Patrick Ward’s David is a surrealist exploration of ego, sport, failure, and the inevitable passing of time.
In this sharp, deadpan satire of fame and expectation, David, a former football star, finds himself in freefall — haunted by pressure, time, and the slow betrayal of his own body. But you don’t need to be an ex-celebrity to relate. This is a story of ambition turned torment, of expectations that consume us, and of the quiet identity crisis that comes when the thing that once defined you starts to slip away.
Ward commented on the film:
David is inspired by those moments when life takes an unexpected turn and forces us to adapt. What will you do when that moment comes? The goal of this project was to find a way to tell a story within this universe. Live action was too expensive, and my interest in the medium was fading. I had always loved animation but never formally studied it, so in 2020, I taught myself through trial and error. The challenge wasn’t just to create a cartoon, but to discover the right technique that would unlock my full storytelling potential.
Visually, the film draws from Giorgio de Chirico, Mike Judge, Disney, and Renaissance art, while its narrative is shaped by ancient stories, folktales, and iconic sports history. Set against the backdrop of ’90s and ’00s Italian Serie A [football league], David is deeply rooted in European and South American football culture — research that led me to Italy and Argentina for first-hand experience.”
Ward is a director, animator, and producer specializing in visual storytelling and design-driven media. David is his debut film, premiering in Annecy’s WTF program in 2023. He also produced the feature film Peak Season, which premiered at SXSW in 2023.
