WOMANIMATION! 2023 FILM FESTIVAL: Womanimation! visits Greenwood Features on Saturday, July 8, presented by MergingArts Productions, allowing animation aficionados the chance to sample some of the world’s best animated short film stories, culled from hundreds of submissions from women around the globe. It features a select program of 12 short films from nine countries, all of which are U.S. or international premieres.

In roughly the length of a typical 90-minute feature film, the festival entertains and challenges the audience, with visual styles from stop motion to computer animation to traditional hand drawn. The focus is on independent animators and studios, and the material is not for younger children, with the subjects being more challenging than what you see in mainstream animation. Festival organizers will be on hand throughout the day, with each screening kicking off with a slideshow with music introducing the filmmakers.

Audiences at each screening will vote for their favorite three films of the program, with the top overall vote-getter receiving a custom art object award, created by a winner from a previous edition of the festival. In a new twist for this year’s event, a special jury has been assembled consisting of women musicians who have topped the charts over the past year on MergingArts global radio programs (https://tinyurl.com/MACharts). The jury will review and rate the films, with the winner also receiving a custom art award from a previous winner.

You can buy tickets at the door or ahead of time for festival screenings at 1, 4 and 8 p.m.  At 6 p.m., we’ll have a reception DJ Madame B spinning music created by women across the globe, along with special female-fronted karaoke selections for the bold among us.

In collaboration with Pink Boots Society (https://www.pinkbootssociety.org), who will be on hand for the reception as well, we will premiere the special Citrus Got Real Wheat Ale from Reverie Brewing Company.

More information is available at http://www.mergingarts.org and https://www.mergingartsproductions.com/Events/Womanimation/Main.aspx.