Poppa
An unlucky dude encounters a sticky situation after accidentally swallowing bubblegum.
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Peter AhernDirectorBuzzkill, Down to the Bone, The Kindness of Others, Awkward Pick Up Lines, Salty Toons
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Peter AhernWriterBuzzkill, Down to the Bone, The Kindness of Others, Awkward Pick Up Lines
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Peter AhernAnimatorBuzzkill, Down to the Bone, The Kindness of Others, Awkward Pick Up Lines
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Peter AhernProducerBuzzkill, Down to the Bone, The Kindness of Others, Awkward Pick Up Lines
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Peter AhernKey Cast"Man/Baby (voice)"Buzzkill, Down to the Bone, In the Air Is Christopher Gray, The Kindness of Others, Awkward Pick Up Lines
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Stephen AndolinoBackground Design and PaintingBuzzkill, Kiff, Jentry Chau vs The Underworld, Chosin: Baptized By Fire
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Arjun G ShethSound Design and MixBabes, Between the Temples, Buzzkill, Fire Island, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Farewell Amor, Linoleum
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Maxwell SorensenOriginal ScoreBuzzkill, The Haunted Ride On Mt Misery
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Project Type:Animation, Short
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Genres:Comedy, Horror, Midnight, Surreal, Body Horror
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Runtime:1 minute 23 seconds
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Completion Date:October 1, 2024
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Production Budget:1,500 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Author's International Film Festival (FIC AUTOR) 2025Guadalajara
Mexico
November 22, 2025 -
Bainbridge Island Film Festival 2025Bainbridge Island, Washington
United States
November 8, 2025 -
Boston Underground Film Festival 2025Boston
United States
March 23, 2025
World Premiere -
Bushwick Film Festival 2025Brooklyn, NY
United States
October 3, 2025 -
Cabané A Sang (Blood Shed) 2025Montreal
Canada
May 13, 2025 -
Coney Island Film Festival 2025Brooklyn, NY
United States
May 4, 2025 -
Feratum Intl. Fantastic Film Fest 2025Mexico City
Mexico
November 7, 2025 -
FilmQuest 2025Provo, Utah
United States
October 24, 2025 -
Florida Film Festival 2025Orlando
United States
April 12, 2025 -
FogFest 2025Newfoundland
Canada
November 15, 2025 -
From Beyond Film Fest 2025Boise, ID
United States
October 11, 2025 -
GenreBlast 2025Winchester, VA
United States
August 30, 2025
Nominee: Best Animated Short -
HorrorFest International 2025St. George, Utah
United States
September 17, 2025 -
Hysteria Fest 2025St. Louis, MI
United States
July 12, 2025
WINNER: Best Animated Film -
Macabro: Mexico City Intl. Horror Film Festival 2025Mexico City
Mexico
August 20, 2025 -
Malt Adult 2025Chicago, IL
United States
November 16, 2025 -
Monstra: Lisbon Animation FestivalLisbon
Portugal
March 14, 2026 -
Nitehawk Shorts Festival 2025Brooklyn, NY
United States
April 3, 2025 -
Panic Fest 2025Kansas City, MO
United States
March 29, 2025 -
Peephole Film Festival 2025Guadalajara
Mexico
October 31, 2025
Nominee: Best Animated Short -
Portland Horror Film Festival 2025Portland, OR
United States
June 13, 2025 -
Ravenheart Intl. Film Festival 2025Oslo
Norway
June 8, 2025 -
ScreamFest 2025Los Angeles, CA
United States
October 11, 2025 -
Scrimshaw AnimationNew York, NY
United States
January 20, 2026 -
Short Sharp Shocks Festival 2025Leicester
United Kingdom
September 13, 2025 -
SpookFest 2025San Francisco, CA
United States
October 16, 2025 -
SXSW London 2025London
United Kingdom
June 2, 2025
International Premiere -
Woodstock Film Festival 2025Woodstock, NY
United States
October 18, 2025
Nominee: Best Animated Short
Peter Ahern is an award winning filmmaker, animator and illustrator living in Brooklyn, New York.
After graduating from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Film & Animation, he began freelancing as a 2D animator, designer and director on a wide variety of commercial, television and music video projects for clients such as Netflix, Pokémon, the NBA, 2 Chainz, Eminem & Snoop Dogg, Showtime, Disney and the X-Games. In addition, his short films have played around the world at dozens of prestigious festivals, illustrations have been both published and featured in prominent gallery exhibitions and he's served on several film festival juries.
Recently his film BUZZKILL screened at over 60 festivals, winning 12 awards including "Best Animated Short" at Screamfest, Flicker's RIIFF Vortex, GenreBlast and Woodstock - the latter resulting in an Academy Award qualification. It’s now streaming on Alter, Screambox and as a Vimeo Staff Pick.
"I’m cackling and shaking my head at the craziness of this animated film. Let me tell you something, there is a whole lot happening in one minute...it’s something everyone should experience."
-Christina Pfeiffer, UncomfortablyDark.com
POPPA was created independently with Peter Ahern taking on many roles including writer, director, animator, producer and voice actor. The film was carefully crafted to deliver a stylish, compact rollercoaster ride, full of humor, horror and surprise all in under 2 minutes. It marks Ahern's exportation into storytelling within the genre of "micro-fiction".
After premiering at the Boston Underground Film Festival, POPPA went on to screen in over 30 festivals, receiving enthusiastic praise from both audiences and reviewers alike. It was shortlisted at several prominent festivals including Woodstock and GenreBlast, won "Best Animated Film" at Hysteria Fest, and was eventually acquired by the platform Scrimshaw Animation for distribution in 2026.
