(Matthew Wade, Boise, ID, 7 min)

Flowers flourish amid death in this neon-sunset hued animation.

(Luca Dipierro, Portland, OR, 4 min)

Luca Dipierro’s gorgeous stop motion film⁠—made with old book cloth, paper, fabric, wood, stone, feathers and flowers⁠—evokes the macabre whimsy of fairy tales in its short examinations of loss and grief.

(Richard Reeves, Creston, British Columbia, 2 min)

Reeves’s experimental direct-amination abstracts the quotidian, transforming the experience of watching television into a symphony of shapes and sound on screen.

* NWFF note: Interested in this technique? Consider taking our Direct Cameraless Animation Workshop w/ Engauge! *

(Nick Shively, Seattle, WA, 4 min)

In this music video for Dude York, Nick Shively’s lush animation creates a world of romantic dreaming, tinged with the bittersweet disappointment that comes when the fantasy of love gives way to the practical reality.

(Neely Goniodsky, Seattle, WA, 4 min)

Neely Goniodsky’s expressive and emotional style animates this veteran’s personal narrative of his turbulent relationships with his families—the one he found and lost in the military, and the one he built with his wife and son.

(Jamaal Bradley, Redmond, WA, 5 min)

Based on true events, this film tells the story of two brothers following two different paths in life. The tension turns to anger when Jason discovers that his younger brother, John, has chosen to sell drugs and is thereby endangering the well-being of his daughter.

(Meg Hunt and PMurphy, Portland, OR, 2 min)

A young girl named Flora lives in an abstracted botanical dream world. Flora’s rambunctious curiosity leads to her creating unintended damage, but with the help of a muddy friend, her loss is turned into something more generative.

(Christopher Strickler, Vancouver, BC, 4 min)

An intense direct animation ride, full of crunchy textures and juicy colors soundtracked by chaotic electronic music.

(Danny Tayara, Seattle, WA, 1 min)

On the issue of climate change, everyone counts but not everyone has the same power. This animation acts as a call to action to those who should be held accountable in the struggle.

(Lulu Keating, Canada, 8 min)

In this mixed-media animation, Lulu Keating ponders a prescient dream and ruminates on mortality, alongside artistic output and worth.

(Matt Orefice, Seattle, WA, 4 min)

In this music video for local band, larvles, Matt Orefice creates a world that is at once dark and whimsical, evoking the energy of a post-post Todd Haynes.

(Laura Heit, Portland, OR, 3 min)

A dynamic moving landscape, inspired by the small Oregon forest inhabited by the sculptures of Oregon artist Lee Kelley.

Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 22nd Annual Local Sightings Film Festival (September 20-29, 2019) showcases the growing complexity of creative communities in the Pacific Northwest. Its 2019 edition features a competitive selection of curated shorts and feature film programs, inviting regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.

Programmed closely with community partners as curators, the festival uplifts new talent, provides educational opportunities for youth and adults, supports the regional film industry, and promotes diverse media as a critical tool for public engagement.

• FEATURE FILMS
• SHORT FILM PROGRAMS
• WORKSHOPS & PANELS
• SPECIAL EVENTS