Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is a juried international festival of the world’s most boundary-pushing, mind-blowing animation programmed and organized by animator and educator, Phil Davis.
The International Invitational program features the best work submitted by animators from all over the world. and includes animated incidents of lost love in paradise, overcooked meat, letters from prison, amphibians in heat, repetitions of the mundane, goose migration, an enormous water slide, secret police, masseur seduction, and a child becomes a car tire.
Works Included
Au revoir Jérome ! (France, 8 min) directed by Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, and Chloé Farr
Having just arrived in paradise, Jerome sets out to find his wife Maryline. In the course of his search, he sinks into a surreal and colourful world in which no one seems to be able to help him.
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Steakhouse (Slovenia/Germany/France, 9 min 30 sec) directed by Špela Cadež
The steak has been marinating for a few days now. The pan is heated. Franc’s stomach is rumbling. But Liza’s co-workers surprise her with a birthday party. Will she be home on time?
Zoon (Germany, 4 min 30 sec) directed by Jonatan Swank
Small shimmering animals are in heat. A two-legged forest dweller encounters the lustful group. He and his companions snack on the little creatures and soon a feast begins.
Love, Dad (Czech Republic/Slovakia, 12 min 46 sec) directed by Diana Cam Van Nguyen
A short film about ties and gaps between a child and a parent. The author rediscovers love letters her dad used to write her from prison. That love seems to be gone now. She decides to write back in hope to find the connection again. She puts in writing what could not be said: blaming him for the family's break-up but also trying to understand.
Menagerie (USA, 4 min 30 sec) directed by Jack Gray
Day after day, inhabitants of the Menagerie play out their daily lives like clockwork. Menagerie is a study of the daily motions and mundane tasks of contemporary city life. Featuring hundreds of looping animated characters, the film explores how the repetitive actions of our day-to-day lives quickly spiral into an endless kaleidoscope of abstraction.
Slower Animals (USA, 7 min) directed by John C. Kelley
While aimlessly following a winter goose migration across the American south, a professor slips in and out of childhood memories that all surround a forgotten trauma. This short animated film explores the ways we are shaped; both by what we remember and what we forget.
Black Slide (Israel, 11 min) directed by Uri Lotan
Eviah, a young and timid kid on the brink of puberty, and his best friend sneak into the Black Slide, the most terrifying ride in Aqua Fun. There, Eviah will gain insight to prepare him for events about to unfold at home.
Bestia (Chile, 15 min) directed by Hugo Covarrubias
Based on true events, Bestia explores the life of a secret police agent during the military dictatorship in Chile. Her relationship with her dog, her body, her fears and frustrations reveals a grim fracture of her mind and of the country.
Wet (France, 6 min) directed by Marianne Bergeonneau, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, and Elvira Taussac
During a thrilling massage, a lady is going to seduce her masseur. Through different rooms of a thermal cure, a seduction game would take place. A maze of sensation, flesh and steam which lead them to meet again.
Sierra (Estonia, 16 min) directed by Sander Joonk
A father and his son are losing the folk race. In order to win, the boy turns himself into a car tire. Loosely inspired by the director’s childhood, Sierra pulls us into the surreal car racing world.
The mission of Sweaty Eyeballs is to showcase unique, experimental and diverse voices in the field of animated filmmaking with a focus on innovation in craft, storytelling and work that questions preconceived notions of what animation can and should be. Sweaty Eyeballs supports independent and emerging animators with dynamic programming + networking and seeks to ignite a hub for professional animation opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic region, and Baltimore City. With over a dozen colleges + universities in the area, a diverse + vibrant arts scene, ample affordable live/work space, and a central location, Baltimore is the perfect place to build community.
Phil Davis began Sweaty Eyeballs as an annual invitational programming series in 2012. He is an animator, avid musician, cartoon watcher and professor of animation and film at Towson University. His animations and music videos have been featured in festivals internationally. He is currently working on an animated documentary short about the town of Millinocket, ME and incidents surrounding a fatal paper mill accident.
COVID-19 POLICIES
- Face masks are required at all times in the SNF Parkway except when consuming concessions in your seat.
- Patrons are strongly encouraged to avoid the theater if they are feeling unwell or have had a recent unmasked exposure to someone who tested positive. Email info@mdfilmfest.com with any questions.