The Animation Show of Shows, a short film festival, is being screened on Thursday, February 8, 2024 in Harriman Hall 111 Film Theatre. Starting at 6pm, festival founder and curator Ron Diamond will address the audience, giving an overview of the wide variety of subjects of animation films and his ongoing worldwide search of each year’s best shorts which engage and affect. “These artistic gems, which, in the space of five or ten minutes, provide an experience as poignant, humorous, or profound as the best feature film.”-RD

Following Diamond’s remarks, the films will roll for approximately ninety minutes. Then, a discussion will be led by New Media/Communications Professor Hanna Sawka. Festival founder and curator Ron Diamond will return accompanied by one of the filmmakers to participate in Q&A and the discussion.

This evening event is free and open to all ages of the public.

For 24 years, the Animation Show of Shows has been presenting a highly selective, “best of the best” program of new and innovative short films to appreciative audiences. Come and be entertained and learn at this educational experience. Animation is an in-depth genre within the film industry. It is, indeed, an artform. The films are not kiddy cartoons. Diamond explains, “Animation is a natural medium for dealing with abstract ideas and deeply felt concerns.”

The ten shorts that will be screened comprise the 22^nd Annual Animation Show of Shows. This grouping of short films offers humor and reflection on the human condition. They demonstrate an insightful microcosm of our world. All are inventive, “their tone ranges from the whimsical to the profound; their techniques, from stop-motion to hand-drawn to computer-aided.”  Nine of the films are recent. The tenth is a restored classic -- Frédéric Back's classic 1987 Oscar-winner, The Man Who Planted Trees.

In order of appearance:

Beyond Noh -- Patrick Smith/Kaori Ishida (U.S.A./Japan)

Empty Places -- Geoffroy de Crecy (France)

Beseder (Good and Better) -- Gil Alkabetz (Germany)

Zoizoglyphe -- Jeanne Apergis (France)

Rain (Deszcz) -- Piotr Milczarek (Poland)

Average Happiness -- Maja Gehrig (Switzerland)

Aurora -- Jo Meuris (U.S.A.)

Yes-People -- Gísli Darri Halldórsson (Iceland)

Ties -- Dina Velikovskaya (Germany/Russia)

The Man Who Planted Trees -- Frédéric Back (Canada)

SUNY Orange’s Harriman Hall, Middletown campus is located at the corner of Wawayanda and East Conkling Avenues, (GPS: 8 East Conkling Avenue). Nearby free parking is available across the street in the parking garage at 3 East Conkling Avenue and in lot #1 adjacent to Orange Hall at 24 Grandview Avenue.

Questions may be directed to Cultural Affairs at cultural@sunyorange.edu