BATS & BUGS

Lena von Döhren/ 11 min. / 2026 / Switzerland
Fiction and Animation Short Films 2026

SYNOPSIS

Deep in the jungle, everything seems normal until a lantern lights up at night, throwing animals into chaos. Countless insects are irresistibly drawn to the light and fall into a trance. While adult bats hunt them, a young bat rescues several insects. The next night, she tries to protect them from the dangerous glow, even getting injured in the process.

ABOUT THE FILM

DIRECTION: Lena von Döhren
SCRIPT: Lena von Döhren
ANIMATION: Lena von Döhren, Nils Hedinger, Simon Eltz
PRODUCTION: Sarah Born, Rajko Jazbec
EDITING: Fee Liechti
MUSIC: Martin Waespe

Lena von Döhren

THE AUTHOR

Lena von Döhren (Berlín, 1981) studied audiovisual communication in Amsterdam and animation in Lucerne. Her graduation short Der kleine Vogel und das Blatt premiered at the Berlinale in 2012, where she also screened its sequels and Tümpel (2023). Her films, poetic and targeted at a young audience, have gone on to win over 30 awards internationally, including the Goldener Spatz.

FILMOGRAPHY

2026 Bats & Bugs [corto]
2023 Tümpel (codir. Eva Rust) [corto]
2020 Der kleine Vogel und die Bienen [corto]
2017 Der kleine Vogel und die Raupe [corto]
2014 Der kleine Vogel und das Eichhörnchen [corto]
2012 Der kleine Vogel und das Blatt [corto]