Sponsored by:
Leaf + Quiet, Little Hinoki Designs, and Mountain Maple Woodworks!
Shorts Block 3: Animation
Animation has always been a part of MTFF, but it's finally getting its own program! Come with us to a far-future society cursed with immortality, to a surreal Mardi Gras street party inspired by Brueghel, to the pastoral poetry of the American heartland--and that's just three of the offerings here. Whether made by first-time animators or industry legends, these visionary films push the boundaries of the medium, exploring new methods and creating new forms.
Spoon River: The Hill
Director: Andy Smetanka
US
The opening sequence of a new silhouette-animation feature based on the Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, introducing the town cemetery as both character and setting, and setting the feature's pervasive mood of gorgeous melancholy.
Hurikán
Director: Jan Saska
Czech Republic
Missoula Premiere
Boozy and hog-faced Hurikán rushes to fetch a new keg, hoping both to save his favorite beer stand from closure and impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own unquenchable thirst.
Enbyknownst
Director: Stefan Gruber
Producer: Jasper Daly
US
MT Premiere
Recounting the times the filmmaker felt their non-binary-ness, before there were words to describe it.
Spoon River: Abel Melveny
Director: Andy Smetanka
US
Nearing the end, a man compares his life to the collection of machines and engines he has accumulated.
Take Me Drunk I'm Home
Director: Nathan J. Downs
Producer: Nathan J. Downs
US
MT Premiere
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, and the town is abuzz. As one drunkard tries desperately to ascend his stairs to bed, the rest of the town descends deeper and deeper into their cups.
Bullet Time
Director: Eddie Alcazar
Producers: Javier Lovato, Eddie Alcazar
US
Bullet–a turbo-charged bull terrier–is eager to enter the Battle Blast video gaming tournament, but he’s not prepared for just how insane things are about to get.
Spoon River: Cassius and Richard
Director: Andy Smetanka
US
One disgruntled soul in the Spoon River cemetery takes issue with the words carved on his gravestone. Then we hear from the dead man whose job it was in life to carve them.
Father Alphonse and the Fight Between Carnival and Lent
Director: Diana Thorneycroft
Producer: Diana Thorneycroft
Canada
MT Premiere
A novice priest must make it from his apartment to the church during the last frenetic hour of a surreal Mardi Gras night.
Wandering Horse
Director: Emily Ann Hoffman
US
MT Premiere
A horse wanders through the extraterrestrial beauty of New Mexico, and through a variety of animation styles: oil pastel palimpsest, replacement animation, compositing, and stop motion.
LARVAL
Director: Alice Bloomfield
UK
MT Premiere
Please note: This film is not available in the MTFF Virtual Fest.
Living a lonely life of isolation, a young girl fantasizes about possessing the looks of her celebrity idol and winning the heart of her unrequited love.
Marquis, Repeat
Director: Halley Linscheid
US
US Premiere
Marquis has a few loose screws. While waiting for his lover to arrive, he falls apart.
Spoon River: Francis Turner
Director: Andy Smetanka
US
Francis Turner is one of the few genuinely contented souls at rest in the Spoon River cemetery. His character is also one of just a handful in the feature Spoon River to be cut in the likeness of its (native Montanan) narrator. Can you guess who it is before the credits roll?
Jesus 2
Director: Jesse Moynihan
US
In a future where no one can die and no one wants to live anymore, two space pirate brothers must destroy an evil messiah to break the curse of immortality and deliver humanity to its final resting place.
Followed by a Q&A with:
Kiki Barney, designer, Marquis, Repeat
Vlad Frederick, story, Marquis, Repeat
Andy Smetanka, director, Spoon River - Selections
Duration: 88 min
