Program 1 - Feature Presentation
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Andaluz
Dirs. Karen Aqua (Cambridge, MA) and Joanna Priestley (Portland, OR)
A musical love letter to Andalucía, presenting the culture, landscape, and architecture of southern Spain and suggesting the close relationship between people and the land which they inhabit.
6 min
Sita Sings the Blues
Dir. Nina Paley (Brooklyn, NY)
Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic The Ramayana. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told."
82 min
Visit the Sita Sings the Blues website here.
Program 2 – Shorts
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Voices
Dir. Joanna Priestley (Portland, OR)
A humorous exploration of the fears we share: fear of the darkness, of monsters, of aging, of being overweight and of global destruction.
4 min
Small Birds Singing
Dir. Linda McCarthy (Chester, UK)
Every day is Monday at the home of the Unbelievable family. Tiny elephants, arguing apples and a body in the hedge... just an ordinary day at Small Birds Singing.
7 min
Seasons
Dir. Marissa Delbressine (Hilversum, Netherlands)
A fluent sand animation about Spring in the form of a beautiful young girl - hatching from the ground, singing nature's song of life, sleeping and being reborn.
2 min
Beyond the Window
Dir. Marissa Delbressine (Hilversum, Netherlands)
When a wheelchair confined boy's imagination offers him a way out in the shape of a jester, he realizes that true freedom lies beyond the window.
5 min
Ground Zero/Sacred Ground
Dir. Karen Aqua (Cambridge, MA)
An ancient Native American rock art site lies 35 miles from the site of the first atomic bomb detonation in New Mexico. A contrast of two worlds: one in harmony with nature, and one which, in taming nature, has created a means for its destruction.
9 min
The Wit and Wisdom of Cancer
Dir. Nina Paley (Brooklyn, NY)
Cancer cells discuss the environmental issues of the day.
5 min
Street Car Named Perspire
Dir. Joanna Priestley (Portland, OR)
An animated roller coaster ride adventure that both previews and celebrates one of life’s most thrill-filled experiences for women.
7 min
I Slept With Cookie Monster
Dir. Kara Nasdor-Jones (Boston, MA)
A story of one woman’s experience with domestic violence throughout the ups and downs of the relationship and the struggle to move on.
4 min
Pro and Con
Dirs. Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz (Portland, OR)
An exploration of the thoughts and emotions of those working and living in our prison system, using 2-D puppets, drawings, object and cel animation and clay painting.
9 min
Sensorium
Dir. Karen Aqua (Cambridge, MA)
A hand-drawn experimental work inspired by dance gestures and movements found in nature such as water and tide pools. The film is a study of synthesis of sound and motion, creating a visible rhythm.
5 min
Let Them Grow! (Arrosez Les Bien)
Dir. Christelle Soutif (Paris, France)
Gustave lets a farm seeds salesman convince him to buy mysterious Gerblo corn to help his crop grow and peculiar events follow.
8 min
Buster and Louise
Dir. Jessica Polaniecki (New York, NY)
A cute little stop-motion homage to Keaton and Brooks, in the style of silent films of the 1920s.
2 min
The Ugly Bug Ball
Dir. Jessica Polaniecki (New York, NY)
A short short film including; walking, lip sync, flying, transformation, emotion and clay animation styles set to a classic little song.
2 min
Veterinarian
Dir. Signe Baumane (New York, NY)
A veterinarian routinely makes house calls and saves most patients. One time he is too late and the animal dies, breaking the vet's heart. In a dream, the animals he has treated appear to him offering love and forgiveness. When he wakes up, his heart has healed.
19 min