Womanimation! Celebration

On June 29, some of the best women-created animation from around the world will be featured at AS220 for the annual Womanimation! screening. MergingArts Productions, helmed by creative director Toni Pennacchia, puts the festival together every year. This 90-minute festival brings to the screen 12 animated shorts from 11 countries, and more than half of them are world premieres.

In today’s political climate, proudly nasty women are pissed off. But these shorts — though not appropriate for children — are not political in nature. Pennacchia says, “It is more personal than political, focusing on the story-telling power of animation, while still presenting distinctively female perspectives.  Themes may be deep and dark or light and fanciful, from the complexities of sexual dynamics to life after death to strange worlds where logic takes a holiday.”

Festival-goers will see the Russian stop-motion film Three Sisters, which follows three siblings in love with the same man. From France comes Flowing Through Wonder, a film about an unusual funeral. And from Venezuela is Girasol, which is the story of a girl in love with the Sun God.

Womanimation! takes place on June 29 at AS220, 115 Empire St, PVD. Screenings are at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.