About the film

"I Am Not Afraid!" (Norwegian: "Jeg er ikke redd!") is a 2022 animated short film written and directed by Marita Mayer. This 7-minute digital 2D animation is a co-production between Norway's Trollfilm AS and the German animation company Fabian&Fred.

The film is designed for young children, addressing common fears of the dark and illustrating how understanding can alleviate these anxieties. The narrative follows Vanja, who, during a game of hide and seek, ventures from a well-lit living room into a dimly lit courtyard filled with dark corners, strange shadows, and unfamiliar noises. To conquer these fears, Vanja imagines becoming a fierce tiger.

Marita Mayer, born in 1976 in Hamburg, Germany, has a background in Cultural Management and Education from the University of Hildesheim. She specialized in drawn animation at the Animation School Hamburg. Her graduation film, "Be Nice," was screened at various international festivals and won audience awards at Flensburg Short Film Festival and Wiesbaden Short Film Festival in 2010. Mayer has worked on several 2D and stop-motion productions and served as the program manager for five editions of the Fredrikstad Animation Festival in Norway. In August 2018, she relocated to Dovre, Norway, to work on Anita Killi’s short film "Mother Didn’t Know." "I Am Not Afraid!" marks her directorial debut.