Matta and Matto (2023) — Animated Short Film

Matta und (and) Matto (2023): A charming animated short film by Bianca Caderas & Kerstin Zemp. Explore a unique world of friendship and discovery. Watch now!

🌀 Matta and Matto (2023) — Animated Short Film by Bianca Caderas & Kerstin Zemp

What happens when touch — the most basic human need — is outlawed? In Matta and Matto, Swiss filmmakers Bianca Caderas and Kerstin Zemp imagine a dystopian future where physical contact is forbidden, and the lonely seek refuge in a strange, dreamlike hotel. This 10‑minute animated short is both a cautionary tale and a surreal fantasy, exploring desire, intimacy, and the price of connection.

🧭 Overview

Genre: Animation / Fantasy / Social Commentary 🎭
Directors & Writers: Bianca Caderas · Kerstin Zemp 🎬
Producer: Joder von Rotz
Runtime: 10 minutes
Country: Switzerland 🇨🇭
Language: No spoken dialogue — visual storytelling 🌌
Release: 2023 (festival circuit)
Awards:
- 🏆 The Edge of Your Seat Award — Ann Arbor Film Festival 2024
- 🏆 Special Jury Prize — IndieLisboa 2024
- 🏆 International Danzante Award — Huesca IFF 2024
- 🏆 Best Swiss Short Film — Gässli Film Festival 2024
- 🏆 Fantastic Swiss Award — Fantoche 2024
- 🏆 Berner Filmpreis for Animated Short Film 2024
Festivals: Sundance 2024, Clermont‑Ferrand, SXSW, Anima Brussels, Glasgow, Uppsala, Bogotá Shorts, and more

Watch the short:

📖 Story in Brief

In a society where touch is banned, two enigmatic figures — Matta and Matto — run Hotel Vaip, a labyrinthine refuge for the touch‑starved.

The Guests: Lonely souls arrive, desperate for closeness.
The Rooms: Each chamber is a surreal illusion, bending reality to fulfill (and sometimes distort) the guests’ deepest desires.
The Price: What begins as comfort soon reveals itself as dangerous — intimacy commodified, connection twisted into transaction.

The film doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it leaves viewers unsettled, asking: What happens to humanity when touch becomes contraband?

🎨 Creative DNA & Style

Surreal animation: Fluid, dreamlike visuals that shift between beauty and menace.
Labyrinth design: Hotel Vaip is both sanctuary and trap — a maze of shifting rooms.
Symbolism: Touch as currency, rooms as subconscious landscapes.
Tone: Equal parts eerie, tender, and hypnotic.

🌟 Themes & Resonance

The human need for touch: Without it, we unravel emotionally and physically.
Desire vs. control: How systems regulate intimacy for power.
Illusion vs. reality: The hotel’s rooms mirror the dangers of artificial substitutes for real connection.
Loneliness as epidemic: A reflection of our own digital, post‑pandemic world.

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons

Pros

🎯 Unique premise: A hauntingly original take on dystopia.
🎨 Visual artistry: Bold, surreal animation that lingers in the mind.
🏆 Festival acclaim: Widely recognized for its innovation.

Cons

⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you craving more of its world‑building.
🌀 Ambiguity: Some viewers may find its surrealism disorienting.

💡 Humanized Takeaway

Matta and Matto is less a story than an experience — a fever dream about what it means to crave closeness in a world that denies it. Caderas and Zemp remind us that touch is not a luxury, but a lifeline. In its hypnotic ten minutes, the film becomes both a warning and a mirror: intimacy is fragile, and without it, we risk losing what makes us human.