Joanna Priestley

Walt Disney said “We have created characters and animated them in the dimension of depth, revealing through them to our perturbed world that the things we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that divide us.” Outside of Walt himself there are few people who have brought together and united more animators in the history of the genre than Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble, known to all as Spike & Mike. They created an animation festival that helped launch the careers of John Lasseter, Peter Lord, Will Vinton, Bill Plympton and Mike Judge to name just a few. Their Spike & Mike festival had an enormous impact on animation that was felt the world over. The festival was known as much for the breakthrough animation it presented as the outrageous antics of the founders.

A powerful, emotional and sometimes humorous look at the daily life of a prison inmate and a corrections officer.

Martin Cooper’s documentary feature explores the lives and work of six internationally renowned, independent animators and animation directors. These multi-award-winning artists are Jim Blashfield, Rose Bond, Joan C. Gratz, Zak Margolis, Joanna Priestley and Chel White. Their animated films span a period of over 40 years and reflect a wide range of techniques, from direct animation and classic stop-motion, through 3D models, clay painting, computer-generated imagery up to AI. History, Mystery & Odyssey is entirely filmed in Portland Oregon, where all these animators live and work.

A dense multiverse of images and shifting focal points that explore the tension between two dimensional patterns both familiar and alien. Conventional icons are deconstructed, creating shapes that spark a sense of connection and shared history, while scenes transmogrify from rhythmic explosions to sublime trance-inducing patterns.

A tribute to Pluto, everyone’s favorite planetoid

Candyjam is a whimsical, animated collaboration by 10 animators from four countries: David Anderson (England), Karen Aqua (USA), Craig Bartlett (USA), Elizabeth Buttler (USA), Paul Driessen (Holland), Tom Gasek (USA), Joan Gratz (USA), Christine Panushka (USA), Joanna Priestley (USA) and Marv Newland (Canada).

An abstract computer painting that was inspired by botanical forms.

Explores the mythopoeic realm through mandalas and dream images that hint at hidden trauma.

An abstract meditation on urban shapes and sounds.

An acronym for Distant Early Warning Line, Dew Line refers to the array of radar stations built in the Arctic during the Cold War, and to the elegant shapes created by condensation. This animated tapestry of biomorphic forms elegantly dances through the life cycles of cells while hinting at the loss of botanical diversity.

Short experimental computer animation by Jules Engel

A humorous explanation of the fears we share: fear of the darkness, of monsters, of aging, of being overweight, and of global destruction.

Our best intentions can go awry when it comes to recycling plastic.

Delicate patterns inspired by North American wrapping papers from the 1960’s and French and English wallpapers from the early 1900s.

Layers of animation featuring more than 600 sculptures, 200 glass pieces and 2200 drawings evoke an inspiring diving exploration in a freshwater lake in Yucatan.

The Rubber Stamp Film was hand stamped on over 5000 index cards. Color was added with water color and felt pen.

Still life silhouettes collide with abstract shapes and complex, interlocking patterns. Reimagining the commonplace objects of a classical painting genre with experimental animation.

Pixilation of yoga instructor Diane Wilson, shot in the forest over a six month period and object animation of construction tools, bolts, screws and nails.

An experimental exploration and rediscovery of games and youthful pastimes.

A witty commentary on our over-reliance on spell check that plays up phonetics with hilarious results.