Melissa Ferrari
Documentary & Experimental Animation Filmmaker
Phantasmagoria Magic Lanternist
Phototaxis (2017) 7'
Full Film: Link
Phototaxis draws parallels between Mothman, a prophetic and demonized creature in West Virginia lore, and Narcotics Anonymous, the main treatment program in West Virginia’s addiction epidemic. Rooted in nonfiction, this film contemplates synchronicity and the role of belief systems in perception; the tendency to assign supernatural meaning to tragedy and the unknowable; anonymous and apocryphal oral histories; and the moth to the flame. To visualize these narratives, natural materials and pastel-on-paper palimpsest animation are woven together using a multiplane and analog overhead projection.
First Year Film - CalArts Experimental Animation M.F.A.
Ottawa International Animation Festival – Official Selection – Ottawa, CAN – 2018
Imagine Science Film Festival - Official Selection 2018
New Orleans Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018
Tacoma Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018
Slamdance Film Festival - Official Selection, Documentary Shorts - Park City, Utah - 2018
Black Maria Film Festival - Jury Citation Award - 2018
Chicago Underground Film Festival - Chicago, IL - 2018
Atlanta Underground Film Festival - Documentary Shorts - Atlanta, USA - 2018
Flatpack Film Festival - Short Film Competition - Birmingham, UK - 2018
Athens International Film + Video Festival - Official Selection - Athens, OH - 2018
Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018
TAIS Animation Showcase (Toronto Animated Image Society) - Competition - Toronto, CAN - 2018
KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival - 2018
"Women's Animation from Near & Far" curated by the Leeds Animation Workshop - Leeds, UK - 2018
Linoleum International Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival - Kyiv, Ukraine - 2018
RiverRun International Film Festival - Animation Competition - 2018
Florida Film Festival - Animated Shorts Competition - Maitland, Fl - 2018
Countryside Animafest Cyprus - International Competition - Salamiou, Paphos - 2018
Maryland Film Festival - Animated Shorts - 2018
Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Animation Shorts Competition - Santa Barbara, CA - 2018
Arizona Underground Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018
Vail Film Festival - Official Selection - 2018
2018 CalArts Experimental Animation Showcase - REDCAT Theater - Los Angeles, CA
Salem Film Festival - Documentary Shorts Official Selection - Salem, MA - 2018
San Diego Underground Film Festival – Official Selection - San Diego, CA – 2017
Animasyros International Animation Festival - Greece - 2018
FilmQuest Festival - Animated Shorts competition - Provo, UT - 2018
Factual Animation Film Fuss – Official Selection – London, UK – 2017
Bad People Gallery - Bad Women Animation Screening - Los Angeles, CA - 2017
Animasivo Festival - Official Selection - Mexico City - 2017
Cinequest Film & VR Festival - Official Selection, Documentary Shorts - San Jose, CA - 2018
Horrible Imaginings - Official Selection - Santa Ana, CA - 2018
Rush Process Festival of Handcrafted Animation - Competition - Houston, Texas - 2018
Athens Animfest - Student Competition - Athens, Greece - 2018
Moviate Underground Film Festival - Harrisburg, PA - 2018
Animage International Animation Festival of Pernambuco – Short Film Competition – Recife, Brazil – 2017
Festival Nonstop Barcelona - Animated Documentary Competition - 2018
Cinedelphia Film Festival - Official Selection - Philadelphia, PA - 2018
Single Frame - Official Selection - 2018
Miami Independent Film Festival - Award: Best Student Film - Miami, FL - 2018
Columbus International Animation & Film Festival - Official Selection - Columbus, OH - 2018
Animacine Animation Festival - International Short Competition - Caruaru, Brazil - 2017
Craft International Animation Festival - International Competition – Java, Indonesia – 2017
