(2021, 06'06", 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, 16:9, Dolby Digital) 

Jung & Restless explores the mythopoetic realm through lush mandalas and dream images that hint at hidden trauma. “Life is a short pause between two mysteries.” -C.G. Jung

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Music composed and produced by Seth Norman. Sound design and sound effects by Chris Barber. Compositing and effects by Brian Kinkley. Thanks: Martha Blake and Paul Harrod. Supported by the Playa Foundation and the Ford Family Foundation.

(2018, 60' 07", 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, 16:9, Dolby Digital) 

“Inspired by the chilling and mysterious winter landscapes of the Yukon, North of Blue is a mesmerizing non-narrative exploration giving form to the formless and offering shifting focal points and patterns that explore tensions between the recognizable and the strange. Bursting with lively colours and dynamic shapes, North of Blue is a stunning symphony which speaks to the explorer in us all.” -Chris Robinson, Artistic Director, Ottawa International Animation Festival

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Credits: Directed, produced, animated and designed by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and music composed by Jamie Haggerty. Compositing and paint effects by Brian Kinkley. Additional music by Seth Norman. Additional sound effects by Chris Barber. Edited by Greg Snider and Joanna Priestley. Assistant Animators: Neisje Morrell and Don Flores. Animation Assistants: Rachel Bradley, Jesse Bray, Gabe Mangold and Dui Oray. Supported by the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture, Caldera Foundation and Willapa Bay A.I.R

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Awards/Festivals: Indie Film Awards: Best Experimental Film (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) 3-1-20, Los Angeles Animation Festival: Best Feature Film (USA) 12-1-18, Yosemite International Film Festival: Best Animated Film (USA) 11-2-18, Local Sightings Film Festival: Best Sound Design and Best Original Score (Seattle, USA) 9-23-18, European International Film Festival: Finalist (Saint Petersburg, Russia) 5-15-19, Los Angeles CineFest: Semi-Finalist (USA) 1-19, Annecy Intl. Animation Festival: World Premiere (France) 6-11-18, Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia) 6-17-18, Intl. Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR (Poznan, Poland) 7-10-18, Palm Springs International Animation Festival (USA) 8-25-18, Insomnia Animation Festival (Ukhnov, Russia) 7-19-8, Australian International Animation Festival (Brisbane) 8-4-18, Pixelatl Festival (Cuernavaca, Mexico) 9-6-18, Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada) 9-27+29-18, Anim’Est International Animation Festival (Bucharest, Romania) 9-28 to 10-7-18, Australian International Animation Festival (Cairns, Queensland) 8-16-18, AnimaSyros International Animation Festival  (Athens, Greece) 9-28-18, ANIMAGE International Animation Festival (Pernambuco, Brasil) 10-12 to 21-18, SPARK Animation 2018 (Vancouver, Canada) 10-18-18, ReAnimania Int. Animation Film & Art Festival (Yerevan, Armenia) 10-28 to 11-3-18, Moscow Animation Marathon, Solyanka State Gallery (Moscow, Russia) 11-1 to 5-18, Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival (Portland, OR, USA) 11-14-18, Online Monthly: Semi-finalist (USA) 11-18, Animae Caribe (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) 11-23-18, Mostra Internacional Films des Donas de Barcelona (Spain) 12-10-18, VOID International Animation Film Festival (Copenhagen, Denmark) 1-30-19, Athens International Film and Video Festival (Ohio, USA) 4-3-19, Xcèntric Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (Spain) 4-4-19, Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (Argentina) 4-3 to 14-19, Square One Conference, Universidad Iberoamericana (Puebla, Mexico) 4-11-19, Stockholm Experimental Animation Film Festival (Sweden) 4-29-19, CHILEMONOS Intl. Animation Festival (Santiago, Chile) 5-10-19, FILMNORTH Northern BC Film Festival (Houston, BC, Canada) 7-27-19, We Like 'Em Short Film Festival (Baker City, OR) 8-18-19, Fantoche International Animation Festival (Baden, Switzerland) 9-1, IndieCork Film Festival (Cork, Ireland) 10-6 to 13-19, Taichung International Animation Festival (Taichung City, Taiwan) 10-15-19, Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival (Baltimore, MD, USA) 10-19-19, Barcelona Indie Filmmakers Festival (Spain) 12-13-19, Santa Cruz International Film Festival (Argentina) 4-18-20, Jaipur Film World (India) 4-25-20, ART Animated, Berkshire Intl. Film Festival + Palm Springs Intl. Animation Festival (drive-in, Lenox, MA, USA) 8-20.

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(2018, 02' 04", pixillation, Super 8 film transferred to HD digital file, 16:9)

A pixellated tour of iconic Portland locations, including VooDoo Donuts, Tilikum Crossing Bridge of the People and the Portland sign. PDX-PIX was made in one week for the 45th Northwest Filmmakers' Festival 50 Foot Challenge. Ten filmmakers were given one roll of Super 8 film and asked to make a film in camera without editing.

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Credits: Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley. Pixillation performance by Natalie Paik. Sound design by Marc Rose. Special thanks to Jamie Haggerty and Ben Popp.

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Festival: Northwest Filmmakers' Festival, Portland Art Museum 11-4-18

​(2015, 2' 39", 2D computer animation, HD digital file, 16:9)

A luminous crush of still life silhouettes, abstract shapes and complex, interlocking patterns, Bottle Neck renovates the commonplace objects of a classical painting genre in a modern setting. The final film in the Eye Liner Trilogy.

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by Seth Norman. Title design and compositing by Brian Kinkley. Special thanks to Petit Pattern Books.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Hiroshima International Film Festival: Best of the World Program (Japan), Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia), Stockholm Animation and Experimental Film Festival (Sweden), interfilm International Short Film Festival (Berlin, Germany), Sydney Film Festival (Australia), London International Animation Festival (UK), Athens International Film Festival (USA), INDIE hype (Australia + Germany), TMC London Film Festival (UK), Northwest Filmmaker's Festival (USA), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Insomnia Festival (Moscow, Russia), Cinema Pacific Fringe Festival (Eugene, OR), Northwest Animation Festival (USA), Miami Independent Film Festival (USA), New Zealand International Film Festival (Auckland, NZ), Flying Robot International Film Festival (USA).

2013 (3' 33", 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, 16:9, stereo)  

The luscious colors and delicate lines of Split Ends playfully construct animated full field patterns and reference ornamental designs of the industrial era. Without relying on pop culture reference points, some patterns stimulate a collective memory of youthful self-hypnosis and visual absorption.

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by Seth Norman. Edited by Joanna Priestley and Brian Kinkley. Compositing and design by Brian Kinkley. Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Black Maria Film Festival: Third Prize, Director’s Choice Award (USA), USA Film Festival: Finalist, Monstra Animated Film Festival: Best of World (Portugal), ASIFA-SF Spring Show: Second Prize (USA), Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), Anima Mundi International Animation Festival (Brasil), Tel Aviv Animation Festival (Israel), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Dawson City Short Film Festival (Canada), Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia), London International Animation Festival (UK), AnimaEst International Animation Festival (Romania), Northwest Filmmakers Festival (USA), Wizard World Film Festival (USA), POW Festival (USA), Vienna Independent Shorts Film Festival (Austria), Washington, DC International Film Festival (USA).

( 2012, 4'13", 3D + 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, 16:9)

A tribute to everyone’s favorite planetoid, written and narrated by Manhattan slam poet Taylor Mali, Dear Pluto blends 2D and 3D animation to explore Pluto’s unfortunate demotion in our Solar System.

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Credits: Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley. Sound design by Lance Limbocker and Seth Norman. Written and performed by Taylor Mali. 3D animation by James O’Neill and Russell Wilkins. Design and 2D animation by Joanna Priestley. Music composed by Lance Limbocker. Compositing by Randy Wakerlin. Computer animation and modeling by Fred Ruff. Character voices by Rob Sample.  Assistant 3-D modeling by Luc Coté. Storyboards by Dan Schaeffer. Character designs by Don Flores. Edited by Joanna Priestley and Randy Wakerlin. Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: ASIFA-San Francisco Film Festival: First Place, Independent Animation (USA), Northwest Filmmakers Festival: Audience Choice Award (USA), Ann Arbor Film Festival: Art & Science Award (USA), ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival: Best of ZEBRA (Germany), Interfilm International Short Film Festival (Germany), Visible Verse Festival (Canada), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Dawson City Short Film Festival (Canada), Gig Harbor Film Festival (USA), Poezijos Festivalis TARP (Lithuania), Co-Kisser Poetry Film Festival (USA).

(2013, 1'47", 2D computer animation, HD digital file, 16:9), stereo)

A ballet of private parts, in all their glorious combinations.

Credits: Directed, animated and produced by Joanna Priestley. Sound effects and mix by Seth Norman. Music by Richard Strauss, courtesy of emp3world. Assistant Animation by Rachel Bradley. 

Festivals: Hump Festival (Seattle, WA, Olympia, WA & ­Portland, OR, USA), San Diego Comic-Con International (CA, USA), Annecy Animation Festival: Best of Spike & Mike Sick & Twisted (France).

Touring Programs: Best of Hump Festival Tour 2013 (USA), Best of Hump Festival Tour 2018 (USA and Canada), Best of Hump Pandemic Streaming (2020). 

(2012, 1' 30", 2D computer animation, HD digital file, DCP, 16:9)

A plastic tub takes a long trip to get recycled in this short short by award winning indie animator Joanna Priestley. Our best intentions can go awry when it comes to recycling plastic.

Made for Create Plenty, Scrap and the Surfrider Foundation, to promote cautious use and inventive reuse of plastic.

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Credits: Directed by Joanna Priestley. Sound Design by Chris Barber. Music by Thomas Barber. Animation by Joanna Priestley and Jed Bursiek. Musicians: Casey Bozell: Violin, Adam Trachsel: Bass, Cellos, Guitar, Chris Barber: Percussion, Meredith Adelaide: Vocals, Thomas Barber: Trumpet, French Horn, Tuba.  Produced by Joanna Priestley with Cheryl Lohrmann for Create Plenty, Scrap and the Surfrider Foundation, Portland Chapter.

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Festivals: Eco Comedy Film Competition (USA), Dawson City International Short Film Festival (Canada). Screenings: Northwest Film Center, Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), The Art Zone, Seattle Channel (Seattle, WA), Sisters Movie House (Sisters, OR), Plastics 360 Conference (Berkeley, CA), Earth Day Celebration (NW Film Center, Portland, OR) 4-22-20.

(2012, iOS app, interactive 2 animation, 16:9)

Clam Bake begins with a group of turquoise clamshells, olive figure eights and a vermillion ball. Clicking revels new shapes, events and zoetropes and a prize is revealed when the all events have been opened. "Embracing new technology to further push the boundaries of animation’s capabilities, Clam Bake is not quite a game but an interactive objet d’art." -Nicholas Katzban, 24700

Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by Seth Norman. Programmer and Assistant Animator Jed Bursiek.

Presentation: Cinema Pacific Fringe Festival, Schnitzer Museum of Art (Eugene, OR).

(2011, 3' 53", 2D computer animation, DVD, HD digital file, 16:9)

With luminescent layers of organic abstract animation, Eye Liner delves beneath archetypes of the human face.  Mysterious geometric patterns evoke an earth-and-sea relationship of bold shapes and ethereal backgrounds. 

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by Seth Norman. Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: USA Film Festival: First Prize, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Second Prize, Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)London International Animation Festival (UK), Anima Mundi Animation Festival (Brasil), ANIFEST (Czech Republic), Big Muddy Film Festival (USA), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Animac (Spain), Salem Film Festival (USA), Local Sightings Film Festival, Northwest Film Forum (USA), Northwest Filmmaker’s Festival (USA), Fantasia International Film Festival (Canada), Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Invitational (Baltimore, MD).

(2011, 1 minute, 2D computer animation, HD digital file)

Sixty seconds of abstract animation inspired by the paintings of Joan Miró and the palette of Piet Mondrian.

Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound design and mix by Marc Rose. Festivals: Portland Art Museum (USA Premiere). One Minute Film & Video Festival (Aarau, Switzerland).

(2009, 3' 53", 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, Beta SP, 16:9, stereo)

A witty commentary on ignorance, idiocy and our over-reliance on spell check. Written and narrated by Taylor Mali, who led teams to four championships in the National Poetry Slam, this dirty ditty animates text and plays up phonetics with hilarious results. 

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Written and narrated by Taylor Mali. Sound design by Normand Roger and Pierre Yves Drapeau. Music by Pierre Yves Drapeau with Denis Chartrand and Normand Roger. Text Animation by Brian Kinkley. Character design and animation by Don Flores. Storyboards by Dan Schaeffer. Supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council and the Caldera Institute.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Black Maria Film Festival (USA): First Prize (Jury Award), USA Film Festival: Finalist, CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival (Canada), Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia), AniMadrid Animation Festival (Spain),Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), Barcelona Festival of Independent Cinema (Spain), Ann Arbor Film Festival and Tour(USA), Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Tricky Women Festival (Austria), New Orleans Film Festival (USA), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Vienna Independent Short Film Festival (Austria), Animator International Festival (Poland), VideoFest (USA), Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA), BEFILM Underground Film Festival (USA), Visible Verse (Canada), Portland Women’s Film Festival (USA), Crossroads Film Festival (USA).

(2007, 6'23", 2-D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, BetaSP,  16:9, stereo)

A wild roller coaster journey through the mood swings, hot flashes and brain fog of one of life’s great transitions. “Priestley’s animated roller coaster ride both previews and celebrates- depending on your age- one of life’s most thrill-filled experiences.” -Heike Kuehn, Northwest Film and Video Festival

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Credits: Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley.  Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker.  Music composed by John Smith.  Animation by Pascal Campion and Joanna Priestley.  Voices by Victoria Parker Pohl and Paul Harrod.  Written by Joanna Priestley and Victoria Parker Pohl.  Editing by Michael Corrigan and Joanna Priestley.  Funding: Regional Arts and Culture Council. Special Thanks: The MacDowell Colony.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Black Maria Film Festival: Third Prize, Director’s Choice Award, Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (USA): Finalist, London International Animation Festival, Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia), Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), China International Animation and Digital Arts Festival, AniFest (Czech Republic), Animadrid (Spain), Dallas Video Festival (USA), Exeter International Film Festival (UK), Big Muddy Film Festival (USA), Ann Arbor Film Festival (USA), Festival Bimini (Latvia), Tricky Women Film Festival (Austria), Portland Intl. Film Festival (USA), Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA), Three Rivers Film Festival (USA), Cinanima (Portugal), Tacoma Film Festival (USA), World of Women Film Festival (Australia), China Intl. Animation Festival.

(2007, 4'00", animated installation, DVD, 3:1)

An exploration and rediscovery of childhood pastimes. Set within the spotlight of an elliptical border, games, diagrams and objects of amusement create an evocative metaphor of youthful play. Extended Play was a two screen (”L” shaped), outdoor installation with Sam Mowry and Martin Gallagher providing live foley sound. It premiered at the Platform International Animation Festival.

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Digital effects artist: Daniel Phillip Johnson.  Sound designed and produced by Marc Rose.  Live sound and sound effects by Sam Mowry and Martin Gallagher. Improv vocals by Shannon Day and Janet Day.

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Festival: “Inside Out”, Platform International Animation Festival (Portland, OR, USA) 6-28-07

(2005, 4'25", 2D computer animation, DCP, HD digital file, 1.33:1)

An abstract tapestry of biomorphic forms that hints at the loss of botanical diversity. The title refers to the array of radar stations (Distant Early Warning Line) built in the Arctic during the Cold War and to the elegant shapes created by condensation. 

“A rich abstract tapestry of botanical and biomorphic forms. Priestley’s Flash animation is a striking continuation of her fluid playful style and lyrically comic sense of movement.” -Bill Foster, Northwest Film Center

“Priestley’s playful eye takes us on a tour through the cycle of life and death as cells split apart, regenerate and dance a microbiological twist.” -Sam Green,  Juror, NW Filmmakers Festival

Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound and editing by Jamie Haggerty.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Big Muddy Film Festival: First Prize, Animated Worlds Tour and DVD (USA), Fantoche International Animation Festival: Best of the World Program (Switzerland), Hiroshima International Animation Festival: Best of the World Program (Japan), Black Maria Film Festival: Director’s Citation, Anima Mundi Animation Festival (Brazil), Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (South Korea), Prix Ars Electronica (Germany), Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), Mediawave International Film Festival (Hungary), London Intl. Animation Festival (UK), Melbourne Animation Festival (Australia), Leipzig International Festival (Germany), I Castelli Animati (Italy), Bimini International Animated Film Festival (Latvia), Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival (Turkey), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia), Newport Intl. Film Festival (USA), Dallas Video Festival (Texas).

(2004, 5'56", drawings on paper, 35mm, DCP, 1.33:1)

A traveler’s love letter to Andalucía and an homage to the culture, landscape, and architecture of southern Spain. Andaluz explores details of the natural world in relation to the four elements, and suggests the close relationship between people and the land which they inhabit.

"Short but sweet, this new animated tribute to southern Spain is just six minutes long, but the tale spans centuries."  -Cheryl Sinapis, Boston Globe

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley and Karen Aqua. Music composed and produced by Ken Field and Juanito Pascual. Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker. Edited by Cam Williams. Musicians: Juanito Pascual, Fernando de Malaga, Adolfo Herrera and Ken Field. Director of photography: David Trappe.

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Awards/Selected Festivals:  Black Maria Film & Video Festival: Director's Choice Award, ASIFA-East Animation Awards: Excellence in Experimental Techniques, Kalamazoo Animation Festival International: Gold Prize , USA Film Festival: Finalist, ASIFA-San Francisco Animation Awards: Second Prize, Bimini International Animated Film Festival, Latvia: Special Jury Diploma, New England Film & Video Festival: Jury Award for Best Independent Animation, New York Film Festival, Big Muddy Film Festival, Leipzig Intl. Festival (Germany), Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films (Croatia), Culture2Çulture Tricky Women Festival (Austria), Anima Mundi (Brazil), China Intl. Cartoon and Digital Art Festival, I Castelli Animati (Italy), Animac (Spain), Jeon Ju Intl. Film Festival (Korea), Córdoba Animation Festival (Argentina).

(2000, 7'33", replacement animation, glass, and pastels on paper, DVD, 35mm, 1.85:1, Dolby Digital)

Inspired by a snorkeling adventure in a freshwater cenote in the Yucatan, Mexico, Surface Dive combines three layers of artwork, molded replacement sculptures, glass pieces and pastel drawings on paper. Each layer is animated separately and shot on a multi-level stand. "More than 600 sculptures, 200 glass pieces and 2200 drawings combine to fashion a work of dazzling detail and complexity.” -Bill Foster, Director, Northwest Film Center

Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker and Drew Canulette. Director of photography: David Trappe. Edited by David Massachi. Camera operators: Emily Halderman and Joanna Priestley. Sculpture assts.: Catherine Dunn and Yan Nguyen. A project of Creative Capital.

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Awards/Festivals: Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (Korea): First Place Award for Expression, World Animation Celebration (Los Angeles, USA): Best Experimental Film, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director’s Citation Award, Culture2Culture Tricky Women Festival (Austria): City of Vienna Prize, Sundance Film Festival (USA), Taos Talking Picture Festival (USA), Anima Mundi International Animation Festival (Brasil), I Castelli Animati Animation Festival (Italy), Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal), Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (Germany), Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA), Nordic and Baltic Animation Festival (Norway), Big Muddy Film Festival (USA), Dallas Video Festival (USA), Bristol International Animation Festival (UK), Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), ANIMAC International Animation Festival (Spain), Ann Arbor Film Festival (USA), Filme Im Schloss: Weisbaden Animation Festival (Germany), Enzimi Festival (Rome, Italy).

(2000, 4'00", pixillation and object animation, 16mm, 1.33:1)

Kali Yuga was commissioned by contemporary music ensemble Fear No Music, to accompany a new musical composition by composer Joseph Waters. It includes two animation experiments: pixillation of 50 year old yogi and rock climber Diane Wilson and object animation of tools, bolts, screws and nails. The music was synchronized to the images and performed live by five musicians, who moved around or were encased upside down in wooden sculptures while playing.

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Music composed and produced by Joseph Waters. Collaboration with composer Joseph Waters and contemporary classical ensemble, Fear No Music.

Performances: Reed College (Portland, OR) and University of Oregon and the University of California at San Diego (CA).

(1997, 5'00", drawings on paper and replacement animation, DCP, HD digital file, 35 mm, 1.33:1, stereo)

Utopia Parkway is an abstract and symbolic film about covert forces and mysterious containers. It was inspired by the boxes of American sculptor Joseph Cornell, who lived in the same house on Utopia Parkway in Queens, New York, nearly all of his life. “Joanna Priestley’s Utopia Parkway explores new techniques, including animating 3-D forms made out of what looks like glazed clay. The objects were sculpted to form a series that have smooth transitions from one shape to another. "The work is technically brilliant and her use of new materials is quite inventive.” -Karl Cohen, ASIFA-SF Journal

Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound design and music by Jamie Haggerty. Art director: Paul Harrod. Directors of photography: Charles Rehwalt (box unit) and David Trappe (bottle unit). Edited by Chris Willging and Joanna Priestley.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: San Francisco International Film Festival (USA): Golden Gate Award, Big Muddy Film Festival (USA): Best of Festival, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): Judge’s Award, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director’s Choice Award, U.S.A. Film Festival: Finalist, Fantoche International Festival for Animated Films: Best of the World (Switzerland), I Castelli Animati (Italy), Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films (Croatia), Hiroshima International Animation Festival (Japan), Anima Mundi International Animation Festival (Brasil), Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany) Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal), Oslo Animation Festival (Norway), Annecy Intl. Animation Festival (France), ANIMAC (Spain), Interfilm Berlin (Germany), Malaysia Video Awards (Malaysia), Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (USA).

(1995, 7 minutes, ink and watercolor on paper with pixillated hands)

Hand Held is about organizing to confront oppression. The animation was hand drawn on index cards with ink, watercolor and pastels. The cards were shot while being held by real hands. Models of all ages (infant to Joanna’s 93 year old grandmother) and races, prosthetic hands and animal paws create a symbolic community of hands that surround the artwork. The soundtrack for Hand Held was performed by the acclaimed acappella quartet: The Bobs, featuring Joe Finetti, Richard Greene, Janie Scott and Matthew Stull. 

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound produced and composed by Richard Greene and Joe Finetti. Soundtrack performed by The Bobs: Joe Finetti, Richard Greene, Janie Scott and Matthew Stull. Sound effects by Jaime Haggerty. Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Special thanks to the MacDowell Colony and Teknifilm Labs.

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Awards/Festivals: Marin County Film Festival (USA): First Prize, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First  Prize, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director’s Citation, Humbolt Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention, Medicine Wheel Animation Festival (USA): Honorable Mention. Festivals: Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), Leipzig International Film Festival (Germany), Schorndorf International Cartoon Festival (Germany).

(1993, 6'50", drawings on paper, pixillated hands and object animation, DVD, 16mm, 1.33:1)

Grown Up takes a humorous and poignant look at what it means to be turning 40 and growing older. “In a time when everyone seems to be writing about aging, Priestley does a brilliant job of reclaiming 40 and her own process of middle aging with humor, optimism and an award winning animation style that just might make twenty-somethings wish they were older.” -Bill Foster, Northwest Film Center 

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Credits: Directed, produced, and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound produced by Lance Limbocker. Written by Barbara Carnegie and Joanna Priestley. Music by Steve Christopherson and Warren Rand. Props by Paul Harrod. 

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Awards/Selected Festivals: New York Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival (USA, Premiere), Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize, Marin County Film Festival (USA): First Prize, Worldfest Houston (USA): Gold Award, Black Maria Film and Video Festival (USA): Director’s Citation Award, Worldfest Charleston (USA): Gold Award, Columbus International Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention, Intercom International Festival (USA): Certificate of Merit, Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (USA), Athens International Film and Video Festival (USA), Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), U.S.A. Film Festival, Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), San Francisco International Film Festival (USA), Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA).

(1993, 8'15", 2-D puppets, drawings, object and cel animation and clay painting, 35mm, 1.33:1)

Pro and Con investigates life in prison through two monologues: one by a corrections officer (Lt. Janice Inman), and the other by Oregon State Penitentiary inmate, written by Jeff Green. Pro and Con features self-portraits that were drawn by inmates at the penitentiary and object animation of weapons and crafts that were confiscated from inmates. "Pro and Con is a brief but excellent exploration of the thoughts and emotions of those working and living in our prison system." -Rebecca S. Albitz, Pyramid Film and video

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz. Sound designed and produced by Lance Limbocker and Chel White. Music by Chel White. Narrated by Lt. Janice Inman and Allen Nause.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director’s Choice Award, Cindy Competition (USA): Gold Award, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): Honorable Mention, Worldfest Charleston (USA): Gold Award, Birmingham Educational Film Festival (USA): First Prize, Columbus Film Festival (USA): Honorable Mention, CINE Competition (USA): Gold Eagle Award, Bombay International Film Festival (India), Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Holland Animation Festival (Netherlands), Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA), Ottawa International Animation Festival (Canada), U.S.A. Film Festival, Womanimation! Film Festival (USA).

(1991, 6'00", drawings on paper with location shooting, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

After the Fall is about relationships and the frustration of not being able to connect with others. The animation was drawn on index cards that were shot outdoors, at a fast food restaurant, garbage dump, flower farm and near Mt. Hood. After the Fall ends with the hero finding community by planting a seed from his heart. The final shot reveals how the film was made.

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“For segments of the 1991 piece, After the Fall, Priestley propped up a sheet of clear plexiglas at various outdoor locations and shot animation by placing sequences of drawings in its center.  In the finished film, the smooth hand-drawn animation is framed by stuttering approximations of live-action backgrounds.” -Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times

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Credits: Directed, Produced and Animated by Joanna Priestley. Music composed and produced by Billy Oskay and Cal Scott.

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Awards/Festivals: National Independent Film Competition (USA): Grand Prix, Athens Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize, Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Juror’s Award, New York Film Festival (USA), Bombay International Film Festival (India), San Francisco International Film Festival (USA), Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA), Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India).

(1990, 4'50", drawings on paper with 3-D frames, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

All My Relations satirizes the pitfalls of romance, from marriage, childbirth and upward mobility to the disintegration of a relationship. The animation is framed by a series of sculptural assemblages, which emphasize the message implied by the archetypal characters whose dilemmas may be familiar to those who have bought into the "American Dream". 

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Voices by Victoria Parker and Scott Parker.  Sound effects by Dennis Wiancko.  Sound produced by Joanna Priestley.  Assistant animation by Kathleen Nichols and Janet Karecki. 

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Hiroshima International Film Festival: Best of the World Program (Japan), Stuttgart International Animation Festival (Germany), Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia), Stockholm Animation and Experimental Film Festival (Sweden), interfilm International Short Film Festival (Berlin, Germany), Sydney Film Festival (Australia), London International Animation Festival (UK), Athens International Film Festival (USA), INDIE hype (Australia + Germany), TMC London Film Festival (UK), Northwest Filmmaker's Festival (USA), Portland International Film Festival (USA), Insomnia Festival (Moscow, Russia), Cinema Pacific Fringe Festival (Eugene, OR), Northwest Animation Festival (USA), Miami Independent Film Festival (USA), New Zealand International Film Festival (Auckland, NZ), Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival (USA), Flying Robot International Film Festival (USA).

(1988, 8'00", drawings and puppet animation, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

She-Bop is about power, rage and seizing control of your life. It features Kali, the Great Goddess who is both creator and destroyer. She-Bop combines drawings on index cards, puppet animation, abstraction and character animation. It is based on a poem by Carolyn Myers, performed by jazz singer Carolyn Lochert Curtis. “An ode to the Goddess and female power, set to a poem by writer and performer Carolyn Myers.” –Sharon Mizota, Los Angeles Times

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Credits: Directed, produced, and animated by Joanna Priestley. Music and sound design by Dave Storrs. Written by Carolyn Myers. Narration by Carolyn Lochert Curtis. Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Awards/Selected Festivals: National Independent Film and Video Competition (USA): Grand Prix, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director’s Choice Award, San Francisco International Film Festival (USA): Special Jury Award, National Educational Film Festival (USA): Special Merit Award, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First Prize, Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner, Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal): Honorable Mention, Annecy International Animation Festival (France), Denver Film Festival (USA), Chicago International Film and Video Festival (USA), Odense International Film Festival (Denmark).

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(1988, 6'40", drawings, puppets and object animation, 35mm, 1.33:1) 

Candyjam is a whimsical, animated collaboration by ten animators from four countries. Candy is the subject and each filmmaker brings their own unique style to this experimental film which includes animated candy and objects, drawings and puppet animation.

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Credits: Directed and produced by Joanna Priestley and Joan Gratz. Music designed and produced by Dave Storrs. Animated by David Anderson (London), Karen Aqua (Cambridge, MA, USA),Craig Bartlett (Los Angeles), Elizabeth Buttler (Cambridge, MA, USA), Paul Driessen (The Hague, Holland), Tom Gasek (Cambridge, MA, USA), Joan Gratz (Portland, OR, USA), Marv Newland (Vancouver, BC, Canada), Christine Panushka (Valencia, CA, USA) and Joanna Priestley. 

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Awards/Selected Festivals: Black Maria Film Festival (USA): First Prize, National Independent Film and Video Competition (USA): Honorable Mention, Chicago International Film Festival (USA): Certificate of Merit, Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner, Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): Honorable Mention, Zagreb International Animation Festival (Croatia), Cinanima International Animation Festival (Portugal): Honorable Mention, Flaherty Film Seminar (USA), Aspen Film Festival (USA), International Tournée of Animation (USA), Mill Valley Film Festival (USA), Denver Film Festival (USA).

(~1989, 03:12, 16mm, silent, 2D computer animation, not in distribution)

Decanter is an abstract structural experiment inspired by the work of Piet Mondrian. It was created at California Institute of the Arts where co-directors Jules Engel and Joanna Priestley were in the first computer animation class at Cal Arts (1984-85), taught by Vibeke Sorensen. They used a Cubicomp with a Compaq PC (8 MB RAM, 40 MB hard drive) and Lumena, Easel and PC-10 software. Images were shot onto 16mm film from the the computer monitor, using a tripod mounted Bolex camera. 

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Jules Engel and Joanna Priestley. 

(1986, 4'00", computer animation, not in distribution) 

Times Square is an abstract meditation on urban shapes and sounds. It was created at California Institute of the Arts where co-directors Jules Engel and Joanna Priestley were in the first computer animation class at Cal Arts (1984-85), taught by Vibeke Sorensen. They used a Cubicomp with a Compaq PC (8 MB RAM, 40 MB hard drive) and Lumena, Easel and PC-10 software. Images were shot onto 16mm film from the the computer monitor, using a tripod mounted Bolex camera. 

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“As blocks of color click into place and march across the screen, there is a clear sense of masses of people moving among tall buildings and subway trains arriving and departing.”  -St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Credits: Directed, produced and animated by Joanna Priestley and Jules Engel. Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko. Editing, title design and credits by Joanna Priestley.

(1985, 5'00", computer animation, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

Jade Leaf is an abstract computer painting that was inspired by botanical forms. It is the first computer animated film made at California Institute of the Arts. The images were made with a Cubicomp Picturemaker using a Compaq PC (8 MB RAM, 40 MB hard drive) and Lumena, Easel and PC-10 software. Images were shot onto 16mm film from the the computer monitor, using a tripod mounted Bolex camera. There were eight people in the first Cal Arts Computer Animation Lab in 1984 -85: four students and four faculty (including my mentor Jules Engel and Ed Emshwiller, Dean of the Film and Video School). One of the students, Dale McBeath, was a programmer who created the code I needed to connect the 16mm Bolex camera and shoot screen images. I had unlimited access to the Cubicomp.

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“Priestley’s abstract painting has a wonderful graphic flow, not completely geometric, yet not completely organic.” -Phil Borsos, NW Film and Video Festival Juror.

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley.  Music composed and performed by Howard Richman

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Awards/Festivals: Northwest Film and Video Festival: First Place, Oregon School of Arts and Crafts Computer Animation Conference. 

(1985, 4'07", drawings on paper, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

A humorous exploration of the fears we share: fear of the darkness, of monsters, of aging, of being overweight and of global destruction.  

"Priestley gets across a series of personal phobias in a refreshing and humorous fashion. We get a superb, contemporary animated film with salutes to historical cartoon figures scattered throughout. Delightful!" -Marv Newland, Northwest Film and Video Festival Juror. 

“Priestley’s film shows great joy and delight in being alive. It’s a message with style.” -Ed Emshwiller

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko. 

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Awards/Selected Festivals: National Independent Film Competition: First Place, Telluride Film Festival (USA), National Educational Film Festival: First Place, Algarve Cinema Festival: Best Animated Film (Portugal), Tel Aviv Intl.Film Festival: First Place, Big Muddy Film Festival: Best of Festival, Canadian Intl. Animation Festival: Special Merit Award, NW Film and Video Festival: Best of Festival, CINE Competition: Gold Eagle Award, Chicago Intl. Film Festival: Bronze Hugo Award, U.S.A. Film Festival: Finalist, Sinking Creek Film Festival: Cash Award Winner, Odense Intl. Film Festival: Special Jury Prize, Hiroshima Intl. Animation Festival (Japan), Zagreb Intl. Animation Festival (Croatia), Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival (China), Black Maria Film Festival (USA), Stuttgart Intl. Animation Festival, Films des Femmes: Festival International de Créteil (France), San Francisco Intl. Film Festival, Montreal Intl. Women’s Film Festival (Canada), Flaherty Film Seminar (USA) , Montreal Intl. Women’s Film Festival (Canada), New York Filmmaker’s Expo (NY, USA), Bumbershoot Film Festival (WA, USA), Womanimation Film Festival (USA), Big Cartoon Festival (Moscow, Russia), Mimesis Documentary Festival (Boulder, CO, USA).

(1985, 5'00", sand animation, black and white, 16mm, 1.33:1)

The Dancing Bulrushes is based on an Ojibwa Native American story about coyote, the trickster, published by Barry Lopez. The film was made by animating beach sand on a sleet of back lit glass, frame by frame, under the camera. "Sand, lit from behind, is manipulated to recreate the Chippewa tale of a wily coyote, and the screen's surface becomes a shifting sea of grains." -Maxine beach, Webster University Journal 

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley and Steven Subotnick. Music composed and performed by Miroslav Tadic. Written by Barry Lopez. Narrated by Fran Bennett. 

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Awards/Festivals: USA Film Festival: Special Judges Award for New Animation Talent, 1985: Chicago Intl. Film Festival: Gold Hugo Nominee for Best Short Film (USA), Sinking Creek Film Festival (USA): Cash Award Winner, FOCUS Film Festival (USA): Third Place, Athens International Film Festival (USA), San Francisco International Film Festival (USA), Chicago International Film Festival (USA), Los Angeles International Animation Celebration (USA) Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA), Cinémathèque française, Centre Pompidou (Paris, France). 

(1983, 7'00", rubber stamps on index cards, 16mm, 1.33:1) 

"The images are all made from new and old rubber stamps which combine, entangle and collide at a rapid and joyous pace.  A hundred little stories are told as the images zip by to a collaged sound-track of voices and musical fragments. An imaginative, witty and energetic film. Pure delight!" -Melinda Ward, Walker Art Center 

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"A tour de force!" -Bill Foster, Northwest Film Center 

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Credits: Produced, directed and animated by Joanna Priestley. Sound designed and produced by R. Dennis Wiancko. 

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Awards/Selected Festivals: New York Independent Filmmakers Expo (USA): First Place, Motion Picture Sound Editors (USA): Golden Reel Award, Telluride Film Festival (USA), Northwest Film and Video Festival (USA): First  Place, Black Maria Film Festival (USA): Director's Choice Award, Hiroshima Intl. Animation Festival, Baltimore Film Festival (USA): Second Place, Aspen Film Festival (USA), Chicago International Film Festival (USA), Canadian Intl. Animation Festival, Chicago Intl. Film Festival (USA). Screenings: Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY, USA), Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN, USA), POW Festival Retrospective (Portland, OR, USA), Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Invitational (Baltimore, MD, USA).

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