DreamWorks Veteran’s Short 'Saba' Heads to Tribeca

Saba is a dialogue-free animated short in which a boy, separated from his grandfather in a world where gravity flows upward, journeys through grief and memory. Directed by Liron Topaz, it had its worl

Saba is a nine-minute animated short set in a surreal world where gravity flows upward, following a boy and his grandfather as they part ways. Here, living beings are held to the ground by ropes and anchors, while those whose lives have ended slowly float upward. After a sudden event separates the boy from his grandfather, he moves through memory and loss and comes face to face with learning to let him go.

Director Liron Topaz uses this premise not as simple decoration but as an emotional rule. The force pulling upward visualizes the desire to hold on to someone who has left, while the ropes and anchors scattered throughout the world represent the way those who remain hold on to relationships and moments. The film conveys this journey solely through images and movement, without dialogue.

Another formal feature is the single shot that continues from beginning to end. The uninterrupted camera connects the moments of joy, discovery, and loss experienced by the boy without breaking them apart, showing that grief is not a process neatly arranged from scene to scene. Although multiple animators worked on different sections, the film is structured as one continuous movement.

Written and directed by Topaz and produced by Lirit Rosenzweig Topaz, the film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in New York on June 6, 2026. Miyu Distribution is handling distribution.