Experiencing Interruptions?

Impossible Maladies

Aboard their cart, Doctor Rabarbaro and his assistant Tosse travel from house to house to cure absurd illnesses with their ingenious remedies.

  • Stefano Tambellini
    Director
    Uncle Jake, La Reliquia Rivoltosa
  • Alice Tambellini
    Director
    Uncle Jake, Unhappy hour
  • Stefano Tambellini
    Writer
    La Reliquia Rivoltosa, Dream of the Blue Mushroom
  • Alice Tambellini
    Writer
    Unhappy hour
  • Stefano Tambellini
    Producer
  • Alice Tambellini
    Producer
  • Ivan Talarico
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Genres:
    Absurd, Comedy, Fantastic
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    DLSR
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Piccolo Festival dell'Animazione
    San Vito al Tagliamento
    Italy
    November 18, 2023
    Worldwide Premiere
    Winner Audience Award - Main Competition
  • Festival Européen du Film Fantastique du Strasbourg
    Strasbourg
    France
    September 26, 2024
    WINNER Méliés d'Argent Best Short Film
  • World Festival of Animated Film Varna
    Varna
    Bulgaria
    September 11, 2024
    WINNER BEST FILM - CHILDREN'S FILMS
  • Nastri d'Argento
    Roma
    Italy
    May 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Collision Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    March 21, 2024
    GOLD WINNER: Stop-motion Craft
  • Karawan Fest: Festa di cinema, commedie, culture
    Roma
    Italy
    July 7, 2024
    Special Prize of the Jury
  • Animaphix: New Contemporary Languages 2024
    Bagheria, Palermo
    Italy
    July 23, 2024
    Winner Special Mention of the Jury National Competition
  • Vertigo Film Fest
    Milano
    Italy
    July 4, 2024
    Winner Best Animation / Best Production Design
  • Absurd Film Festival
    Milano
    Italy
    Winner Best Animation Film - Bimonthly Awards
  • Visioni Fantastiche
    Ravenna
    Italy
    March 15, 2024
    Official Selection
  • 15th INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL GOLDEN KUKER - SOFIA
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    May 8, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Mecal Pro, 26th Barcelona International Short and Animation Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    June 28, 2024
    Official Selection
  • 25th ShorTS International Film Festival
    Trieste
    Italy
    June 29, 2024
    Official Selection
  • 28° Umbria Film Festival
    Montone (Perugia)
    Italy
    July 10, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny
    Savigny
    Switzerland
    June 8, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Anibar International Animation Festival
    Peja
    July 15, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Palm Springs Animation Festival
    Palm Springs, California
    United States
    June 20, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Sunday Shorts Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    May 26, 2024
    Winner Best Animation Short
  • Valencia Indie Film Festival
    Valencia
    Spain
    Official Selection
  • The Screaming Room Film Festival 2024
    Long Beach, California
    United States
    July 26, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Neum Animated Film Festival
    Neum
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    August 30, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Stop Motion Our Fest
    Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    Official Selection
  • Lisboa Indie Film Festival
    Lisboa
    Portugal
    June 15, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Imaginaria International Animation Film Festival
    Conversano, Bari
    Italy
    August 18, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Animadeba
    Deba
    Spain
    September 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Flipbook Film Festival
    Skopje
    August 8, 2024
    Official Selection - European Panorama
  • Animotion Film Festival
    Montelupo Fiorentino
    Italy
    July 11, 2024
    Winner Best Stop Motion Animation
  • Cartoon Club
    Rimini
    Italy
    July 19, 2024
    Official Selection
  • The Dead of Night Film Festival
    Southport
    United Kingdom
    October 5, 2024
    Official Selection
  • TIAF Taichung International Animation Festival
    Taichung
    Taiwan
    October 18, 2024
    Nominee
  • TOHorror Fantastic Film Fest
    Torino
    Italy
    October 22, 2024
    WINNER Audience Award
  • Big Cartoon Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    October 25, 2024
    Official Selection
  • StopTrik Festival
    Maribor/Lodz
    Slovenia
    September 27, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Animator Fest - European Youth Festival of Animated Films
    Jagodina
    Serbia
    September 4, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Animatica
    Saronno
    Italy
    September 6, 2024
    Winner 3rd Place
  • Canlandıranlar Animation Film Festival
    Instanbul
    Turkey
    October 21, 2024
    Finalist
  • FANCINE Fantastic Film Festival of Malaga
    Malaga
    Spain
    November 13, 2024
    WINNER Best Animated Short Film
  • Festival Internacional De Animación AnimAura
    Morelia
    Mexico
    September 19, 2024
    WINNER BEST STOP-MOTION
  • Fog Fest Horror Film Festival
    St. John, NL
    Canada
    November 7, 2024
    WINNER Best Production Design
  • Insòlito: Festival Interncional de Cine Fantastico
    Lima
    Peru
    October 25, 2024
    WINNER Special Mention for Production Design
  • Terror Molins Film Festival
    Molins de Rei
    Spain
    November 8, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Horror Fest International
    St. George
    United States
    October 16, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Hsin-Yi Children's Animation Awards
    Taipei
    Taiwan
    November 2, 2024
    Nominee
  • Animest Bucharest International Animation Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    October 4, 2024
    Official Selection - Guest Country: Italy
  • TAF Thessaloniki Animation Festival
    Thessaloniki
    Macao
    October 17, 2024
    WINNER Special Mention of the Jury in STORYTELLING
  • Movievalley Fest
    Bologna
    Italy
    October 10, 2024
    WINNER Best Animated Short + Special Jury Prize
  • Animateka
    Lubljana
    Slovenia
    December 2, 2024
    Panorama
  • 42nd Sulmona International Film Festival
    Sulmona
    Italy
    November 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Festival Cinéfil - Cinéma, Ecran et Marionettes
    Charleville-Mézièrs
    France
    November 13, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Presente Italiano Il cinema che non ti aspetti
    Pistoia
    Italy
    November 19, 2024
    Winner Best Animated Short Film
  • Amarcort Film Festival 2024
    Rimini
    Italy
    December 3, 2024
    WINNER Best Animated Short Film
  • 44 Fantafestival
    Roma
    Italy
    November 29, 2024
    Official Selection
  • L.A.A.F. Los Angeles Animation Festival 2024
    Los Angeles
    United States
  • FAN Festival Animazione Napoli
    Napoli
    Italy
    December 4, 2024
    Official Selection
  • VIEW Conference 2024
    Torino
    Italy
    VIEW Award - Italianmix
  • Animatiba Festival Internacional de Animação de Curitiba
    Curitiba
    Brazil
    May 8, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Lucid Dream Festival
    Pisa
    Italy
    March 9, 2025
    Official Selection
  • New York International Children's Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    February 28, 2025
    Official Selection
  • 65 Zlin Film Festival
    Zlin
    Official Selection
  • FANTASPOA 2025
    Porto Alegre
    Brazil
    Official Selection
  • Stop E-motion Days
    Venezia
    Italy
    May 4, 2025
    WINNER Best Italian Short "Cocal d'Oro"
  • Animator International Film Festival
    Poznan
    Poland
    July 8, 2025
    Offical Selection - Rotamina: the chemestry in us
  • La Guarimba International Film Festival
    Amantea
    Italy
    August 10, 2025
    Official Selection
  • TIAF Tbilisi International Animation Festival
    Tbilisi
    Georgia
    Official Selection
  • Animist Tallinn 2025
    Tallinn
    Estonia
    Official Selection
  • Festival Kraktog Metra Novigrad
    Novigrad
    Croatia
    September 7, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Cecinema
    Cecina
    Italy
    September 25, 2025
    MIGLIOR FILM D'ANIMAZIONE
  • Edinburgh Short Film Festival
    Edinburgh
    United Kingdom
    November 9, 2025
    Official Selection
  • El Meu Primer Festival
    Barcelona/Madrid
    Spain
    November 20, 2025
    Official Selection
  • EU Human Rights Film Days
    Ankara
    Turkey
    December 10, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Lusca Film Festival
    San Juan
    Puerto Rico
    October 15, 2025
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Stefano Tambellini, Alice Tambellini

Stefano Tambellini is an illustrator and independent filmmaker. After graduating in Traditional Animation at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Torino with the film "La Reliquia Rivoltosa", he lived for six years in London where he started working as an illustrator for children's books. In 2005, he co-founded the production label SenzaTesta with his sister Alice and wrote and directed several live-action and animated short films. He also teaches puppet animation in workshops and schools.

Alice Tambellini is an independent filmmaker and animator. After graduating in Multimedia Arts at Carrara Fine Arts Academy, she attended animation courses in Poitiers, and in Bristol, specializing in stop-motion animation. Since 2005 she directed and animated stop-motion short films with her brother Stefano under the label "SenZa TesTa Productions". In 2011 she worked as a puppet animator on the short film "Oh Willy!", by Emma De Swaef and Marc J. Roels.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The film is loosely based on 18th-century prints and cartoons about the fear of disease and doctors, which we found in the library of a medical history museum in London. We were interested in exploring this era when science and rationality made great strides over the magical thinking and superstitions of the past. And despite this, the sickness and healing of the human body remained a mysterious territory, where the most bizarre theories and suppositions abounded. This is why we have chosen an approach close to the spirit of the nonsensical works of Edward Lear, Mervyn Peake, and Lewis Carroll. We tried to re-elaborate this amalgamation of fears, theories, and popular beliefs in an imaginary form with a touch of childish, absurdist humor.