A renowned novelist is stuck in a rut when he runs into an old flame at a bookstore. “The Flavor of Cassava Leaf Over Rice,” directed by Tracey Todd, is an animated drama about a rainy weekend in L.A. where a trio of characters reflect on their lives as they begin to move into middle age. Married...

A cook is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to act in a film. “The Role,” directed by Paolo Chianta, is a hand-drawn animated film that traces a quiet man’s foray into an unfamiliar world. After discovering that he bears a striking resemblance to their father, a pair of siblings ask the co...

A young man writes to his maybe-lover from his uncle's castle complex. Fergus Campbell directs, animates, and narrates “Telling George" (2020) and “Telling George Again” (2024), two animated films composed as adult storybooks about a young man’s romantic experiences with art, literature, and recr...

A young man writes to his maybe-lover from his uncle's castle complex. Fergus Campbell directs, animates, and narrates “Telling George" and “Telling George Again,” two animated films composed as adult storybooks about a young man’s romantic experiences with art, literature, and recreation. Moving...

A colorful animated tale of a one-eyed woman and the guilt she feels after destroying her home planet. “Starshine Mountain,” directed by Corrinne James, is a wonderfully imaginative fairy tale / creation myth that begins with a cataclysmic series of events. Odette is a scientist on Earth who one ...

In this striking avant-garde animation by Cassie Shao, we begin in a room where a group of four people sit around a table and reflect on the question, “who did it?” Focusing on the sensory and dreamlike, the film offers free-flowing vignettes that resist easy comprehension. Through its abstract ...

A surreal, scattershot story of fatherhood, the cycle of life, consumerism, and giving people what they ask for. “Bobby Fish,” directed by Peter Wagner, is a one-of-a-kind oddity bouncing between perspectives— from a father, to a son, to a fish, to an evil toy company — all held together with a u...

The first river returns to Earth on a holographic tour. Robert Sommerlad directs “River One,” the story of a post-natural future told through 2D animation and an ambient being’s narration. Announcing the grand return of a river, exhibited for the first time to a young generation, the film weaves ...

After meeting at a punk show, a young man becomes infatuated with Selene and threatens to become a ‘happy person.’ Jack Dunphy directs “Revelations,” a darkly comedic memoir — romantic, psychedelic, etc — animated with paper cut-outs and carried by a forthright voiceover. From the moment he lays ...

Two gay men struggle with depression in a ruined environment, and a botanical glassblower mourns his wife. “Flora Borealis,” directed by Casey Friedman, is a striking animated film that uses a post-apocalyptic setting to explore themes of destruction and perseverance. The young couple survives in...

While making an animated film, a filmmaker must decide whether to stop working with his assistant or stop sleeping with her. “Brontosaurus,” directed, animated, and voiced by Jack Dunphy, is a brutally honest and darkly funny portrait of a messy relationship, presented as a series of pencil drawi...

A journey of a little girl with a vivid imagination. A film by Hemali Vadalia. Song by Kori Pop.

A young girl connects deeply with nature while fearful of her brutish father. “Ciervo,” directed by Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma, is a coming-of-age animated film — a sensory exploration of girlhood, family life and country living, particularly on the themes of freedom vs. captivity, and hunter vs...

In a dystopian future, it’s one man’s job to check faucets for leakage and wastage. Paolo Chianta directs and animates “Tap Runner,” an animated sci-fi short, hand-drawn with a ballpoint pen and characterized by a melancholic spirit. His job does not permit him to actually fix the taps — that’s t...

An experience from Edy Modica’s youth as she attempts to masturbate in the family bathroom with poor results (she describes her ‘style’ as “desperate and demonic,” quite unlike the delicate, pleasing-to-the-eye depictions of female masturbation seen elsewhere.) | Directed by Edy Modica.

A medley of overheard banter and personal musings about love and the cliches of love, i.e. “the same little message every night.” Directed by Peter Wagner, “It's All Related!” is an experimental animated film where mundane conversations about nachos, bitcoin, and psychiatry are flavored with a de...

In the future, a data limit is reached causing the internet to spill out into the real world. Luke Strickler directs and animates “2064,” an absurdist art video using stock 3D models of common American products and brands to paint a ridiculous future. A giant floating Mario becomes the Earth’s ne...

A frustrated husband spirals during his pre-planned fight with his wife at Ruby Tuesdays. Luke Strickler directs “I Decided To Fight With My Wife Over Salmon,” a constantly morphing digital art collage about love, hate, and death. The misogynistic man sees fine dining as the perfect opportunity t...

In this stylized personal essay, a renter says goodbye to their apartment. “What I Had to Leave Behind,” directed by Sean David Christensen, is a lovely ode to moving out, built around a self-deprecating voiceover and jazzy score. Memories spring to mind about every corner of the apartment — the ...

A shy college student turns invisible through a surreal metamorphosis and decides to follow around her crush from her philosophy class. In Natalie Horberg’s “Knowing Desmond,” animation collides with reality to form a youthful, experimental romance. In their university philosophy class, Desmond m...