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Local Filmmaker and Animator Cory Sheldon Premieres New Short Movie at Akron Film Festival Halloween Program
Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival adds second showing after record crowds in 2008
Akron Film, producer of the Akron Film Festival, is pleased to announce that Akron writer, director and animator Cory Sheldon’s new short, “Seeds of the Damned” will premiere at its second annual Halloween program, the Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival. The program will take place at the Akron Art Museum (One South High, Akron, OH 44308) on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. with a special encore screening on October 31 at 2 p.m.
“It’s a piteous look at botanical apartheid,” Sheldon joked about his new movie, which examines intolerance in modern society, but with produce as its main characters. “Cinematically, this film seems to be somewhere between Veggie Tales and To Kill a Mockingbird.”
For this project Sheldon partnered with long-time collaborator Kyle Harlan. The concept for the movie is the result of many brainstorming sessions, with Harlan writing the bulk of the script and Sheldon producing the animation and music with his Akron-based band MEL. The entire project was created on Sheldon’s home computer, including the voiceover work, which was performed in part by his high school classmate Elizabeth Mumper.
“We were excited to hear that Cory would have a new short animation in time for us to premiere on October 29th,” said Akron Film co-executive director Steve Felix. “We’re fans of his previous work, and ‘Seeds of the Damned’ fits in perfectly with our Halloween season animation festival.”
Sheldon graduated from Ohio State with a degree in Visual Communication Design and currently teaches at Kent State University. His past projects include the music video “Memories” for Warner Brothers performing artists Eisley, animation for the rock group Mastodon as well as motion graphics and character animation work for various production companies and corporations. He is currently in post-production on his first feature film, Colors.
The Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival is in its second year and has expanded to two days after overflowing crowds in 2008. It will feature seventy minutes of hand-drawn and computer animated films from around the world. Along with “Seeds of the Damned,” highlights of the festival include:
Please Say Something – David OReilly’s new film recently won the 2009 Golden Bear for best short at Germany’s prestigious Berlinale Film Festival. Set in the distant future, with a completely original digital animation style, it tells the story of a tumultuous romantic relationship between a cat and mouse in twenty-three rapid episodes lasting twenty-five seconds each.
The Cat Piano – In this animated poem narrated by musician Nick Cave, a society of cats defends itself from a nefarious scheme to enslave it. Produced by the Australia-based People’s Republic of Animation and directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson, it has been winning awards at festivals around the world.
The Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Akron Art Museum’s Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium. Parking for the event is free after 6:00 p.m. in the High Street municipal garage directly across the street from the entrance of the Akron Art Museum. Galleries are open until 9 p.m. Admission fees apply to the galleries. The film program is free, but seating is limited and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Arriving early is advised. The program is not recommended for young children due to language and violence.
The full list of the animated shorts can be found on the third page of this press release. A video trailer featuring clips from the program and high resolution digital stills can be found at www.akronfilm.com after October 20, 2009.
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For more information please contact festival co-director Rob Lucas at (330) 618-4405 or co-director Steve Felix at 330-603-1520. Akron Film can be contacted by email at
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www.akronfilm.com
The Revenge of the Freakishly Short Animation Festival Lineup
The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9!, Narrative, US, 6 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Jake Armstrong
A spaceman hunts for his playful alien target.
This One Time . . ., Narrative, US, 3 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Nelson Boles
A boy and his unusual pet fend off an enormous creature.
Scintillation, Experimental, France, 3 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Xavier Chassaing
Brightly colored light crawls across environments in this cutting edge animation constructed with projection mapping techniques and over 35,000 still photographs.
Hello, Narrative, Australia, 6 minutes, 2003-Dir. by Jonathan Nix
A cassette tape player seeks the affection of a shiny new CD player.
Mameshiba, Commercial, Japan, 2 minutes, 2009-By Dentsu Incorporated
In these off-the-wall Japanese ads, bean shaped characters with puppy-dog faces offer trivia facts upon being discovered.
Who’s Hungry?, Narrative, US, 5 minutes, 2009-Dir. by David Ochs
An expressively hand-drawn updating of Hansel and Gretel.
Seeds of the Damned, Narrative, Akron, OH, 5 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Cory Sheldon
Fruits and vegetables struggle for dominance.
Bendito Machine III, Narrative, Spain, 7 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Jossie Malis
A tribal society is suddenly inundated with technology, to mixed effect.
Manifestations, Narrative, US, 4 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Giles Timms
A cartoon critter named Mr. Chip seeks anime love in a psychedelic, ever-morphing virtual world.
Lifeline, Narrative, US, 6 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Andres Salaff
A scientist bounces through various dimensions and realms as he searches for his deceased wife.
The Lost Tribes of New York City, Experimental, US, 3 min., 2009-Dir. by Carolyn and Andrew London
Typically inanimate street objects come to life to comment on city life, voiced by actual street interviews.
?????, Experimental, Germany, 1 minute, 2009-Dir. by David OReilly
Description not possible.
Zodiac Race, Commercial, US, 3 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Jonathan Garin & Naomi Nishimura
In a mix of CG characters, physically modeled environments, and traditional cel animation, the legendary race of animals to secure spots on the Zodiac Calendar is celebrated in this short commissioned by Japanese shoe maker Asics.
The Cat Piano, Narrative, Australia, 9 minutes, 2009-Dir. by Eddie White & Ari Gibson
In a city of singing cats, a lonely beat poet falls for a beautiful siren. When a mysterious dark figure emerges, he must save his muse and put an end to the nefarious tune that threatens to destroy the city.
Please Say Something, Narrative, Germany, 10 minutes, 2009-Dir. by David OReilly
Concerns the troubled relationship of a cat and mouse, set in the distant future.
