The Distance to the Moon - Film
***** OFFICIAL SELECTION EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025
***** OFFICIAL SELECTION EDINBURGH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2025
***** OFFICIAL SELECTION ATHENS ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL 2025
***** AWARD OF DISTINCTION ATHENS ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL 2025
***** AWARD WINNER MUSIC AWARD ATHENS ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL 2025
***** OFFICIAL SELECTION STOP-EMOTION FILM FESTIVAL, VENICE, ITALY 2025
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this year’s EIFF – and especially honoured
to be featured alongside such bold, imaginative work from around the world,”
said composer and co-producer Giles Lamb. “To share and premiere our film in
Scotland’s capital, in an an International programme that celebrates innovation
in animation and film making is a great honour.” said Write/Director Sacha Kyle.
‘Distance to the Moon’ to have UK Premiere at 78th
Edinburgh International Film Festival!
EDINBURGH, UK — Distance to the Moon, a poetic stop-motion short inspired by Italo
Calvino’s Cosmicomics, will have its UK premiere at the 78th Edinburgh International Film
Festival (EIFF), screening as part of the festival’s prestigious Animation Shorts programme.
A haunting meditation on loneliness and hope, from a cosmic perspective, the film is already
attracting international attention — recently winning Best Original Music and Distinction at
the Athens Short Film Festival and earning official selections at the Dumbo Film Festival
(Brooklyn, NY) and the Stop eMotion Film Festival (Venice, Italy).
A Surreal Cosmic Journey
Set in a stark future where Earth lies desolate, Distance to the Moon follows ‘X’, its last
remaining inhabitant, who ascends a surreal ladder to the Moon. Wrestling with isolation,
inner demons, and existential despair, X unexpectedly encounters beauty, mystery, and
companionship in the infinite void of space.
Told entirely without dialogue, the film is a handcrafted stop-motion reflection on longing,
memory, and the fragile line between despair and wonder.
Visually, Distance to the Moon draws on the early sci-fi aesthetic of filmmakers like Fritz
Lang (Metropolis) and the psychological tension of Alfred Hitchcock, but twists this lineage
through an absurdist lens inspired by Samuel Beckett and Calvino’s philosophical fiction.
The film captures the mid-century mood of the Space Race — particularly the
years 1963–1968 — and transposes it into a speculative future. It serves as a
human, poetic counterpoint to our current cultural, environmental, and
technological tipping point. As we prepare to return to the Moon, the story
resonates deeply with questions of identity, isolation, and our place in the
cosmos.
A Film Born from Sound
Unusually, the film began not with a script, but with a series of music created by composer
Giles Lamb, inspired by the emotional texture of Calvino’s story. This sonic foundation
evolved into a visual narrative through close collaboration with writer/director Sacha Kyle,
under their production company Curious Dreamers.
The project was selected and funded through Sharp Shorts, delivered by Short Circuit in
partnership with Glasgow Film, with support from Screen Scotland, BFI, the Scottish
Government, and the National Lottery. The film was co-directed by Sacha Kyle and Victoria Watson, and brought to life by lead animator Calum Main in collaboration with Eyebolls, an award-winning Edinburgh-based stop-motion animation studio.
🎬 Credits
Original Concept: Giles Lamb & Sacha Kyle Curious Dreamers
Produced by: Eyebolls In association with: Curious Dreamers
Funded by: Short Circuit’s Sharp Shorts
Supported by: Screen Scotland, BFI, National Lottery, and the Scottish Government
Writer: Sacha Kyle
Co-Directors: Sacha Kyle, Victoria Watson
Screen Scotland Executive Producer: Sean Greenhorn
Producers: Rhona Drummond (Eyebolls), Giles Lamb (Curious Dreamers)
Music & Sound Design: Giles Lamb
Art Director: Victoria Watson
Storyboard Artist: Sam Horton
Director of Photography: Sean Monroe
Puppet Design & Fabrication: Rachael Olga Lloyd
Set Design & Fabrication: Calum Main
Props: Calum Main, Victoria Watson
Animation Consultant: Michael Hughes
Animator: Calum Main
VFX Supervisor: Florian Viale
Background Artist: Agata Kaczan
Edit, Grade, VFX & Compositing: Florian Viale
Sound Mix: Paul Daniel Lucas
Executive Producers (Short Circuit):
Gillian Berrie, Tiernan Kelly, Miriam Newman, Wilma Smith
Training & Inclusion Lead: Rachel Wilson
For press inquiries, interview requests, or access to the press kit, please contact:
📧 [hello@curiousdreamers.com]
🌐 [www.curiousdreamers.com]
Trailer & Film Website: https://play.reelcrafter.com/Q...
Edinburgh International Film Festival: https://www.edfilmfest.org/fil...
