Junk Dump Film Festival

There is another screening of the Junk Dump Film Festival at 5:45 p.m.—get tickets.

A panel discussion with the filmmakers will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the William Fox Amphitheater, followed by a reception in the lobby. 

Museum of the Moving Image and Junk Dump Magazine will present Junk Dump’s third annual short film festival. Junk Dump Magazine is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to supporting and promoting underrepresented and emerging artists. Founded in 2020 in New York, Junk Dump Magazine collaborates with its international community to produce a semi-annual print publication and events like Junk Dump Film Festival, which highlights emerging and underrepresented filmmakers working at the intersection of video art and storytelling. The festival presents a curated program of animated films, shorts, and experimental videos made by artists using unique processes, including found footage and artificial intelligence technologies, to share their stories. The festival’s open call received more than 1,500 submissions, from which 18 films were selected. The films include four award recipients for best in 2D animation, stop-motion animation, narrative short, and experimental short, as well as five honorable mention awards. 

Screening run time approx. 120 mins.

Featuring:

Homemaker – Honorable Mention: Best Original Screenplay (International)
Dir. Ciara Kerr. U.K., 2023, 9 mins. Renee loses herself in a controlling relationship, and the abuse she suffers worsens until she is utterly trapped.

Wipe Your Tears on My Ears – Best in 2D Animation 
Dir. Imogen Graham. U.K., 2023, 4 mins. When a young woman feels down, she can count on her loved ones to help her get back on her feet.

A Very Good Time – Official Selection: 2D Animation 
Dir. Henry Ambrose. U.K., 2023, 3 mins. This animated film documents the memories of Jean-Jacques Figeac, who was the head chef at a French restaurant he co-owned in Chelsea throughout the 1970’s. The animation combines ink drawings, watercolor, and digital coloring to evoke a nostalgia that explores themes of memory and the mid-century dining experience.

Dog Years – Official Selection: 2D Animation 
Dir. Maxfield Biggs. U.S., 2023, 2 mins. A poem about a dog, her human, and the consequences of a nasty habit. This short encompasses the complexities of kinship, relationships, and caring for another being.

Stained – Best in Animation: Stop motion 
Dir. Valeria Perez. U.S., 2022, 7 mins. A young teen deals with the lasting effects of sexual assault. As she grows increasingly distressed, facing her assaulter every day in class, her trauma-induced anxiety manifests as a handprint stain on her thigh.

Melpomene – Honorable Mention: Best original score 
Dirs. Fae Viola Grace Ordaz, Felix Vonn Gelvin. U.S., 2023, 5 mins. A stop-motion animation about a nightmare of a winged siren. The siren bleeds into reality to crown the girl with a new mask. Inspired by one of the nine muses, Melpomene, “the one who sings.” 

Swaddle – Official Selection: 2D Animation 
Dir. Pepi Rachel Eirew. U.S., 2023, 5 mins. “Swaddle” tells the story of a young girl, searching for family on an ancestry website, and traveling to the home of her distressed pregnant aunt. 

Making Space for the New Dead – Honorable Mention: Best new media 
Dir. Wiktoria Grzybowska. U.K., 2023, 12 mins. With a title inspired by Milan Kundera’s novel, this experimental video explores the potential of AI models in filmmaking and the essence of corporeality.  

Earth’s Second Moon – Official Selection: Stop motion 
Dir. Benji Tucker. U.S., 2022, 3 mins. This modern fairy tale follows the story of two first-time parents and their baby, who never seems to stop growing. [pictured above]

A Circle Has No End – Honorable Mention: New talent 
Dir. Jasmine Garcia. U.S., 2022, 13 mins. Carmen has had the same routine for the past 17 years: cooking, cleaning, and caring for her mother. When offered an opportunity to finally pursue her dream, she must learn how to overcome one barrier: her mother.

My Name – Official Selection: Experimental 
Dir. Skylar Kim. U.S., 2020, 3 mins. A mixed media exploration of personal and generational history.

American Sabra – Honorable Mention: Best Original Screenplay 
Dir. Yoni Azulay. U.S., 2023, 7 mins. Roni struggles to take pride in his Israeli identity when introduced to a group of peers as Jack’s “Jewish friend.” 

Drift – Official Selection: Narrative 
Dir. Adam MacAlonie. U.S., 2023, 9 mins. In a quiet beach town, a lonely vacationer finds company after hours.

Quique – Best in Narrative 
Dir. Pedro Tamames. U.S., 2023, 12 mins. A Spanish musician struggling to fit in the New York artistic environment—and get a visa— makes his debut at the same time as his mother back home suffers a stroke.

Middle of the Road – Best in Experimental 
Dir. Vivian Wolfson. U.S., 2023, 10 mins. This experimental video essay follows the narrator through an exploration of self through found footage, text, and endless possibilities.

I Played My Trombone Today – Official Selection: 2D Animation 
Dir. Nicolas George Lucas. U.K., 2023, 3 mins. A trombone player’s mind and reality start to merge while nervously awaiting to perform, activating parts of his brain which process memory, emotion, vision and movement differently.

My Relationship with Red Yarn – Official Selection: Experimental
Dir. Lily Daroff. U.S., 2023, 4 mins. A short experimental film that incorporates poems and dance in three chapters. The film explores trauma, love, life, healing, breaking, accepting, anger, and looking back on it all afterwards.

I Guess I’ll Never Learn – Official Selection: Experimental
Dir. Orson Abram. U.S., 2022, 12 mins. This experimental short explores the past as a blurry film of memories. Certain memories overlap on top of others; repetitions become lost and then found again.  

My Rebecca – Official Selection: Narrative 
Dir. India Gray. U.S., 2023, 10 mins. Steven has been watching his neighbor Rebecca for a while now. Today he decides to do something about it. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.