Made In New York: Best of NYC Indie Animation
Just as New York has long been the capital of America’s artistically ambitious “Second Cinema,” a scrappy foil to the Los Angelino industry of streamlined entertainment, it is also home to a counter-tradition of independent animation that has nothing to do with what happens out there in Burbank at the House of the Mouse. Two abundantly talented stalwarts of the NYC animation scene, Bill Plympton and Signe Baumane, have teamed to assemble a program of some of the finest (and most outrageous) work to emerge from artists living and working in the Big Apple.
“What makes NYC indie animators so special? Sense of timing. This program showcases just a sliver of the best NYC indie animation: some of the films are Oscar winners, others are made by animation newcomers, but they all share the sense of wonder, adventure and perfect NYC timing to make you laugh, cry and be entertained.” —Signe Baumane
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Bathtime in Clerkenwell
Directed by Alex Budovsky | 3 mins | 2003
This animation is based on Stephen Coates' composition under the same title and is about The Great Revolution of the British Cuckoos, who bravely took over London, forcing all the people to move inside the cuckoo clocks. This film was totally improvised, ... -
Beyond Noh
Directed by Patrick Smith | 4 mins | 2020
"Beyond Noh" rhythmically animates 3,475 individual masks from all over the world, beginning with the distinctive masks of the Japanese Noh theater and continuing on a cultural journey through ritual, utility, deviance, and politics. -
Everybody's Pregnant
Directed by Debra Solomon | 7 mins | 1997
A rough ride through the rocky terrain of modern day baby-making. -
Fantaisie in Bubblewrap
Directed by Arthur Metcalf | 4 mins | 2007
The final minutes of a society of vocal bubblewrap as it faces its apocalypse. -
Frank Film
Directed by Frank and Caroline Mouris | 9 mins | 1973
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, Frank and Caroline Mouris' kinetic short charts Frank's journey from daydreaming kid to groundbreaking artist. -
Life In Transition
Directed by John Dilworth | 4 mins | 2005
"Life in Transition" is a visual and symbolic journey depicting the continual
transformations of life. -
Rocks in My Pockets
Directed by Signe Baumane | 89 mins | 2014
Armed with a surrealist sensibility and a wicked sense of humor, New York-based Latvian animator Signe Baumane has long probed the thorny parts of life as a woman. Here, hand-drawn imagery combines with papier-mache sets and stop-motion techniques in an ... -
Teat Beat of Sex
Directed by Signe Baumane | 4 mins | 2008
It is a take on sex from a woman’s point of view. Shocking! -
The Opposites Game
Directed by Lisa LaBracio and Anna Samo | 5 mins | 2019
"What is the opposite of a gun? A classroom erupts into a war of words
as students grapple with this seemingly simple question in Lisa LaBracio
and Anna Samo’s adaptation of Brendan Constantine’s “The Opposites
Game”. Entirely hand-crafted b... -
There's Too Many of These Crows
Directed by Morgan Miller | 4 mins | 2016
A hungry poacher and his wife trigger a series of reprisals. A short film about aggression and escalation. -
The Lost Tribes of New York City
Directed by Michael Capobianco, Andy London, and Carolyn London | 3 mins | 2009
Urban Anthropologists, Andy and Carolyn London interview some of New York City's more overlooked citizens. -
Warm Reception in L.A.
Directed by Candy Kugel and Vincent Cafarelli | 5 mins | 1987
A story of an author's struggle for success - the glamor and dreams of Hollywood and the check that's on the way.
