Woodstock Film Festival Previews Animated Shorts Slate

There are numerous dedicated animation festivals around the world. But there are also animation selections at several general film and culture festivals. The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar-qualifying film festival that screens a slate of animated short films, alongside live-action and documentary shorts.

This year's animation selection comprises 28 original films. They include whimsical adventure Forevergreen, the visually inventive Phantasmagoric and Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale, animated by indie animation icon Bill Plympton. Other highlights include 1981, a coming-of-age story. Butterfly Kiss a fantastical love story and Little Shrew (Snowflake) written, directed and storyboarded by the music legend Kate Bush, and performed by her son, Albert McIntosh.

The 26th Woodstock Film Festival takes place from October 15-19 in Woodstock, Kingston, Saugerties, and Rosendale. NY. The animated shorts screen across two blocks "Friday Night Toons" and "Saturday Evening Cartoons".

•1981, by Carolyn London and Andy London, United States, 2025 – WORLD PREMIERE - It's 1981 in suburban Long Island, New York. The mullets are long, the metal is heavy and 14-year old Douglas gets a birthday surprise that will change life forever.

•A Grieving Heart, by Wendy Chong Zhao, United States, 2025 –  WORLD PREMIERE - About an immigrant woman examining her past in the wake of her American ex-boyfriend’s death. Through a first-person confessional, the narrator reflects on her Chinese-American upbringing, her past relationship, and her current grief. 

•A Parable, by Jeremiah Dickey, United States, 2025  – Hudson Valley Premiere - A lone wanderer finds enlightenment at the end of the road.

•Butterfly Kiss, by Zohar Dvir, Germany/Israel, 2024 – New York Premiere - After arguing over an unexpected proposal, Carol is horrified to discover that her girlfriend Ray has turned into a butterfly. Will love prevail?

•By My Own, by Liz Blazer and Lauren Weinstein, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - An animated documentary about a woman who bravely escaped an abusive arranged marriage. She finds healing in a painting program in a long-term shelter for survivors of domestic violence.

•Cardboard, by Jean-Philippe Vine, UK, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - When an overwhelmed, single dad pig moves his piglets into a rundown trailer park, he fears he’s failed his family. But soon his kids create a wildly imaginative game from a simple cardboard box, and Dad has a choice: dwell on the past, or join them on their intergalactic adventure.

•Éiru, by Giovanna Ferrari, Ireland, 2024 – New York Premiere - When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it.

•Forevergreen, by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of trash. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.

•Girls Night Out, by Ashley Sengstaken, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Girls Night Out is a digital collage freak feast that follows the girlies as they descend deeper into the chaos of a night on the town.

•Godzilla's Day Off!, by Myra Sito Velasquez, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Destroyer of Worlds! His very name sends shudders of fear throughout the planet! But could there be a side to this ancient Beast of Death and Destruction that no one has ever seen? Do you dare venture to his lair deep in the jungle to find out?

•I Beg Your Pardon, by John W. Lustig, United States, 2025 – New York Premiere - Consumed by guilt after committing a terrible crime, a drug-addicted man seeks atonement, only to find his attempts thwarted by the apathy of those around him.

•Icarus Too, by Mike Enright, United States, 2025 – US Premiere - A soaring journey of flight in late afternoon sun soaked sky and crashing dark seas, where animated birds of prey and humans descend in an endless loop. The techniques are intentionally revealed in various stages of production, creating a tension between the recognizable and the abstract.

•Impossible Journey, by YUCA, Brazil/United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - The journey of two storks for another ordinary day of work will expose the urgent crisis in maternal health care in the United States

•In the Morning, by Candy Kugel, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - With the need for resilience during a difficult time in our culture and daily news updates, "In the Morning," a song by Nora York and Jamie Lawrence, is the perfect antidote.

•Knitty Gritty, by Hannah Mangione, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Danni is a lonely girl who has just lost her closest confidant, her grandmother. After her passing, Danni was gifted a pair of her grandmother’s knitting needles. A series of events lead to the needles being lost on a subway car. Danni faces unusual obstacles and receives unexpected help.

•Last Year…, by Emmett Goodman, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - An animator creates one second of animation every day for a whole year, resulting in a visual stream-of-consciousness that is funny, colorful, and whimsical.

•Les Bêtes, by Michael Granberry, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.

•Little Shrew (Snowflake), by Kate Bush, UK, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - A little shrew who searches for Hope as she makes her way across a bombed-out city. Written, directed, storyboarded by musician Kate Bush and performed by her son, Albert McIntosh.

•Mistletoe, by Andrea Schmitz and Andrea Sparacio, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Tells the holiday horror story of the Baron, his new Lady wife, and a game they play to a terrible end.

•No Free Brains, by Ciara Sergi, United States, 2025 – WORLD PREMIERE - Lamb Chop ventures to the Brain Store where he tries on a series of 10 peculiar brains. Each one distorts his perception of the world in a uniquely twisted way.

•Phantasmagoric, by Adam J. Fuchs, United States, 2025 – East Coast Premiere - This film reimagines sports and movement through video feedback and analog distortion, transforming familiar actions into a hypnotic dreamscape. Blurring the line between reality and abstraction, the film invites viewers into a meditative exploration of motion, memory, and perception.

•Poppa, by Peter Ahern, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - An unlucky dude encounters a sticky situation after accidentally swallowing bubblegum.

•Snow Bear, by Aaron Blaise, United States, 2024 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Set in a rapidly changing world, Snow Bear tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving environment on his quest to find a friend.

•Swipe, by Patrick Smith, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - Tired of dating apps, a woman assembles her perfect man from leftover parts.

•The Dream Machine, by Jimmy Marble, United States, 2024 – East Coast Premiere - After the death of her lifelong love, a grieving woman chooses to participate in a program called The Dream Machine, a technology that renders our dreams into reality.

•Tuna Tartare, by Lena Greene, United States, 2025 – East Coast Premiere - In a karaoke bar in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, an expired can of tuna fish and a fake Louis Vuitton purse encourage each other to believe in their artistic voices, even if the world sees them as trash.

•Two Black Boys in Paradise, by Baz Sells, UK, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere - A movingly tender animation, based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, sees Edan (19) and Dula (18) on a journey of self-acceptance and love – for each other and themselves.

•Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale, by Daniel Neiden and Bill Plympton, United States, 2025 – Hudson Valley Premiere Animated by two-time Oscar nominee Bill Plympton and directed by Daniel Neiden, this short is about a third-grade student who's selectively mute and a grieving 80-year-old school volunteer who discovers that some of the deepest conversations.

For full program information and tickets, see the festival website.