Northwest Animation Fest 2018

The Northwest Animation Festival (May 23-27) showcases visionary worlds of fantasy, unforgettable stories, and outlandish oddities from around the globe. See the year's best short films, selected from over 1500 submissions. Explore special topics, talk with filmmakers, and play at late night parties. If you're an animation-lover, this is the must-see event of 2018! More information at nwanimationfest.com.

Buy an All-Festival Pass here.

The All-Festival Pass guarantees a seat at every screening during the extravaganza, Wednesday through Sunday, May 23-27. With a total value of $108, the full pass saves nearly 40% off tickets!

Buy a 3-Day Weekend Pass here.

The 3-Day Weekend Pass guarantees a seat at all festival programs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 25-27.

NWAF 2018 All-Festival Pass

Wednesday, May 23, 9:59 PM

Oregon Studio Spotlight: Hinge

Wednesday, May 23, 10:00 PM

HINGE is the Portland animation studio that created Adult Swim's thrilling "Toonami Intruder II", a hilarious series of "Snow Knows" shorts inspired by Game of Thrones, the much-lauded tourism promotion titled "Travel Oregon: The Game", and many familiar national-level TV advertisements. Get a rare peek behind the scenes and learn how the HINGE team makes their magic!

Immediately following the HIN…

Networking: Join the Animation Tribe

Thursday, May 24, 12:00 AM

A professional networking party, presented as part of the 2018 Northwest Animation Festival.

Schmooze with friends both old and new, talk shop, and trade business cards. Whether you’re an industry veteran, a freelancer looking for gigs, or just arrived in Portland yesterday — come celebrate NWAF's opening night with the local animation tribe!

FREE and open to the public. Hosted by The Magnolia (a b…

Exploding Mind! Abstract/Experimental

Thursday, May 24, 10:00 PM

Throw out the rules of traditional filmmaking! Inspired animation architects build hovering fourth-dimensional forms. Morphing imaginations teeter between the psychedelic and psychotic. Spiritual insights beyond the grasp of words coalesce into truly original aesthetic experience. Dizzying but never dull — do you dare touch the exploding mind?

Here's some of what you'll see: A bestiary of dream-li…

Strange & Sexy

Friday, May 25, 12:00 AM

Take a wild romp through the jungles of psyche and sexuality! This uninhibited collection of shorts plunges into the themes of lust and liberation, deviant desire and ecstatic enlightenment. Through an animator's eyes, realize the beauty of the human body — and then twist your brain around the bizarrely bawdy.

Here's some of what you'll see: A jealous god creates a new universe for an androgynous …

NWAF 2018 3-Day Weekend Pass

Friday, May 25, 9:59 PM

International Spectacular #1

Friday, May 25, 10:00 PM

Friday evening kicks off a three-night extravaganza of amazing international shorts. Selected from over 1500 submissions, this panoramic variety show offers profound and playfully peculiar delights to satisfy nearly every taste.

Here's some of what you'll see: The legendary King of Indie Animation, Bill Plympton, delivers a hilarious new episode in his Guard Dog series... This time, our overzealou…

PARTY: LET'S MAKE ANIMATION NOW

Saturday, May 26, 2:00 AM

A late night party, presented as part of the 2018 Northwest Animation Festival.

Have a drink, then try making animation yourself. Attendees are provided with sharpie markers and lightboxes. Make twelve drawings, then pass them on to the next person. At the end of the night, all of the drawings are assembled... And we'll have made a hilarious, chaotic, short film together. Organized by ASIFA-Portla…

Family Friendly

Saturday, May 26, 4:30 PM

Save your city from a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex! Bring penguins, monkeys, and alligators home from the zoo to live with you! Bravely adventure into the dark forest, and open your heart to those in need of kindness. Savvy adult filmgoers and kids discovering indie animation for the first time will both enjoy the Northwest Animation Festival's popular Family Friendly show.

Here's some of what you'…

Fantastic Worlds: Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Saturday, May 26, 6:30 PM

Intergalactic space travel! Strange, alien life forms! Magicians, mad scientists, mecha, mythology, and mayhem! Fantastic Worlds delivers ten outstanding short films from the outer limits of imagination.

Here's some of what you'll see: Bizarre alien invaders from another world enslave a Stone Age tribe of earthlings. A gigantic robot rebuilds and rehabilitates a human boy who was left discarded on…

International Spectacular #2

Saturday, May 26, 10:00 PM

NW Animation Fest's parade of astonishing short films continues on Saturday night with a second anthology of this year's very best work. Selected from over 1500 submissions, the evening includes remarkable stories from Argentina, Russia, France, Turkey, Singapore, Norway, and more. Watch as national boundaries fall away and the reign of unfettered imagination begins.

Here's some of what you'll see…

PARTY: ANIMATION IN VIDEO GAMES

Sunday, May 27, 2:00 AM

A late night party, presented as part of the 2018 Northwest Animation Festival.

Journey into the world of games animation with the Portland Indie Game Squad! Watch or play through the unique animation styles of several popular, independently-made games.

FREE and open to the public. Hosted by The Magnolia (a beer and wine bar) immediately across the street from the Hollywood at 4075 NE Sandy Blvd.

Northwest Animators Showcase

Sunday, May 27, 4:30 PM

The Northwest indie animation scene is super-charged with creative energy. Maybe it's the rain inspiring us to sit down and make art? Dig into the mystery with this diverse collection of short films from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. After the screening, stay for a special 30min "Meet the Animators" panel discussion.

Here's some of what you'll see... Always looking for …

12_NWAF18_RISE_UP_Resistance_and_Revolution_1920x1080.jpg

Rise Up! Resistance & Revolution

Sunday, May 27, 6:30 PM

Queer pride, black lives, women who strike back, and people around the world marching for liberation! Whether the characters are fighting openly for regime change, or going underground to survive a cultural revolution, these stories amplify marginalized voices and inspire one's strength to persist. With beautiful tenderness, they remind us what is most precious: simply getting to live and take ca…

13_NWAF18_International_Spectacular_THREE_1920x1080.jpg

International Spectacular #3

Sunday, May 27, 10:00 PM

This year's NW Animation Fest concludes with an explosive cabaret of cartoons, digital delights, and show-stopping stop-motion. Selected from a pool of over 1500 submissions, you can trust that we've saved a few of our most favorite films for the big finale.

Here's some of what you'll see on Sunday night: A ditzy New Age girl goes questing to find her one true soulmate — guided solely by crystal m…