BaiDeFest 2025
Fan Festival Napoli 2025
Soho Horror Film Festival 2025

In 1919 San Francisco, a man is standing on the ledge of a building ready to jump. Desperate, he relives in his memories the absurd and shocking episode that led him to the brink of suicide: the encounter with the monstrous and mythological Great Old One, DAGON.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
Inspired by the story by the cult writer H.P. Lovecraft, DAGON is a claymation animated short film that approaches the supernatural and frightening atmospheres of the American writer, celebrating his genius and reinventing his aesthetics.
The first of the series of stories of the famous Chtulhu Cycle, it inaugurates the sinister and mysterious mythology written by the Solitaire of Providence. The development of the script needed maximum fidelity, except for a small and necessary betrayal; this betrayal allows our adaptation to update Lovecraft's tale by broadening its horizons and allowing us an ambitious contamination of the Genres. Profound terror mixes with German expressionism, the 1950s italian fanta-horror, stop motion animation, up to the 1980s action cinema.
An extravagant journey that unites Fritz Lang and Mario Bava with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Aardman Animation Studios.

Dagon (Short)

by Paolo Gaudio