In a post-apocalyptic world in which water has become a scarce commodity, feeling thirsty has become the new norm. Very, very thirsty. The blue gold is now monopolized by a greedy, despotic king who sells bottles of water from his private reserve at iPhone 14 prices. His people have the choice between a) dying of thirst underneath the ever-scorching sun, or b) risking their lives by attacks water convoys. But one day, Rao – the sheriff of a desert town – notices birds flying about. And, as any true-blooded boy scout knows, that means there’s water nearby… Is the old legend of the hidden source true then? Only one way to find out. But he knows he won’t make it on his own. He needs the help of the neighboring village, which is still a couple hundred kilometers away. Thing is, both villages aren’t exactly on speaking terms. In fact they even hate each other’s guts. All that just because the other village’s inhabited by demons. But Rao knows he needs to put his prejudices momentarily aside and make a deal with Beelzebub, his demonic counterpart. Then and only then can they hope to reach the source before the royal army does…

Yup, SAND LAND is Brussels animation film festival Anima’s official recommendation at the BIFFF and it’s easy to see why. We’re talking about the adaptation of a cult manga by Akira Toriyama, AKA the daddy of DRAGON BALL, who tragically passed away recently… No better homage than this throwback to the shonen manga of the previous century and its old school animation, its badass universe and its mythical creatures for the entire family!