Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is a three-day juried festival of the world’s most cutting-edge, quirky, and boundary-pushing animation. Now in its 8th year the festival takes place October 4-6, 2019 in the Station North Arts District of Baltimore, Maryland. The festival is a collaboration with the Maryland Film Festival, now in its 21st year, and will take place in the historic Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre.
Sweaty Eyeballs began in 2012 as the brainchild of animator and Towson University professor Phil Davis as a way to bring unique voices in international and independent animation to Baltimore audiences. The festival has been a single night invitational screening from 2012-2018 with a diverse array of animated narrative, documentary, music video, and experimental work pushing the boundaries of art, craft, and technology. In 2017 the programming of Sweaty Eyeballs expanded to include a monthly animation screening series in collaboration with the Maryland Film Festival and the SNF Parkway Theatre. Past programming has included Oscar Nominated animation, live music and foley sound performances, guest curators, animator retrospectives, student work, and more. In 2019 Sweaty Eyeballs is expanding once again from a single night invitational to a three day festival of international animation.
The mission of Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is to showcase unique, experimental and diverse voices in the field of animated filmmaking with a focus on innovation in craft, storytelling and work that questions preconceived notions of what animation can and should be.
The festival focus is primarily on animated short films (under 20 minutes) and will include three programs of international contemporary work that highlights the expressive potential of the medium. Along with the international shorts competition programs will be a competition program of international student animation. The festival will also include a guest animator retrospective, curated programs, a Baltimore animation showcase, a midnight feature screening, animation workshops, animation projection/installations, and late night cartoon parties.
This festival will foster a community of animation lovers and creators in the mid-Atlantic region and allow a venue for often overlooked work to be seen on the big screen.
Films accepted to the Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival international competition screenings will be voted on by a jury consisting of five animators/filmmakers selected by the Festival Director of Programming.
Awards for international competition:
Golden Eyeball Grand Prize
Silver Eyeball Honorable Mention
Best Student Film
Eye-Popper Prize - most unique, boundary pushing, and experimental