Audiences at each screening voted 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 the previous year's festival.
We sought talented women animators from around the world to highlight their work in our festival, as always with no submission fee.
From hundreds of quality submissions from dozens of countries, we selected our fourteen final films, from twelve nations on four continents.
With running times between two and twelve minutes, the films emphasize well-developed narratives as well as visual daring, exploring themes including gender roles, culture clashes, family bonds, and the fragility of life.
Each screening was preceded by a slide show with music introducing the filmmakers, and DJ Madame B wove soundscapes created by women across the globe between screenings. Vittles Food Truck brought their Southern Comfort Food to the festival as well.
The screening was enthusiastically received by an audience of both MassArt community and broader Boston animation aficionados.
The festival screened twelve films from ten countries on three continents, with styles from stop-motion to 3D to traditional 2D and computer/2D hybrids.
Nine films were from the 2023 edition of the festival, along with three from the 2019 edition, whose rescreening was cancelled due to Covid.
With running times between 2 and 15 minutes, the films emphasized well-developed narratives as well as visual experimentation, with themes touching on history, family, romance, or self-discovery, along with regular detours into realms of fantasy.
The audience voted for their favorite three films to determine this edition's winner.
Twelve films from nine nations screened, all of which were US or International premieres.
With running times between 2 and 15 minutes, the films emphasized well-developed narratives as well as visual daring, exploring themes including our relationship with nature, culture clashes, family bonds, and the fragility of life.
Audiences at each screening voted for their favorite three films of the program, with the top overall vote-getter being declared the winner.
In a new twist for 2023, a special jury was assembled consisting of women musicians who have topped one of the
MergingArts Global Radio weekly charts. The jury reviewed and rated the films, with the winner being Testigo del Viento (Wind Whisperer), from Fernanda Caicedo (Ecuador/Germany).
Both audience and jury votes were very close, and these films finished in the top three with both our jury and audience. A great year for stop-motion!
Award winners received custom awards created by previous award winners, Joanna Lurie (France) and Indra Sproģe (Latvia).
Check out the awards pics on the left side of the page.
Womanimation! 2022
As a result of complications from Covid, the 12th edition of the festival did not take place in either 2020 or 2021.
For 2022, we presented a Best Of retrospective online festival showcasing some of the amazing films from the past several years.
Between 1st July and 10th July, audiences viewed the films online and voted for their favorites.
Films presented were those that had won either an Audience Award or a Visual Vanguard Award between 2014 and 2019.
Womanimation! 2019
The 2019 festival took place Saturday, June 29th at AS220 in Providence, RI.
This was the 11th edition of the festival, exhibiting twelve short films with a total run time of about 85 minutes.
DJ Madame B weaved soundscapes created by women across the globe before and after screenings, and organizers were on hand to introduce the programs.
Womanimation! 2019 Press
Local and regional press took notice of the festival. You can read a terrific article on the festival in the Providence Journal.
Another article comes from the RI Motif Magazine, as well as a recommendation from WBUR ARTery in Boston - worth the drive!
More on the Films
We sought talented international women animators to highlight their work in our festival, as always with no submission fee. From hundreds of quality submissions from dozens of countries, we selected twelve final films.
Eleven countries on four continents were represented, with styles from stop-motion to 3D to traditional 2D and computer/2D hybrids.
With running times between 3 and 15 minutes, the films emphasized well-developed narratives as well as visual experimentation, with themes touching on history, family, romance, or self-discovery, along with regular detours into realms of fantasy.
Touch here for details on the Womanimation! 2019 film selections.
Awards
The 2019 Audience Award winner was Le jour extraordinaire, directed by Joanna Lurie from France - a visually striking, mysterious, and touching wordless tale of family members performing an unusual funeral ceremony.
Introduction to Epilogue, from Latvian womanimator Indra Sproģe, won the Visual Vanguard award for visual innovation in storytelling.
The colorful, allegorical film about the fear of death and the cycle of life resonated with audiences and judges alike.
Award winners received custom awards created by 2018 Womanimation! award winners.
Womanimation! 10 - MassArt Encore Edition
On Saturday, March 23rd, a special encore edition of the festival took place at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, as an official SWAN Day event, and co-sponsored by the MassArt Animation Department.
The twelve films from the tenth edition screened, and DJ Madame B spun selections of global music by women, before and after the special screening.
The screening was enthusiastically received by an audience of both MassArt community and broader Boston animation aficionados.
Tweet-Tweet by Zhanna Bekmambetova from Russia won the audience voting, repeating its success from the original screening.
You can read a detailed article about the film at Animation World Network.
Close runners-up were Pépé le morse by Lucrèce Andreae (France) and À Chacun sa Malédiction by Lorène Yavo (Belgium).
Thanks to Steve, Alice, Tony, Kara, Erica, and everyone at MassArt for making the event a success!
Womanimation! 2018
The 2018 festival took place Saturday, June 30th at Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham, MA.
This was the tenth edition of the festival, exhibiting twelve short films with a total run time of about 85 minutes.
DJ Madame B weaved soundscapes created by women across the globe before and after screenings.
Festival Films
Filmmakers hailed from ten countries on four continents, with five US premieres and two international premieres.
Touch here for details on the 2018 festival selections.
With styles from stop-motion to 3D to traditional 2D and computer/2D hybrids, and running times between 2½ and 15 minutes, the films emphasize well-developed narratives, with themes including historical romance, self-acceptance, family relationships, the cycle of life, and voyages into the supernatural.
Awards
The 2018 Audience Award winner was Tweet-tweet, directed by Zhanna Bekmambetova from Russia, an emotionally-charged film with brilliantly-crafted 3D visuals exploring life on a tightrope.
Nachtstück, from German womanimator Anne Breymann, won the Visual Vanguard award for visual innovation in storytelling.
The unsettling tale of bizarre forest creatures gambling late at night impressed audiences and judges alike.
Award winners received custom awards created by
Womanimation! 2017 award winners.
Womanimation! 9 - MassArt Encore Edition
On Saturday, March 17th, a special edition of the festival took place at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Ten films from the 2017 festival screened, along with the two 2016 award-winning films, and DJ Madame B wove soundscapes from women around the world before and after the special screening.
With an audience comprising several animation students and alumni, it was gratifying to see all the films appreciated for both technical and creative merits. Domov from Aliona Baranova (Belarus/Czechia) was voted the audience's favorite.
Thanks to Erica, Steve, and everyone at MassArt for making the event a success!
Womanimation! 2017
The 2017 festival took place Saturday, July 8th at AS220 in Providence, RI.
This was the ninth edition of the festival, exhibiting twelve short films with a total run time of about 85 minutes.
Filmmakers hailed from ten countries throughout Europe and Asia, and nine of the films made their US premiere, including one international premiere.
Touch here for a list of 2017 festival films.
Read a terrific review of the festival in Motif Magazine here.
You can listen to interviews with Womanimators from 2016 and 2017 on Spoiler Alert Radio by touching here.
More on the Festival
DJ Madame B weaved soundscapes created by women across the globe before and after screenings, with a reception after the final screening, with contributions from John Santos and Mumma's Real Lemonade.
Awards
The 2017 Audience Award winner is Catherine, directed by Britt Raes from Belgium, a tale of the making of a cat lady whose charges don't stick around for long.
WireLess, by Hungarian womanimator Szandra Pataki, won the Visual Vanguard award for visual innovation in storytelling.
The enigmatic tale of the interactions of creatures made entirely of a continuous wire impressed audiences (coming in 2nd place) and judges alike.
Award winners received custom awards created by Womanimation! 2016 award winners.
Womanimation! 2016
The eighth edition of Womanimation! again took place at AS220 in Providence, RI, on Saturday, June 25th.
The festival presented eleven films from nine countries, with themes ranging from body image and awareness to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Between and after the screenings, DJ Madame B weaved soundscapes created by women across the globe.
Touch here for a list of 2016 films.
The audience award for 2016 went to Le clitoris by Lori Malépart-Traversy, a comedic documentary which entertained and informed the audience about the titular subject.
With arresting visuals to accompany its unsettling subject matter, the darkly impressionistic Putain by Cypria Donato won the Visual Vanguard award for visual innovation in storytelling
Unique custom awards were created by previous Womanimators Eliška Chytková and Maryam Farahzadi.
Womanimation! 2015
The seventh edition of Womanimation! again took place at AS220's Blackbox Theatre in Providence, RI, on Saturday, June 27th.
We screened eight films from seven countries, including several US premieres. With a variety of styles, the films each presented a different take on themes of self-image and acceptance, through the eyes of women aged six to sixty.
The 2015 Audience Award went to Munya in Me. Additionally, a Visual Vanguard prize was awarded to Carapace for visual innovation in storytelling.
Commissioned awards were created by Raquel Sancinetti (from Montreal) and Maryam Farahzadi (from Iran).
Between and after the screenings, DJ Madame B weaved soundscapes created by women across the globe, with a reception following the final screening with guest filmmaker Lori Malépart-Traversy.
Womanimation! 2014
The sixth edition of Womanimation! took place at AS220's Blackbox Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, June 28th.
DJ Madame B spun music from women around the world between screenings, and audience members voted for their favorite films in the festival.
This year’s program was quite diverse in its themes, animated styles, and geography, with eleven films from ten countries. Ten of the films were US premieres.
Touch here to see details on the films in the program.
Mythopolis from Alexandra Hetmerová of the Czech Republic was selected as the audience favorite, narrowly beating honorable mentions Oh My Dog! from Chloé Alliez (France) and Symphony no. 42 from Réka Bucsi (Hungary).
Womanimation! 2013
The fifth edition of Womanimation! returned to Providence at the Cable Car Cinema on Saturday, June 22nd, 2013, with screenings throughout the day.
Local artist and RISD alumna Molly Walsh was on hand with an exhibition of some of her work, and between screenings DJ Madame B spun tunes from women around the world.
In our first year of audience voting, the Audience Award went to In Vino Veritas. Touch here for more on that and all the films.
Womanimation! 2012
For 2012, the festival place on Sunday, June 10th, at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Touch here for more about the films.
Womanimation! 2011
For 2011, the festival took place again on Mother's Day, Sunday May 8th, at the Roots Café Providence.
Along with films, the festival featured mother/daughter Swedish folk music duo Astrid Drew, spoken word poetry and hip hop by 5th Elament and
DJ Reza Wreckage of the RI women's art collective
ISIS Storm, and soundscapes and global grooves spun by DJ Madame B.
Touch here for more about the films.
Womanimation! 2010
For 2010, the festival took place Mother's Day Weekend at the Cape Ann Community Cinema in Gloucester, MA.
The 2010 program highlighted ten animated shorts celebrating motherhood and the cycle of life with tales of humor and heartache.
Touch here for details on the films.
Womanimation! 2009 / SWAN Day 2009
The inaugural festival was held in conjunction with the second international SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now), an event designed to highlight the contributions of women artists for Women’s History Month in March.
It took place Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Red River Theatres in Concord, NH, with films exploring women’s issues such as menopause and spousal abuse; others dealt with broader themes such as environmental degradation and career burnout.
Touch here to see program details.