Frank’s Joke - Short Film

BBC FOUR

Frank told a joke at his new place of work. Nobody laughed. Now at 3.00am he's unable to sleep as he obsesses and ruminates over this social faux-pas, leading him to ponder on the nature of memory itself. He becomes trapped in a loop, a self-imposed purgatory for what seems like an age as the clock ticks by.

Directed by Ed Bulmer, FRANK’S JOKE was commissioned by the BBC and BFI as part of Animation 2018, and was broadcast on BBC4. The film combines live-action puppetry and hand-drawn animation. The film had its festival debut at Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short at SXSW 2020.