A cacophony of styles come together for this wacky promo animation for Gutter Fest

Written and directed by Genís Rigol, Pau Panglada and Marc Torices, Gutter Fest: The Movie is like no other promotional film we’ve seen before. Created for the fourth edition of Gutter Fest, the self-publishing graphics fair in Barcelona, the animation is a riotous cacophony of 9 different illustration styles that come together to tell a dramatic tale. The film features the work of Irkus M. Zeberio and Alexis Nolla, who we’ve featured on the site before as well as Marc Torices, Néstor F., Pau Anglada, Genís Rigol, Olga Capdevila, Jorge Parras and Jose Abeijón.

Beginning with a man at a cafe, the story starts with two characters mistakenly swapping briefcases one with an important video tape in and what unfolds is a tumultuous, and at times downright bizarre, quest to retrieve it. The contrasting styles add an offbeat jumpiness, enhancing the screwball nature of the film, yet the smooth transitions and well-crafted character movement saves the film from becoming messy. Shying away from traditional advertising collateral like posters, the animation is a refreshing and unique way to promote the festival that showcases independent publishing from around the world.