Princess Dina Bo Bina follows a young princess struggling to live up to her family’s lofty expectations, sending her on an unexpected adventure. Equal parts heartfelt, slapstick, and charming, this delightful Claymation short offers plenty for audiences of all ages to enjoy. Beneath its humor and whimsy lies a thoughtful message: no one is perfect, and that’s okay. By, Madelyn Ball, Correspondent, Filmmaker Mixer Reviews For tickets to the festival visit the non-affiliate link below: https://omsi.edu/events/pfcat For more information about the filmmaker: Watch the …

THE WORM’S EYE VIEW OF THE BIRD The Worm’s Eye View of the Bird takes the question “would you still love me if I was a worm?” very literally, as it is, in fact, about a woman, who falls in love with a worm. I was very taken aback by its masterful balance of absurdist humor, symbolism and genuinely emotional moments. To me, it’s a short film that can be read both as a silly story about a woman literally dating a sentient worm and as …

Mobius is a 2D animated short film about how all living things will eventually die, but their deaths make room for new life. It is dark and meditative, but also soothing in an odd way, perhaps because of the colorful visuals and gentle narration that borders on ASMR (in a good way). It’s very honest and sincere. The visuals focus on the ocean, and are accompanied by narration about memories of going to the beach, and learning that all the whales you see …

The stop motion animated short film, Encyclopedia Galactica centers around the premise of a universe after the death of mankind. It shows us how after we are gone, life elsewhere will keep going in this massive, expansive, beautiful yet terrifying world. The visuals are the most striking feature of the short. It presents the viewer with shots of alien life, foreign planets, stars and galaxies, all of which are gorgeous and mysterious. I can’t help but liken it to old medieval pictures of …

Baby, that’s all I need is a charming stop motion animated music video for the song “Baby, That’s All I Need” by Ross Thorn. The characters and environment are 2D animated on a colorful plane. It reminds me a bit of the felt toys I had as a kid, where there was this block of felt with little birds, trees, flowers and people I could put on it to make a scene. It looks really nice, and brings about a happy, peaceful and even …

My Burning Pianist is a documentary short film about the creation of a piece of performance art: a piano whose keys trigger massive pillars of fire. What makes this short so special in my opinion is how perfectly it captures the creative process, to work tirelessly bringing something into what is ultimately a very transient existence. The piece we see created is art for art’s sake, and done with a very cheeky “this is so stupid” (in a fun way) sentiment. I’d consider …

Hostile Work Environment is a short film which is part satire, part horror, in which a jerkish employee is accused of being a zombie. It’s effective for what it is, exaggerated humor to highlight the unfair truth of office life, with an increasing degree of morbidity throughout it’s run time that peaks at a shocking conclusion. Very fun and interesting short, one that requests from the viewer equal levels of thought and feeling.  By, Madelyn Ball, Correspondent, Filmmaker Mixer Reviews For tickets to the festival …

Fuzzy Surf’s “Don’t Go Overboard” is a highly imaginative music video that incorporates live-action footage, practical effects, and animation. It resembles a stage play, with props mostly made of what appears to be cardboard, decorated with charming cartoon-style paintings. The video has a nautical theme and focuses less on telling a conventional story, instead presenting a series of humorous and inventive visual gags that accompany the music. Its creativity often makes it feel like a cartoon brought to life, with real actors and …

You Play Too Much is a candid animated short film based on the childhood of its Anny and Emmy Award winning writer and director Rob Shaw. What I found remarkable about this short is its beautiful balance of humor and sadness. While the film is presented largely as light hearted, especially through its charming stop motion visuals, there is also a lot of sadness to follow it. This makes it a very immersive experience in my opinion. The detailed and expressive narration, the stylized …

The Elk is a documentary short film about the history of the iconic elk sculpture in Portland that was removed for safekeeping during the 2020 protests. The film shows how something as simple as a work of art can hold so much symbolic value to so many people, and evoke so much thought from them. I found it to be very insightful into the city as a Portland outsider, but I can imagine that for someone native to the city this documentary would be worth a watch as well, just to gain insight into such an iconic staple of …

If you are fond of stop motion animation I would recommend The Well In the Woods. It’s a lovely short about a young girl who, while venturing through the forest, discovers a wishing well with a monster inside of it. It brought to mind the works of Guillermo del Toro in how it deals with the concept of a monster like that in a unique, unexpected way. The animation is wonderful and brings a lot of life to these characters who do not …

Oh Whale is a short form documentary centered around news reporter Paul Linnman, famous for his report on an exploding whale, something I actually was familiar with prior to watching, which made my viewing experience unique. I saw footage I recognized from a Youtube upload of the news report this documentary was about, and was like “wow, I never thought about how this was someone who had so much of a life.” It really made me think about how every little video I …

She Creates Change: Dewmini is a short film which, while mostly stop motion animated, has some live action segments of the actual people it is about. It focuses on a young girl, Dewmini, from Sri Lanka, who teaches herself how to garden in drought conditions so she can provide for her poor and starving family. The animation is beautiful, and it takes viewers to her story in a very straightforward, but lively manner. I could really feel how much Dewmini’s story resonated with …

The 3D animated film Wishing Trees struck me with its use of a single camera angle and zero dialogue to tell a complete story. It shows two trees, linked together by their roots, over the course of several seasons. The passage of time is indicated by fades to black and changes in season, as well as the occasional appearance of people on the bench between the two trees. What stood out to me the most is how it shows emotion both in the trees and …

Creatures of Chaos is a beautifully crafted short that uses a powerful visual metaphor, with creatures embodying the emotional burdens people carry and desperately try to keep hidden. It is only when these carefully contained struggles begin to slip that the characters are able to forge genuine, heartfelt connections with one another. The film achieves this without a single line of dialogue, relying entirely on its vibrant, geometric, and deeply expressive animation to tell a moving and universally resonant story. By, Madelyn Ball, …

Perfect City: The Mushroom is a surrealist stop motion animated film that brings viewers inside of an artist’s nightmare as she grieves over her brother’s death. The focus is less on tangible events, and more on abstract representations of emotion through imagery, sound and words, and brilliantly replicates the feeling of being inside of a nightmare, as it dumps traces of various memories, many of which twist familiar items into unfamiliar forms, and at many points, makes the viewer feel trapped. This form of …

Don’t miss out on Bloodhound, a short stop motion animated mix of comedy and horror about a man whose dog suddenly becomes a monster after being bitten by a mutated rat. A very fun stop motion short that shows just how far a man’s love for his pet can go. It’s a fun and imaginative work that goes all out on its silly premise. I definitely would say my favorite part of it is the animation style. Even the blood has charm, with …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. THE WILD HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE FALLS screens during the Documentary Shorts: Real Stories Rewired Friday August 8th at 6pm Theory Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Not the end, is the last title card in the short documentary by Kyle LaMontagne called, The Wild History of Willamette Falls. I would …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. MOTHER OF PORTLAND screens during the Bite-Sized Stories: Short Films and Animations about Food  Saturday, August 9, 2025 6:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Mother of Portland, by Kyle Montagne, is a sharp, kinetic short documentary about Lisa Schroeder and her Portland-based restaurant called, Mother’s Bistro …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. HOW TO UNEARTH: CREATURES FROM THE DEPTH OF YOUR MIND screens during the Midnight at 8pm Friday, August 8, 2025 8:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theate FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Dedicated to “Gingerlee, Gigi, Geeg, Gee the dog,” How to Unearth: Creatures from the Depth of Your Mind, in many …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. RETRIEVING ROADIE screens during Animated Comedy Extravaganza Saturday, August 9, 2025 2:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Dedicated to a white and fluffy dog named Buffy (1992-2010), Retrieving Roadie is a delightful animation about a man named Carl, who is a dog lover that sells dog …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. THE INTENTION INVENTION screens during the Mind-Bending Anomalies: The PFCAT Sci-Fi Extravaganza Wednesday, August 6, 2025 6:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Writer/Director, RJ Sullivan, proves yet again his comedic chops with the short animated film, The Intention Invention. I love the style of the animation- …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE screens during Magical Realism: Journeys into Other Worlds Sunday, August 10, 2025 4:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Eva Moss, wrote and directed the thematically-titled live action short, Controlling the Narrative. It is about a mother, Danica Stone and her kid, Jesse Stone, …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. RUNNING OUT ON A FEELING screens during the Mind-Bending Anomalies: The PFCAT Sci-Fi Extravaganza Wednesday, August 6, 2025 6:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d The music video for New Body Electric’s single, RUNNING OUT ON A FEELING, reminds me of the many selections curated by MTV’s …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. BRIM BROOME BOULEVARD screens during the Stop-Motion Showcase Thursday, August 7, 2025 6:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Brim Broome Boulevard was written and directed by PJ Magerko-Liquorice and edited by Cam Williams. The costume and character design are by Jackson Weiderhoeft. For a full list …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. HELP SOLVE A MURDER screens during the Documentary Shorts: Real Stories, Rewired Friday, August 8, 2025 6:00 PM PDTTheory Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Help Solve a Murder is a documentary series made by Gal Pal Films, in partnership with SENSELESS VIOLENCE LEADS TO SILENCE and in association with …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. PLANET JUICE BOX screens during Midnight at 8pm Friday, August 8, 2025 8:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Planet Juice Box, written and created by Thaddeus Thompson, is a hilarious stop motion animation short. Our lead character, Tex, rides a bad-ass chopper, leather jacket, headband and …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. CATS ON THINGS screens during Animated Comedy Extravaganza Saturday, August 9, 2025 2:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Cats on Things, directed by Mary Matthews, is a delightful animated short film inspired by a true story, as revealed in the title cards. The internet’s obsession with …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. SHE CAME FROM OUTER SPACE screens during the Midnight at 8pm Friday, August 8, 2025 8:00 PM PDTThe Empirical Theate FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Written and directed by Simon King, She Came From Outer Space opens with a title card and an atmosphere reminiscent of classic sci-fi films. From the start, …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. SPARKING CREATIVITY: MIGRATIONS screens during Documentary Shorts: Real Stories, Rewired Friday, August 8, 2025 6:00 PM PDTTheory Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d MIGRATIONS is a featured episode in the SPARKING CREATIVITY series, created byTherese Gietler and directed by Andy Batt. This behind-the-scenes short documentary offers an inside look at …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. RASH screens during Psychological Horror Short Films and Animations Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:30 PM PDTThe Empirical Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Written and directed by the multi-talented Lyssa Samuel—who also stars as Val—Rash is a tightly constructed horror short that taps into a very relatable nightmare: the stress …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. SPARKING CREATIVITY: GALAXSEA screens during Documentary Shorts: Real Stories, Rewired Friday, August 8, 2025 6:00 PM PDTTheory Theater FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Part of the Sparking Creativity series, the installment directed by Brandon Katcher is another short documentary that offers a stunning behind-the-scenes look at Galaxsea, a captivating sculpture …

As a media partner for 2025’s Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast extended review opportunities to the Official Selections who were made by Portland-based filmmakers. Away We Go, screens during the Animated Explorations on Sunday, August 10, 2025 12:00 PM PDT at the The Empirical Theater. FOR TICKETS VISIT THIS NON-AFFILIATE LINK BELOW: https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/01977fca-24ff-9865-2cf8-15a92a3fc40d Away We Go, animated by Chris Purdin, brings to life the single of the same name by Ants Ants Ants and Alphabet Rockers. The …

OUT FOR DELIVERY is screening at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival in Austin Texas. The next showtime for this touching and witty short is below: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 6:15 p.m.- Rollins Theater at The Long Center OUT FOR DELIVERY, a short film written and directed by Chelsea Christer, made its Texas premiere at the Rollins Theater at the Long Center on March 8. Selected for the prestigious Narrative Short Competition at SXSW, the film is part of an exciting lineup showcasing …

Troy Takaki, ACE, Editor Escaping Twin Flames, Episode 3, “Up In Flames”  has been nominated for an Emmy for Best Picture Editing in a Nonfiction Program. The team nominated include: Martin Biehn, Lead Editor; Inbal B. Lessner, ACE, Editor; Mimi Wilcox, Editor; Kevin Hibbard, ACE, Editor; and Troy Takaki, ACE, Editor. This particular episode was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The editors spliced together footage of online events, interviews, illustrated recreations of events and photographs with incredibly smooth and …

The pilot of RUNNING ERINS was created by Erin Fogel and directed by Guillermo Ivan.  It opens with Erin dancing joyfully in her amazingly bright apartment and gorgeous flowing hair bouncing with her dance moves.  Setting her up as a happy-go-lucky person and learning quickly that she has a young child prepared me for what would come next- getting turned down for smoochie boochies by her child, who refused a goodbye kiss at school drop off.  How many mothers have dreaded that same …

A Swim Lesson is a documentary short film directed by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. It is about a children’s swimming instructor named Bill Marsh, who talks about what it’s like to do his job, and what it means to him. He explains a lot of universal ideas through the lens of children learning how to swim. This documentary is beautifully shot, with great music choices and great editing. This short film uses its simple premise to tell a story that anyone can relate …

Faces was an Official Selection of Fantastic Fest 2024 that agreed to a review by Filmmaker Mixer Podcast. Faces is a horror short film about a group of college students and a strange entity. The story is intriguing and saying anything more about it could spoil it. The premise behind it is brilliant, and it is revealed to us gradually over the film’s run, but its greatest strengths are the editing, sound design and cinematography. It’s from these facets of the film that …

Michael Anthony Brown, Editor (photo credit: Blackwell Studios LA) Michael Oliver, Editor (photo credit: Ryan Hensley) “Up The Town?” is the fifteenth and final episode of the second season of the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. It has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality TV Program. Boy, do editors, Michael Anthony Brown and Michael Oliver deserve that Emmy. They managed to take footage that was recorded as events were occurring and make it feel exceptionally cinematic …

Shelly Westerman, ACE Editor (photo credit: Justine Halliday) Payton, Koch, Editor (photo credit: Luke Fontana) “Sitzprobe” is the 8th episode of the third season of the live action series Only Murders in the Building. Shelly Westerman, ACE, Editor and Payton Koch, Editor, have been nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series. Watching the episode, I was quickly impressed by how the transitions between shots were smooth, and the way they were spliced together often heightened the emotions …

Living Australia is a short wildlife film shot entirely on a fold-up drone that consists of various shots of Australia and the animals that live there. These shots are all incredibly beautiful. I loved every second of this film and was in awe of just how good it looked. It’s just stunning, honestly. The soundtrack is also great, with many music cues furthering the emotion you may feel from what you see. There’s a slight narrative to it, as it emphasises how special and …

One For the Road is a horror short film loosely based on a Stephen King story of the same name. I really enjoyed how casual the spoken dialogue between the two main characters was in this film. There’s a lot of banter between them, with a dash of humor to it. This made them pretty likeable and relatable, so I got pretty worried about them when the horror elements kicked in. The camera work and sound design both were great at building suspense and …

THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC was not only a great short film but was also a great introduction to a topic I was previously unfamiliar with. It’s well worth the watch to not only be transported to the making of a historically important film, but also for its celebration of black cinema. I love the ending. It cuts from the color footage recreating the making of a scene to the actual scene from the original movie that we were learning about. All dialogue …

The short film YOU ARE HERE has a very straightforward story about a man learning from a newspaper article that there are now thought to be 250 billion stars in the milky way galaxy alone. It’s a very touching piece that anyone could enjoy. The first half of the film is delivered to us with a surprising amount of humor, and the use of said humor made me think of Kurt Vonnegut’s work. The direction it took in the second half was unexpected …

SALLY, GET THE POTATOES was very endearing. The visuals were creative and unique, and the characters and story were quite interesting. In fact, I kind of wish we got to see more of these characters because there was a lot going on with them that is hard not to get invested in. My favorite part of SALLY, GET THE POTATOES is how charming the protagonist, Sally, was. The actress, Kynlee Heiman, brought a lot of life to her character. -Madelyn, Filmmaker Mixer Correspondent …

The short film PRINCETON’S IN THE MIX is brilliant from start to finish. The opening credits sequence was captivating and the film starts off relatively normal before taking a surprisingly dark turn and slowly shifting into a horror/thriller. PRINCETON’S IN THE MIX’s tonal shift amps up the simple premise that it had established to the extreme. The horror in this film manages to simultaneously be humorous (given the absurdity of the situation) and genuinely suspenseful. The character writing is particularly stand-out in this …

If you are in need for something uplifting to watch, I would highly recommend you watch the documentary, HOW I ROLL. This documentary gives us a glimpse into the life of a wheelchair bound woman with multiple sclerosis named Robin Cohen. We learn and see for ourselves the hardships she has to face day by day and learn about what it’s like to be her. What makes this film uplifting is that Robin does not let the turbulence that she constantly faces throughout …

The short film SLUMBER PARTY is a real treat. It has an uncomplicated but elegant plot that is elevated by its soundtrack, lighting and camera work. These three elements work together to give the film a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, and really draw the viewer in. It’s one of those short films that are so fun to watch you’re left hoping it doesn’t end. -Madelyn, Filmmaker Mixer Correspondent …