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DIRECTOR
Astrid Bruce
RUNTIME
4 Minutes
COUNTRY
South Africa
SYNOPSIS
Juniper, a fiery young girl, discovers that her chicken has been stolen by a dragon. Juniper takes the opportunity to prove her heroic abilities and embarks on a quest to save her chicken. She manages to catch the dragon by surprise and attacks the dragon. Juniper hears clucking and sees her chicken is safe and Juniper realises that the dragon was lonely due to being isoalted and Juniper, normally emotionally distant, feels empathetic and finds commonality with the dragon. Juniper connects to someone for the first time and releases the dragon and she, the dragon, and the chicken embark on a new adventure, together.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
My name is Astrid Bruce and I’ve been interested in animation for as long as I can remember. I grew up in East London, South Africa but moved to Cape Town to study animation. The reason I chose animation is because I want to create interesting, immersive worlds and tell stories that make people feel something. My vision and goal for More Than A Sword was to create a Celtic-inspired world where Juniper explores her feelings and beliefs toward things most people are frightened of. The Celtic world of the film as well as the story is inspired by my Scottish roots and the stories I grew up listening to and reading as a child from my family. I returned to Scotland later in life and the magic that I found there was something I tried to capture in the spirit and world of More Than A Sword.
CAST and CREW
Writer & Director - Astrid Bruce
Producer - The Animation School
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