HIDE
DIRECTED BY DANIEL BENJAMIN GRAY
HUNGARY // 2020
11 MINS
Two brothers play hide and seek. As one counts, the other hides in a small cabinet. Seconds pass, then minutes, years. A heartrending and prescient story about family and disconnect, in a world that is increasingly fragmented and unrecognizable.
Reflective Encounters
“Daniel Benjamin Gray’s sense of playfulness within the animated medium is at the forefront of this foreboding film. As the childlike nightmare of being forgotten slowly evolves into the far greater, more adult fear of time slipping away exponentially as we ourselves age. Hide represents Grey’s first solo personal film, which was in development as he wrapped on his and fellow creative partner Tom Brown’s last film, the much-celebrated Teeth (2015). Gray’s talent as not only an artist and animator but as a storyteller enables him to produce a brooding, atmospheric vision of childhood play, his use of colour – along with the spectral design of the central characters – highlighting the fragility of the human body.
The moistness of the eyelid, gaps between teeth, the translucent quality of skin, all captured with unsettling levels of detail. By raking over and unveiling elements of the human body, he shines a light on the way our bodies start as, and return to, small, helpless beings. The film also depicts the voyeuristic nature of today's society as we witness, engage with and seemingly take part in life from our own personal (but often isolated) vantage points, ever-watching but never truly present in the moment.”
— Laura-Beth Cowley
Filmmaker Q&A
A Q&A with filmmakers from the If Walls Could Speak at Encounters Film Festival 2021.
Filmmakers - Daniel Benjamin Gray (Hide), Anna Theil (Schtum), Mikolaj Janiw (Coffin), Maren Wiese & Petra Stipetic (jeijay), Ronan Mackenzie (It's Raining, It's Pouring), Michael Cusack (The Better Angels), Gabriel Böhmer (Gyroscope) AND Marcos Sanchez (Grey to Green).
Hosted by Ben Mitchell, Encounters Animation Selector
Director’s Statement
The film is about homesickness and disconnect in a world where technology has seduced us with the promise of bridging continents and bringing us closer. Yet without being physically present, without being able to share a meal, a drink or a seat on a sofa, we are no more than ghosts—peeping toms casually observing our fading memories and distant, aging loved ones.
Filmmaker Bio
Daniel Gray studied Fine Art at the University of Wales Cardiff. After a stint as a represented painter, Daniel started experimenting with animation. While studying animation at the University of Wales, Newport, he met Tom Brown. The duo started a creative partnership that began with their graduation short film, t.o.m. (2006).
This short tale about a young boy’s rather peculiar and revealing journey to school was an instant success at international film festivals, collecting awards from Ottawa, Annecy, and Sundance, as well as at the British Animation Awards. Their next film, teeth (2015), which tells the life story of a man (voiced by Richard E. Grant) through the history of teeth, screened at more than 40 festivals and won numerous awards.
In addition to the imaginative music video Constant Growth Fails (2017), Gray has directed many commissioned works. He has also served on a film festival jury and as a visiting lecturer at universities, and has led a number of creative animation workshops.
Daniel currently lives in Hungary with his wife and daughters. His most recent film, Hide, is a co-production between La Cellule Productions, CUB Animation Studio, and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). This is Daniel’s first collaboration with the NFB.