The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival is back in 2024 with a four-day extravaganza from April 18-21. Hosted by the Digital Art and Animation area in the WVU School of Art and Design, this year's edition showcases 130 professionally crafted videos and animations from both regional and global creators.
Alongside film screenings, attendees can participate in workshops, engage in an insightful
panel discussion, and join artist Q&A sessions. Adding to the excitement there
will be three live audio-visual performances. Spread across three venues in Morgantown
- the Morgantown Art Party, the Canady Creative Arts Center, and the WVU Mountainlair
- the festival promises an unforgettable weekend of experimental and multimedia
art, film and creativity. All festival events are free and open to the public.
The festival commences on Thursday April 18 at 6 p.m. at Morgantown Art Party
on Walnut St. featuring a selection of multimedia art works by current WVU students
specializing in video and animation. Works will be on display throughout the evening.
The festivals’ competitive film and video screenings begin on Friday evening at
the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center. Kicking things off at 8:00 p.m. is an eclectic
showcase of 16 spectacular works from both regional and international artists working
in multiple genres. The event opens with a recent animation by New York based artists
Dean Winkler and John Sanborn called
In C, Too, an animation created using generative images and AI algorithms combined
with video of dancers shot on green screen and whose natural, human motion drives
this mesmerizing animation. Another highlight from this opening set is the hilarious
short film
I Wet My Plants by Pittsburgh filmmaker Caroline Collins, as well as the equally
funny character animation called
Deer Heaven by Washington D.C. based animator David Malone about a family deer
hunting expedition gone awry.
The festival continues on Saturday with a jam-packed, day-long lineup of films, animations, discussions, and live audio-visual performances. The day begins with a focus on the issue of artificial intelligence and its current and future use in the creation of artworks.
All festival events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit https://www.wvmsff.com/.