“Priestley has spent the past 25 years pushing the boundaries of the genre with inventive, often irreverent shorts on topics such as aging, prison and plants.” – Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times
We are happy to present the oeuvre of an exceptional artist who deftly turns issues such as relationship problems or the different stages in women’s lives into humorous animations. In the first part of the program Joanna Priestley presents some of her narrative works, while the second part is devoted to her abstract films and latest animations.
Voices
1985,
04'00
A humorous exploration of the fears we share: fear of the darkness, of monsters, of aging, of being overweight and of global destruction.
She-Bop
1988,
08'00
A movie about power, rage and seizing control of your life. The star of the film in the film is cartoon Kali, the great destroyer/creator goddess. She-Bop combines drawings on index cards and puppets, abstraction and character animation.
All My Relations
1990,
05'00
A series of sculptural assemblages emphasizes the message implied by the archetypal characters whose dilemmas may be familiar to those who have bought into the “American Dream”.
Grown Up
1993,
06'50
A humorous and poignant look at what it means to be turning 40 and growing older.
Pro & Con
with Joan C. Gratz
1993,
09'00
Life in prison through two monologues: one by a corrections officer, the other by an Oregon State Penitentiary inmate.
Streetcar Named Perspire
2007,
06'23
A wild roller coaster journey through the mood swings, hot flashes and brain fog of one of life’s great transitions.
Dear Pluto
2012,
04'00
A tribute to everyone’s favorite planetoid, written and narrated by Manhattan slam poet Taylor Mali. The movie blends 2D and 3D animation to explore Pluto’s unfortunate demotion in our solar system.
Missed Aches
2009,
04'00
A witty commentary on ignorance, idiocy and our over-reliance on spell check. Written and narrated by Taylor Mali, this dirty ditty animates text and plays up phonetics with hilarious results.
Utopia Parkway
1997,
05'00
An abstract and symbolic film about covert forces and mysterious containers. Inspired by the boxes of US-American artist Joseph Cornell.
Dew Line
2005,
04'30
A rich abstract tapestry of biomorphic forms that hints at the loss of botanical diversity.
Eye Liner
2011,
04'00
The Eye Liner Trilogy
Using luminescent layers of organic abstract animation, “Eye Liner” delves beneath archetypes of the human face.
Split Ends
2013,
03'30
The Eye Liner Trilogy
Luscious colors and delicate lines playfully construct animated full field patterns and reference mass produced ornamental designs of the industrial era.
Bottle Neck
2015,
03'00
The Eye Liner Trilogy
A luminous crush of still life silhouettes, abstract shapes and complex, interlocking patterns, the movie renovates the commonplace objects of a classical painting genre in a modern setting.
Tricky Women - International Animation Filmfestival Vienna
