© 2023 Jacky De Groen, Cinnamon Entertainment. All rights reserved.
BLOOD FROM A STONE
After losing a jewel underwater, the reclusive swimmer Azul wakes up next to a mysterious man made of stone. Craving intimacy, he tries in vain to relate to the indifferent stranger. Faced with his own desires and body image, attraction slowly turns into assimilation. As Azul loses (or finds) himself in the cold surface of the mirror, the cryptic roots of his gem gradually come to light.
Written, Directed & Animated by Jacky De Groen
Produced by Sarah D’hanens
In development with support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) & deAuteurs
JACKY DE GROEN
Jacky De Groen is an animation artist based in Ghent, Belgium. His colorfully painted films Dieperik (2013), Eclipse (2014) and Spermaceti (2018) explore subconscious drives and identities, telling stories in a dreamlike structure with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and immersion.
After graduating from the KASK School of Arts in Ghent in 2014, Jacky worked as an intern at animation studio Film Bilder in Stuttgart, animating for the short films Octopus and Crocodile by Julia Ocker. In 2016 he was selected as Animation Artist in Residence in Tokyo by JAPIC. His work has been shown at film festivals internationally including Animafest Zagreb, Palm Springs Shortfest, Ann Arbor Film Festival, GLAS Animation Festival, Japan Media Arts Festival, HAFF, MIAF and OIAFF, among others. Alongside his animation work, he is also active as an illustrator and teacher.