Empirical Theater, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR , USA

August 23, 2024 at| 8 PM 

Dubbed “the queen of independent animation,” Joanna Priestley has made 32 award-winning films that run the gamut from personal memoir and documentary to poetic adaptation and abstract phantasmagoria. Priestley has had retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, British Film Institute, National Film Theater in London, Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, and the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. We are delighted to present an exclusive look at 15 of her finest short films spanning over 37 years in the industry including Voices (1985), Pro and Con (1993), Dew Line (2005), and Split Ends (2013).

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR, USA

November 18, 2023 and April 20, 2024

The Art of Burning Man is a live digital image show by award winning filmmaker Joanna Priestley that celebrates the explosive creativity of the Burning Man festival in northern Nevada. It features sculptures, architecture, installations and mutant vehicles made from 2002 to 2022, plus the world premiere of Fleeting Marvels, a new short film about Burning Man and the Portland premiere of Priestley’s new, award winning animated short Jung & Restless. An audience question and answer session with Priestley and film crew members will follow the presentation.

Universidad Iberoamericana, Puebla, Mexico

October 31, 2023

All students are invited to a lecture and short film retrospective by director, producer and animator Joanna Priestley from Portland, Oregon, USA.

Music Box Theater, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA

October 6, 2023

A retrospective screening of Joanna Priestley’s award winning short animated films with introductions and explanations of techniques by the artist.

Charlas Magistrales, Puno, Peru 

September 30, 2021 

Learn about the important process of animation with Joanna Priestley. This event is part of the framework of the 6th Ajayu International Animation Festival. Priestley’s work maintains a high level of porosity between serious exploration of limits and intuitive whimsy, and is devoted to experimentation on technique, subject, and content.

Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival, Parkway Theater, Baltimore, MD, USA

October 5, 2019 

Introspective, satirical, whimsical and beautiful: Joanna Priestley’s prolific body of work speaks personal truths. She’s been called “queen of independent animation.” The artist presents her work in person. Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is a three-day celebration of the world’s most cutting-edge, quirky, and boundary-pushing animation.

Santo Tomás Professional Institute, Santiago, Chile

May 5, 2019

Within the framework of the eighth Chilemonos Animation Festival, the students of the Digital Animation and Multimedia program have the opportunity to see the American animated film “North of Blue”, with the Director of the film, Joanna Priestley, present. Priestley will recount the way in which she carried out the making of the hour-long film, an abstract experience inspired by the winter landscapes of northern Canada. It is accompanied by a musical symphony composed by Jamie Haggerty.

Cineteca Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico - April 16, 2019

Cineteca Nacional in collaboration with the University of Iberoamericana of Puebla is pleased to invite you to the talk that will be offered by Joanna Priestley, director, animator and producer of more that 20 film works. Among the institutions that have dedicated retrospectves to her are the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw and the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles.

Maryland Institute College of Art, Falvey Hall, Baltimore, MD, USA - October 2, 2019

Joanna Priestley is an animator from Portland, Oregon, and has directed 27 animated films, as well as an iOS app. She'll be discussing her process as an animator, as well as talking about her new feature film, "North of Blue," which will screen later this day.

Cinémathèque quebeçoise, Montreal, Canada  

October 2, 2018

"North of Blue est un long métrage d'animation abstrait ayant pris naissance dans les mystérieux paysages hivernaux du Grand Nord, alors que Joanna Priestley était boursière du Klondike Institute of Art and Culture à Dawson City (Yukon). Inspiré des paysages du Grand Nord, le film donne à voir des points de fuite changeants, des motifs bidimensionnels, des formes et des explosions. « North of Blue est un peu comme les dernières minutes de 2001: A Space Odyssey si Stanley Kubrick avait eu le sens de l'humour." -Dana Alston, Willamette Week

Fantoche International Animation Festival, Baden, Switzerland - September 5, 2018

Bill Plympton called her “the queen of independent animation”: Joanna Priestley has been animating and producing her own films since 1983 and is virtually peerless in her ability to animate and present aspects of human existence with a heavy dose of irony. This retrospective shows some of her narrative gems and abstract works of art. Curated by Dominique Marconi. 

Portland Art Museum, Portland OR, USA 

December 6, 2017

Starting her career as a film presenter in Central Oregon, Priestley made her first films using rubber stamps and sand before going on to study with legendary experimental animator Jules Engle at Cal Arts. Finding her stride with drawing and computer-based animations, and collaborating with sound artists, she has since become one the world’s most prolific independent animators.

British Film Institute, National Film Theatre, London, UK 

May 11, 2017

With retrospectives, awards and a significant body of work under her belt, Joanna Priestley is a distinctive and pioneering director and producer. Despite extensive international acclaim for her work in short film, her work has been criminally underseen in the UK. We are delighted to present an exclusive look at a dozen of her finest short films spanning over 30 years in the industry including Voices (1985), Pro and Con (1993), Dew Line (2005), Split Ends (2013) and Bottle Neck (2015). The screening will be followed by a rare opportunity to hear from Joanna in person about her career to date and future projects.

Metro Kino, Vienna, Austria - March 3 and 6, 2016

We are happy to present the oeuvre of an exceptional artist who deftly turns issues such as relationship problems or the different stages in women’s lives into humorous animations. In the first part of the program Joanna Priestley presents some of her narrative works, while the second part is devoted to her abstract films and latest animations.

Hollywood Theater, Portland, OR, USA  - March 9 , 2014

POWFest is honored to present a retrospective of award-winning filmmaker Joanna Priestley’s films as our closing night engagement on Sunday, March 9th at 7:00 pm. Please join us for a unique evening of animated films and conversation. Reception to follow. Sponsored by: ADi & WIF-PDX.

Voices /1985--4 min., She-Bop / 1988-8 min., All My Relations / 1990--5 min., Surface Dive / 2000—8 min., Utopia Parkway / 1997--5 min., Andaluz /2004--6 min., Streetcar Named Perspire /2007--6.5 min., Dear Pluto /2012--4 min – MOV., Missed Aches /2009--4 min., Dew Line / 2005--4.5 min., Eye Liner /2011--4 min., Split Ends /2013--3.5 min.

Northwest Film Center, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, USA

January 28, 2012

A native of Portland, and globally recognized as one of the premier creators of independent animation art, Joanna Priestley has made 25 films over the past 30 years. Her subjects run the gamut from personal memoir and documentary to poetic adaptation and abstract phantasmagoria. Tonight we present five new films (three world premieres) by award winning independent filmmaker, Joanna Priestley. World Premieres: Dear Pluto (2012, 4 min.), Choking Hazard (2012, 1 min.), Split Ends (2012, 4 min.), Exposé Slide Show (2012) and Clam Bake (2012, interactive). With recent films: Out of Shape (2011, 1 min.), Eye Liner (2011, 4 min.) and Missed Aches (2009, 4 min.).

 Hollywood Theater, Portland, OR, USA 

April 30, 2009

The appearance of text in animated films has become more common with the advent of Adobe Flash and After Effects. These computer programs have made it much easier to animate letters and words and to incorporate text with animation. This had been a laborious process that involved animating individual cut out letters or using press type, handwritten calligraphy or typewriter text. Both computer animated films and non-computer films will be included in the program.

REDCAT, Los Angeles, CA 

April 20, 2009

Dubbed “the queen of independent animation” by Bill Plympton, Joanna Priestley unveils her new short Missed Aches (2009, 4 min.), a humorous rant about the need for proofreading. This can’t-miss program for animation buffs also includes a series of animated gems representing the range of the artist’s techniques.

Brunish Hall, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, OR, USA 

June 25, 2007

"Animated grudge match between two opposing facets of our industry - Humor vs. Abstract. Indie NY filmmaker (and Portland native) Bill Plympton presented some of his favorite humorous cartoons while Portland animator Joanna Priestley countered with her favorite abstract films. The judges? We, the audience, of course. Paul Harrod kept score with a sound meter to measure the audience's applause. In the end, the Abstract program won the crowd. Joanna showed some incredibly strong films, such as Oskar Fischinger's Studie No. 6 and Evelyn Lambart's and McLaren's Begone Dull Care. Bill's selection included his own Guide Dog, as well as Bingo Bongo, by Frederico Vitali and Signe Baumane's Teat Beat, which brought the house down). A fun time was had by all and no better way to end the first evening of the very first PLATFORM festival." - Ward Jenkins, Animation World Network

Living Room Theaters, Portland, OR, USA

March 1 , 2017

Acclaimed filmmaker Joanna Priestley presents the international premiere of her new film, Streetcar Named Perspire, in Attack of the Wise Women, an evening of new cinema at the Living Room Theaters. The program includes talks by world renowned herbalist Cascade Anderson Geller and former Portland mayor Vera Katz. Films include current Oscar nominee The Danish Poet (by Torill Kove), Oscar winner Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (by Joan Gratz), Golden Hugo winner Britannia and Annecy triple prize winner Dreams and Desires (both by Joanna Quinn), Voices and Grown Up (both by Joanna Priestley).