Oslo-based animator Markus Tangre makes his short-film directorial debut with Ivar, a darkly humorous story about a middle-aged woman whose growing fixation on a strange smell coming from her husband prompts an increasingly unsettling question: should she leave him? We met Tangre and puppeteer David Bjørnstad at Zagreb’s KIC café during Animafest to discuss the film’s creation, its distinctive puppet aesthetic and the reasons behind the usage of the various animation techniques.

Following its world premiere at Sundance 2026, Ivar screened in the Grand Competition at Animafest Zagreb, where it received a Special Mention Award from jury member Nina Gantz.