Born in London in 1946, Tony Hill is sometimes called the godfather of British structuralist film. Hill studied Architecture and Sculpture and has been working as an independent filmmaker since 1973, usually taking on all aspects of production and developing and even building his own equipment. He also works with installations, photography, and sound. Hill’s prolific and playful opus constantly challenges, expands, and redefines the viewer’s perspective.
Tony Hill
Tony Hill participated in “Greatest” Short Films of All Time 2025, a first-ever poll of its kind as a collective love letter to the art of short-form moving image. yanco and Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, in collaboration with Talking Shorts, invited filmmakers, curators, distributors, critics, and scholars worldwide to nominate 10 audiovisual works under sixty minutes that they personally consider the “greatest” of all time. This was Tony Hill’s submission:
| Movie | Original Title | Director | Country | Year | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assocations | John Smith | United Kingdom | 1975 | 6’ | ||
Brilliant, simple and totally engaging. |
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| Darkness, Light, Darkness Tma/Svetlo/Tma | Jan Švankmajer | Czech Republic | 1989 | 7’ | ||
Extraordinary animation |
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| Tango | Zbigniew Rybczyński | Poland | 1981 | 8’ | ||
A clever and amazing technical feat. |
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| Smart Alek | Andrew Kotting | United Kingdom | 1993 | 18’ | ||
| The Black Tower | John Smith | United Kingdom | 1987 | 24’ | ||
| Wavelength | Michael Snow | Canada, USA | 1967 | 45’ | ||
| Creature Comforts | Nick Park | United Kingdom | 1989 | 5’ | ||
| Downside Up | Tony Hill | United Kingdom | 1984 | 18’ | ||
| Un Chien Andalou | Luis Buñuel | France | 1928 | 21’ | ||
| The Girl Chewing Gum | John Smith | United Kingdom | 1976 | 12’ | ||