The girl Nycteris has only known a world of perpetual shadows. Lured through a portal to the outside world, she emerges into a realm of life and colour. There she encounters the boy Photogen, a child of the light, terrified by the darkness. Promising new anime talent Naoki Arata’s first short film is a gorgeous, gothic fantasy in miniature, adapting a Victorian fairy tale. – Rupert Bottenberg