After the Fall

(1991, 6 minutes, drawings on index cards)

 

After the Fall is about relationships and the frustration of not being able to connect with others.  The animation was drawn on index cards that were shot outdoors, at a fast food restaurant, garbage dump, flower farm and near Mt. Hood.  After the Fall ends with the hero finding community by planting a seed from his heart. The final shot reveals how the film was made.

 

ÒFor segments of the 1991 piece, After the Fall, Priestley propped up a sheet of clear plexiglas at various outdoor locations and shot animation by placing sequences of drawings in its center.  In the finished film, the smooth hand-drawn animation is framed by stuttering approximations of live-action backgrounds.Ó -Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times

 

Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Music composed and produced by Billy Oskay and Cal Scott.

 

Awards

National Independent Film Competition (USA): Grand Prix

Athens Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): JurorÕs Award

 

Festivals

New York Film Festival (USA)

Bombay International Film Festival (India)

San Francisco International Film Festival (USA)

 

Screenings

Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA)

Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India)

Northwest Film Festival Tour (Portland, USA)

Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, USA)

High Museum (Atlanta, USA)

 

All My Relations

(1990, 5 min., 16mm, drawings on paper with 3-D frames)

 

All My Relations satirizes the pitfalls of romance, from marriage, childbirth and upward mobility to the disintegration of a relationship. The animation is framed by a series of sculptural assemblages, which emphasize the message implied by the archetypal characters whose dilemmas may be familiar to those who have bought into the American Dream.

 

Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Voices by Victoria Parker and Scott Parker.  Sound effects by Dennis Wiancko.  Sound produced by Joanna Priestley.  Assistant animation by Kathleen Nichols and Janet Karecki.

 

Awards

National Independent Film Competition (USA): Grand Prix

Black Maria Film and Video Festival (USA): Jury Award for Excellence

Big Muddy Film Festival (USA): Best of Festival

American Film and Video Festival (USA): Second Place/Red Ribbon Award

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Jury Award for Excellence

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

Athens International Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

Marin County Film Festival (USA): Third Prize

 

Festivals

New York Film Festival (USA)

Annecy International Animation Festival (France)

Hiroshima International Animation Festival (Japan)

TournŽe of Animation (USA)

Odense International Film Festival (Denmark)

Bombay International Film Festival (India)

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

PIA Festival (Japan)

U.S.A. Film Festival

 

Andaluz

(2004, 6 minutes, drawings on paper, screen ratio 1.33:1)

 

 A travelerÕs love letter to Andaluc’a, this animated film is an homage to the culture, landscape, and architecture of southern Spain. The film explores details of the natural world in relation to the four elements, and suggests the close relationship between people and the land which they inhabit.

 

"Short but sweet, this new animated tribute to southern Spain is just six minutes long, but the tale spans centuries."  -Cheryl Sinapis, Boston Globe

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley and Karen Aqua.  Sound designed, produced and mixed by Lance Limbocker.  Edited by Cam Williams. 

Music composed by Juanito Pascual.  Music produced by Ken Field.  Musicians:  Juanito Pascual (guitar, palmas), Fernando de Malaga (vocals), Adolfo Herrera (percussion, palmas), Ken Field (flutes).  Camera by Joanna Priestley and Shannon Turk.

 

Awards

Black Maria Film and Video Festival (USA): Director's Choice Award

ASIFA-East Animation Awards (USA): Excellence in Experimental Techniques

Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (USA): First Prize

USA Film Festival: Finalist

ASIFA-San Francisco Animation Awards (USA): Second Prize

Bimini International Animated Film Festival (Latvia): Special Jury Diploma

New England Film & Video Festival (USA): Jury Award for Best Independent Animation

 

Festivals

New York Film Festival (USA)

Big Muddy Film Festival (USA)

Tehran International Animation Festival (Iran)

James River Film Festival (USA)

Platform International Animation Festival (Oregon, USA)

Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film

Nashville Film Festival (USA)

Newport International Film Festival (Rhode Island, USA)

Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films

Culture2Culture Tricky Women Festival (Austria)

Anima Mundi (Brazil)

Starz Denver International Film Festival (Colorado, USA)

China International Cartoon and Digital Art Festival

I Castelli Animati (Italy)

Animac (Spain)

Northwest Film and Video Festival (Oregon, USA)

Jeon Ju International Film Festival (Korea)

C—rdoba Animation Festival (Argentina)

Down Under International Film Festival (Australia)

KROK International Animated Film Festival (Ukraine)

CineMujer Film Festival (Texas, USA)

Northampton Film Festival (New York, USA)

Womanimation! Film Festival (New Hampshire, USA)

 

Candyjam

(1988, 7 min., 16mm, object animation, puppets and drawings on paper)

 

Candyjam is a whimsical, animated collaboration by ten animators from four countries. Candy is the subject and each filmmaker brings their own unique style to this experimental film which includes animated candy and objects, drawings and puppet animation.

 

Produced and Directed by Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz. Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko. Sequence directors: 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). 

 

Awards

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): First Prize

National Independent Film and Video Competition (USA): Honorable Mention

Chicago International Film Festival (USA): Certificate of Merit

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner 

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

 

Festivals

Zagreb International Animation Festival (Croatia)

Flaherty Film Seminar (USA)

Aspen Film Festival (USA)

TournŽe of Animation (USA)

Mill Valley Film Festival (USA)

Denver Film Festival (USA)

Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal)

 

The Dancing Bulrushes

(1985, 5 min., 16mm, sand animation)

 

The Dancing Bulrushes is based on an Ojibwa Native American story about coyote, the trickster, published by Barry Lopez.  The film was made by animating beach sand frame by frame, on top of a sheet of glass, directly under the camera. 

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley and Steven Subotnick.  Written by Barry Lopez.  Music composed and performed by Miroslav Tadic.  Narrated by Fran Bennett.  Made at California Institute of the Arts.

 

Awards: 

USA Film Festival (USA): Special Judges Award for New Animation Talent

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner

FOCUS Film Festival (USA): Third Place

 

Festivals

Athens International Film Festival (USA)

San Francisco International Film Festival (USA)

Chicago International Film Festival (USA)

Los Angeles International Animation Celebration (USA)

Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)

 

Screenings

Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA)

Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India)

Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, USA)

Northwest Film Festival Tour (Portland, USA)

 

Dear Pluto

(2010, 4 min., DVD- Beta SP-Blu-ray, stereo, 16:9)

 

ÒDear Pluto, you will always be a planet in my Solar System! The International Astronomical Union has demoted you, cast you in with the other icy bodies of the Kuiper Belt. But what do they know?Ó  A tribute to Pluto, everyoneÕs favorite planetoid, from the poem ÒPizzaÓ by slam poet Taylor Mali. Created with Maya, 3-D Studio Max and Flash CS3.

 

Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley. 

Sound Designed and produced by Lance Limbocker.

Written and performed by Taylor Mali. 

3-D animation by James OÕNeill and Russell Wilkins. 

Design and 2-D animation by Joanna Priestley.

Compositing by Randy Wakerlin.

Additional computer animation by Fred Ruff.

Edited by Joanna Priestley and Randy Wakerlin. 

Music by Lance Limbocker. 

Character voices by Rob Sample. 

Assistant modeler: Luc CoteÕ. 

Storyboards by Dan Schaeffer. 

Character designs by Don Flores. 

Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

 

Dew Line

 (2005, 4.5 minutes, 2D computer animation, 1.33:1)

 

Synopsis: A rich abstract tapestry of biomorphic forms that hints at the loss of botanical diversity.  The title refers to the shapes created by condensation and to the line of radar stations (Distant Early Warning) built in Alaska, USA during the Cold War. Made with FlashMX.

 

 ÒPriestleyÕs playful eye takes us on a tour through the cycle of life and death as cells split apart, regenerate and dance a microbiological twist.Ó -Sam Green, San Francisco University

 

Credits

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.

Sound designed and produced by Jamie Haggerty.

Edited by Jamie Haggerty.

Supported by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

 

Awards

Big Muddy Film Festival: First Prize

Animated Worlds Tour and DVD (throughout USA)

Fantoche International Animation Festival: Best of the World Program (Switzerland)

Hiroshima International Animation Festival: Best of the World Program (Japan)

Black Maria Film Festival: DirectorÕs Citation

 

Festivals

Anima Mundi Animation Festival (Brazil)

Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (South Korea)

Prix Ars Electronica (Germany)

Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada)

Mediawave International Film Festival (Hungary)

London International Animation Festival (UK)

Melbourne Animation Festival (Australia)

Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (Germany)

I Castelli Animati (Italy)

Bimini International Animated Film Festival (Latvia)

Flying Broom International WomenÕs Film Festival (Turkey)

Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia)

Newport International Film Festival (Rhode Island)

Seattle International Film Festival (Washington)

Portland International Short Shorts Festival (Oregon)

Los Angeles Short Film Festival

Dallas Video Festival (Texas)

Portland International Film Festival (Oregon)

Northwest Film and Video Festival (Oregon)

Hi Mom Film Festival (North Carolina)

Anchorage Film Festival (Alaska)

 

Screenings

Independent Exposure Tour (international)

Northwest Film and Video Festival Tour (throughout USA)

Women with Vision, Walker Art Center (Minnesota)

 

 

Extended Play

(2007, 4 min., digital, animated installation, screen ratio 3:1)

 

Extended Play is an animated, experimental exploration and rediscovery of youthful pastimes.  Set within the spotlight of a elliptical border, games, diagrams and objects of amusement create an evocative metaphor of childhood play. 

 

Extended Play was a large scale, outdoor installation with two performers providing live foley sound. It premiered on June 28, 2007 at ÒInside OutÓ, Platform International Animation Festival, in Portland, OR, USA. 

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. 

Digital effects artist: Daniel Phillip Johnson.

Sound designed and produced by Marc Rose. 

Live sound and sound effects by Sam Mowry and Martin Gallagher.

Vocal performances by Shannon Day and Janet Day.

 

Eye Liner

(2010, 4 min., DVD/Blu-ray/ Beta SP, stereo, 16:9)

Bold, crisp, playful animation that explores the organic geometry and archetypes of the human face. Eyeliner choreographs the flow and ebb of abstract and cultural effigies that echo facial features.

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.

Sound Designed and produced by Jamie Haggerty.

Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

 

Grown Up

(1994, 7 min., 16mm, ink and watercolor on paper with object animation)

 

Grown Up takes a humorous and poignant look at what it means to be turning 40 and growing older.

 

ÒIn a time when everyone seems to be writing about aging, Priestley does a brilliant job of reclaiming 40 and her own process of middle aging with humor, optimism and an award winning animation style that just might make

twenty-somethings wish they were older.Ó  -Bill Foster, Northwest Film Center

 

ÒEverybody from Germaine Greer to Gloria Steinem to Betty Friedan are writing about aging, but what about middle-aging?  Priestley does a brillant job of reclaiming 40, and believe me, I have a vested interest in this subject.  An animation that just might make twenty-somethings wish they were older.Ó –B. Ruby Rich

 

Produced and directed by Joanna Priestley. Sound produced by Lance Limbocker.  Written by Barbara Carnegie and Joanna Priestley.  Music by Steve Christopherson and Warren Rand.  Props by Paul Harrod. Made possible by a grant from the Independent Television Service with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding provided by a Western States Regional Media Arts Fellowship.

 

Awards

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize

Marin County Film Festival (USA): First Prize

Worldfest Houston (USA): Gold Award

Black Maria Film and Video Festival (USA): DirectorÕs Citation Award

Worldfest Charleston (USA): Gold Award

Columbus International Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

Intercom International Festival (USA): Certificate of Merit

 

Festivals

Telluride Film Festival (USA, Premiere)

New York Film Festival (USA)

Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (USA)

Athens International Film and Video Festival (USA)

Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada)

U.S.A. Film Festival

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival (USA)

San Francisco International Film Festival (USA)

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA)

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (USA)

 

Hand Held

(1995, 7 minutes, ink and watercolor on paper with pixillated hands)

 

Hand Held is about organizing to confront oppression.  The animation, made with

ink, watercolor and pastels on index cards has been shot while being held in real

people's hands.  Models of all ages (infant to JoannaÕs 93 year old grandmother)

and races, prosthetic hands and animal paws create a symbolic community of hands

that surround the artwork. The soundtrack for Hand Held was performed by the

acclaimed acappella quartet: The Bobs, Joe Finetti, Richard Greene, Janie Scott

and Matthew Stull. 

 

Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound produced and composed

by Richard Greene and Joe Finetti.  Soundtrack performed by The Bobs: Joe Finetti,

Richard Greene, Janie Scott and Matthew Stull.  Sound effects by Jaime Haggerty. 

Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.  Special thanks to the

MacDowell Colony and Teknifilm Labs.

 

Awards

Marin County Film Festival (USA): First Prize

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First  Prize

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): DirectorÕs Citation

Humbolt Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

Medicine Wheel Animation Festival (USA): Honorable Mention

 

Festivals

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

Leipzig International Film Festival

Schorndorf International Cartoon Festival

 

Screenings

Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA)

Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India)

Northwest Film Festival Tour (Portland, USA)

Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, USA)

 

Jade Leaf

 (1985, 5 min., 16mm, 2-D computer animation)

 

Jade Leaf  is an abstract computer painting that was inspired by botanical forms. The images were made with a keyboard on a Cubicomp and IBM-AT, using Lumena, Easel and PC-10 software.  Digital images were shot onto 16mm film using a Bolex camera, mounted on a tripod, pointed at the monitor.  Jade Leaf is the first computer animated film made at California Institute of the Arts. Priestley was in the schoolÕs first computer animation class (1984-85), taught by Vibeke Sorensen.

 

ÒPriestleyÕs abstract painting has a wonderful graphic flow, not completely geometric, yet not completely organic.Ó -Phil Borsos, NW Film and Video Festival Juror.

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Music by Howard Richman.

 

Award: Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Place

Festival: Computer Animation Conference (USA): Oregon School of Arts and Crafts

 

 

 

Kali Yuga

(2000, 5 min., 16mm and digital, pixillation and object animation)

 

Kali Yuga was a pro bono commission for the contemporary music ensemble, Fear No Music.  It includes two animation experiments: pixillation of yoga instructor Diane Wilson (age 50) that was shot in the forest over a six month period and object animation of construction tools, bolts, screws and nails. The music, by modern classical composer Joseph Waters, was synchronized to the edited film.

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Music composed by and sound produced by Joseph Waters.  Yoga performance by Diane Wilson.  Music performed by the Fear No Music Ensemble and guests: Andrew Ehrlich (violin), Philip Hansen (cello), Joel Bluestone (percussion), Jeffrey Payne (piano), Mika Sunago (piano) and Joseph Waters (electronics). Edited by Steve Greiner, Creative Media Development.  Special thanks to: Bill Foster, Larry Johnson, Winks Hardware and Paul Johnson.

 

Performances

Reed College (Portland Oregon)

University of California (San Diego)

Portland Art Museum (Portland, Oregon)

 

Missed Aches

(2009, 4 min., DVD/Blu-ray/ Beta SP, stereo, 16:9)

 

Have you ever worked very horde on a paper for English clash, just to get a very glow raid? Proofreading your peppers is a matter of the the utmost impotence!

 

Missed Aches demonstrates how the shortcomings of spellcheck can result in unexpected double entendres.  It combines animated characters with moving text and was written and narrated by poet Taylor Mali, who led teams to four championships in the National Poetry Slam (USA).

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.

Written and narrated by Taylor Mali based on the poem ÒThe The Impotence of ProofreadingÓ. 

Sound Design by Normand Roger and Pierre Yves Drapeau.

Music by Pierre Yves Drapeau with Denis Chartrand and Normand Roger. 

Text Animation by Brian Kinkley. 

Character design and animation by Don Flores. 

Storyboards by Dan Schaeffer. 

Supported by The Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Caldera Institute.

 

Awards

USA Film Festival: Finalist

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): DirectorÕs Choice Award

 

Festivals:
Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)
AniMadrid Animation Festival (Spain)
Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada)
Barcelona Festival of Independent Cinema (Spain)
Dallas Video Festival (USA)
Tricky Women Festival (Austria)

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA)
New Orleans Film Festival (USA)
BEFILM Underground Film Festival (USA)
Visible Verse (Canada)
Crossroads Film Festival (USA)

 

Screenings:

REDCAT (Los Angeles, USA) Premiere 4-20-09

Words Worth a Thousand Pictures, Hollywood Theater (Portland, USA)

Cinemateca Santa ana (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)

 

 

Pro and Con

(1993, 9 min., 35mm, object animation, cels, drawings on paper, puppets and clay painting)

 

Pro and Con investigates life in prison through two monologues: one by a corrections officer (Lt. Janice Inman), and the other by Oregon State Penitentiary inmate, written by Jeff Green.  The guard is concerned both with the inability of our current prison system to deal with the increasingly violent nature of crime and the cyclical nature of crime within families.  The inmate reflects on the isolation he feels- how much he misses not only his wife and family, but also such mundane activities as riding in a car.  Pro and Con features self-portraits that were drawn by inmates at the penitentiary and object animation of weapons and crafts that were confiscated from inmates.

 

"Pro and Con is a brief but excellent exploration of the thoughts and emotions of those working and living in our prison system."  -Rebecca S. Albitz, Pyramid Film and Video

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz. Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker and Chel White.  Music by Chel White. Narrated by Lt. Janice Inman and Allen Nause. "Con" written by Jeff Green.  Commissioned through the Metropolitan Arts Commission's Percent for Art Program, Multnomah County, Oregon

 

Awards

Black Maria Film Festival: DirectorÕs Choice Award

Cindy Competition: Gold Award

Northwest Film and Video Festival: Honorable Mention

Worldfest Charleston: Gold Award

Birmingham Educational Film Festival: First Prize

Columbus Film Festival: Honorable Mention

CINE Competition: Gold Eagle Award

 

Festivals

Bombay International Film Festival (India)

Annecy International Animation Festival (France)

Holland Animation Festival

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA)

Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada)

U.S.A. Film Festival

Womanimation! Film Festival (New Hampshire, USA)

 

The Rubber Stamp Film

(1983, 7 min., 16mm, rubber stamps, watercolor and felt pen on index cards)

 

ÒAn imaginative, witty and energetic film.  The images are all made from new and old rubber stamps which combine, entangle and collide at a rapid and joyous pace.  A hundred little stories are told as the images zip by to a collaged sound-track of voices and musical fragments.  Pure delight!Ó -Melinda Ward, Walker Art Center

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko.

Awards 

New York Independent Filmmakers Expo: First Place

Motion Picture Sound Editors: Golden Reel Award

Northwest Film and Video Festival: First Place

Black Maria Film Festival: DirectorÕs Choice Award

Baltimore Film Festival: Second Place

 

Festivals

Telluride Film Festival

Hiroshima International Animation Festival

Canadian International Animation Festival

Aspen Film Festival

Chicago International Film Festival

 

Screenings

Museum of Modern Art (New York)

Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India)

Walker Art Center (USA)

Northwest Film Festival Tour (USA)

 

She-Bop

(1989, 8 min., 16mm, drawings on index cards and puppet animation)

 

She-Bop is about power, rage and seizing control of your life.  The star of the film in the film is cartoon Kali, the great destroyer/creator goddess.  She-Bop combines drawings on index cards and puppets, abstraction and character animation. It is based on a poem by Carolyn Myers, performed by jazz singer Carolyn Lochert Curtis.

 

ÒAn ode to the Goddess and female power, set to a poem by writer and performer Carolyn Myers.Ó –Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times

 

Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound and music designed and produced by Dave Storrs.  Written by Carolyn Myers.  Narration by Carolyn Lochert Curtis.  Sound effects by R. Dennis Wiancko.

 

Awards:

National Independent Film and Video Competition (USA): Grand Prix

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): DirectorÕs Choice Award

San Francisco International Film Festival (USA): Special Jury Award

National Educational Film Festival (USA): Special Merit Award

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize

Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner

Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal): Honorable Mention

 

Festivals

Annecy International Animation Festival (France)

Denver Film Festival (USA)

Montana Film Festival (USA)

Chicago International Film and Video Festival (USA)

Odense International Film Festival (Denmark)

 

Streetcar Named Perspire

(2007, 6.5 min., BetaSP and DVD, 1.85:1, stereo, 2-D computer animation)

 

Streetcar Named Perspire is a roller coaster ride through the hot flashes, mood swings, depression, pimples, facial hair, rage, menstrual flooding, insomnia, memory lapse, rapid heartbeat and brain fog of one of lifeÕs great transitions. 

 

ÒStreetcar Named Perspire is an animated work by a noted artist who quite literally tracks the highs and lows of dealing with the onset of menopause as the heroine careens through hot spells, fluctuating libido, night sweats and self acceptance. Serving both as a primer in what to expect from the process and a witty yet gentle satire of the educational video, A Streetcar Named Perspire finds the humor in a trying and universal experience.Ó –Black Maria Film Festival

 

ÒPriestleyÕs animated roller coaster ride through menopause both previews and celebrates- depending on your age- one of lifeÕs most thrill-filled experiences.Ó -Heike Kuehn, Northwest Film and Video Festival Judge

 

Credits:

Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley

Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker

Music composed by John Smith

Animation by Pascal Campion and Joanna Priestley

Written by Joanna Priestley and Victoria Parker Pohl

Editing by Michael Corrigan and Joanna Priestley

Narrator: Paul Harrod

Funding: Regional Arts and Culture Council. Special Thanks: The MacDowell Colony.

 

Awards

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Third Prize, DirectorÕs Choice Award

Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (USA): Finalist

 

Festivals

London International Animation Festival

Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

China International Animation and Digital Arts Festival

AniFest (Czech Republic)

Animadrid (Spain)

Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (Korea)

Dallas Video Festival (USA)

Exeter International Film Festival (UK)

Big Muddy Film Festival (USA)

Ann Arbor Film Festival (USA)

Festival Bimini (Latvia)

Tricky Women Film Festival (Austria)

Portland International Film Festival (USA)

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA)

Portland WomenÕs Film Festival (USA)

Three Rivers Film Festival (USA)

Womanimation! Film Festival (USA)

Cinanima (Portugal)

Tacoma Film Festival (USA)

World of Women Film Festival (Australia)

China International Animation and Digital Arts Festival

Michigan Womyns Film Festival (USA)

 

Surface Dive

(2000, 7.5 minutes, 1.85:1 sound: Dolby Digital)

 

Surface Dive is an abstract animated film inspired by a snorkeling adventure in a freshwater cenote in the Yucatan, Mexico.  It combines three layers of artwork, molded replacement sculptures, glass pieces and pastel drawings on paper.  Each layer is animated separately and shot on a multi-level stand.  ÒMore than 600 sculptures, 200 glass pieces and 2200 drawings combine to fashion a work of dazzling detail and complexity.Ó -Bill Foster, Director, Northwest Film Center

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker and Drew Canulette.  Director of photography: David Trappe.   Edited by David Massachi.  Camera: Emily Halderman and Joanna Priestley.  Sculpture assistants: Catherine Dunn and Danh Nguyen.  Multi-plane rig: Charles Rehwalt.  Flame compositor: Phil Guzzo.  A project of Creative Capital.

 

Awards

Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (Korea): First Place Award for Expression

World Animation Celebration (Los Angeles, USA): Best Experimental Film

Black Maria Film Festival (USA): DirectorÕs Citation Award

Culture2Culture Tricky Women Festival (Austria): City of Vienna Prize

 

Festivals 

Sundance Film Festival (USA)

Taos Talking Picture Festival (USA)

Anima Mundi International Animation Festival (Brasil)

I Castelli Animati Animation Festival (Italy)

Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal)

Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (Germany)

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA)

Nordic and Baltic Animation Festival (Norway)

Big Muddy Film Festival (USA)

Dallas Video Festival (USA)

Animated Encounters: Bristol International Animation Festival (UK)

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

ANIMAC International Animation Festival (Spain)

James River Film Festival (USA)

Ann Arbor Film Festival (USA)

Filme Im Schloss: Weisbaden Animation Festival (Germany)

Enzimi Festival (Rome, Italy)

 

Times Square

(1986, 4 min., 16mm, 2-D computer animation, not released)

 

Times Square is an abstract meditation on urban shapes and sounds. It was created at California Institute of the Arts on a Cubicomp and IBM-AT, using Lumena, Easel and PC-10 software.  Digital images on the computer monitor were shot onto 16mm film using a Bolex camera on a tripod, pointed into the monitor.  Engel and Priestley were in the first computer animation class at Cal Arts (1984-85), taught by Vibeke Sorensen.

 

Directed, produced and animated by Jules Engel and Joanna Priestley.  Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko.

 

Utopia Parkway

(1997, 5 minutes, drawings on paper, sculptures and glass, 35 mm and DVD)

 

Utopia Parkway is an experimental exploration of compartments, containers and boxes that was inspired by the sculptures of Joseph Cornell, who lived on Utopia Parkway (Queens, NY) nearly all of his life. The animation was made with drawings on index cards, 122 replacement sculptures (made with Magi Sculpt and acrylic paint), wooden boxes, cigar boxes, glass bottles and seashells.

 

ÒJoanna PriestleyÕs Utopia Parkway explores new techniques, including animating 3-D forms made out of what looks like glazed clay.  The objects were sculpted to form a series that have smooth transitions from one shape to another.  The work is technically brilliant and her use of new materials is quite inventive.Ó  -Karl Cohen, ASIFA-SF Journal

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound design and music by Jaime Haggerty. Art Director: Paul Harrod. Directors of Photography: Charles Rehwalt and David Trappe.  Edited by Chris Willging and Joanna Priestley. Sculpture sequences: Chris Bourdette, Barry Bruce, Chuck Duke, Joan Gratz, Mark Gustavson, Theresa Drilling, Jean Poulot and Joanna Priestley.  Supported by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. Special thanks to the MacDowell Colony.

 

"The works I found most compelling not only had an intellectual and emotional resonance beyond their construction, they also stood somewhere outside the traditional narrative. Utopia Parkway was especially a pleasure to watch." -Rachel Rosen, Northwest Film and Video Festival

 

Awards

San Francisco International Film Festival (USA): Golden Gate Award

Big Muddy Film Festival (USA):  Best of Festival

Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA):  JudgeÕs Award

Black Maria Film Festival (USA):  DirectorÕs Choice Award

U.S.A. Film Festival- Finalist

 

Festivals

Fantoche International Festival for Animated Films- Best of the World                   Program (Switzerland)

I Castelli Animati (Italy)

Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films (Croatia)

Hiroshima International Animation Festival (Japan)

Anima Mundi International Animation Festival (Brasil)

Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany)

Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal)

Oslo Animation Festival (Norway)

Annecy International Animation Festival (France)

Ecofilm International Festival of Environmental Films (France)

Intercom: International Festival of Films of the Environment (France)

The World Animation Celebration (Los Angeles)

Mill Valley Film Festival (California)

Leipzig Documentary and Animation Film Festival (Germany)

Interfilm Berlin Festival (Germany)

Schlondorf International Film Festival (Austria)

ANIMAC (Spain)

Matita Film Festival (Italy)

Malaysia Video Awards (Malaysia)

Dallas Video Festival (Texas)

Taos Talking Picture Festival (New Mexico)

Vital International Animation Festival (UK)

Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (USA)

 

Voices

(1985, 4 minutes, drawings on paper, 16mm, BetaSP, DVD)

 

A light-hearted exploration of fear of the dark, of old age, of obesity, of monsters and of global destruction.  ÒPriestley gets across a series of personal phobias in a refreshing and humorous fashion. We get a superb, contemporary animated film with salutes to historical cartoon figures scattered throughout. Delightful!Ó -Marv Newland, NW Film and Video Festival Juror.

 

ÒPriestleyÕs film shows great joy and delight in being alive.  ItÕs a message with style.Ó -Ed Emshwiller

 

Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko.  Narrated by Joanna Priestley.

 

Awards

National Independent Film Competition: First Place

National Educational Film Festival: First Place

Algarve Cinema Festival: Best Animated Film (Portugal)

Tel Aviv International Film Festival: First Place

Big Muddy Film Festival: Best of Festival

Canadian International Animation Festival: Special Merit Award

Northwest Film and Video Festival: Best of Festival

CINE Competition: Gold Eagle Award

Chicago International Film Festival: Bronze Hugo Award

U.S.A. Film Festival: Finalist

Sinking Creek Film Festival: Cash Award Winner

Odense International Film Festival: Special Jury Prize

 

Festivals

Telluride Film Festival (USA)

Hiroshima International Animation Festival (Japan)

Zagreb International Animation Festival (Croatia)

Hong Kong International Film Festival (China)

Los Angeles International Animation Celebration (USA)

Denver International Film Festival (USA)

Olympia Film Festival (USA)

Black Maria Film Festival (USA)

Stuttgart International Animation Festival

Films des Femmes: Festival International de CrŽteil (France)

San Francisco International Film Festival

Montreal International WomenÕs Film Festival

New York FilmmakerÕs Expo

Bumbershoot Film Festival (USA)

Flaherty Film Seminar (USA)

Womanimation! Film Festival (USA)