Beginning in 2017, I started developing the concept for this short animated film as part of my graduate studies at the University of Central Florida. Based on my personal experiences, Ouroboros is a visual exploration of the journey through mental illness and identity reconciliation. Centering around the experiences of Dysphoria and her web-like cocoon of a world, the story traverses through the process of dissociation, dismantling of harmful coping mechanisms, mourning, and reconciliation of self into a unified identity. This experimental digital short draws influence from personal experience, German and Abstract Expressionism, philosophical identity politics, and scientific research.
The concept is grounded in the idea of internal conflict and the war between perception and expectation, between what society dictates as acceptable and how you contort yourself to fit that definition. By utilizing the unique physical properties of animation, I was able to portray the struggle with mental illness symbolically through a medium that promotes an elevated willingness to suspend disbelief as the laws of nature are bent or outright broken.
Completed in April 2020, the film is now making its way around the festival circuit.
Awards:
- Bronze Award for Best Animation Short, Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles, California, April 2020
- Best Student Short, Bridge Fest, Vancouver, BC, May 2020
- Outstanding Achievement, Berlin Flash Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, May 2020
- 2nd Best Student Short Film, CKF International Film Festival, Swindon, England, May 2020
- Best of Florida: Animated Student Short Film, FLOW Festival and Film Market, Plantation, Florida, 2020
- Award of Excellence for Individual Achievement in Technical Skill, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for The Film, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for Individual Achievement in Directing, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for Individual Achievement in Lighting & Textures, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for Individual Achievement in Production Design, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for Individual Achievement in Sound Design, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Award of Merit for Individual Achievement in Music, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, Georgia, Fall 2020
- Best ThoughtCrime 180, Avalonia Festival, Ormond Beach, Florida, 2020
Finalist:
- Student Short Short, Film Boxe International Monthly Film Festival, June 2020
- Animation, FLICKFAIR, Los Angeles, California, June 2020
- Student Film, Prague International Monthly Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2020
- Special Jury Award, Anatolian Short Film Festival, Istanbul, June 2020
- Best Animation Film, International Halicarnassus Film Festival, Bodrum, Turkey, May/June 2020
- Best Animation, Long Story Shorts International Film Festival, Bucharest, Romania, June 2020
- Best Experimental, Feel the Reel International Film Festival, Glasgow, United Kingdom, July 2020
- Short Film, Across the Globe Film Festival, New York, New York, February 2021
- Short Film, Gravedigger Dave’s Anthology Festival, Duluth, Minnesota, 2021
- Best Animation, Philip K Dick Science Fiction and Supernatural Film Festival, New York City, New York, 2021
Nominee:
- Best Student Film, Top Indie Film Awards, Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2020
- Best Director, Top Indie Film Awards, Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2020
- Best Original Idea, Top Indie Film Awards, Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2020
Semi-Finalist:
- Best Student Film, Couch Film Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Summer 2020
- Best Animation – Super Short Film, Alternative Film Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Summer 2020
Honorable Mention:
- Best Sound Design, Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles, California, April 2020
- Student Animated Short Film, Screen Power Film Festival, London, England, 2020
- Short Yams, Planet 9 Film & Art Fest, Los Angeles, California, 2020
Official Selections:
- Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles, California, April 2020
- Mojo Film Festival, Australia, 2020
- Bridge Fest, Vancouver, BC, May 2020
- Prague International Monthly Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2020
- Vesuvius International Monthly Film Fest, Naples, Italy, May 2020
- Berlin Flash Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, May 2020
- UK Monthly Film Festival, Norwich, Norfolk, April/May 2020
- New Cinema – Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Lisbon, Portugal, May 2020
- CKF International Film Festival, Swindon, England, May 2020
- FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 2020
- Life Screenings International Short Film Festival, Clermont, Florida, June 2020
- Direct Monthly Online Film Festival, June 2020
- Miami Independent Film Festival – Monthly Edition, Miami, Florida, June 2020
- Anatolian Short Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey, June 2020
- Long Story Shorts International Film Festival, Bucharest, Romania, June 2020
- American Golden Picture International Film Festival, Jacksonville, Florida, July 2020
- Feel The Reel International Film Festival, Glasgow, United Kingdom, July 2020
- MP Film Award, Online, Season – 7, August 2020
- Short Cine Fest, Online, Season 11, September 2020
- Red Wood Film Festival, Online, September 2020
- Top Indie Film Awards, Tokyo, Japan, Summer 2020
- Screen Power Film Festival, England, 2020
- Super F!?ked Up Online Film Festival, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2020
- Geelong International Film Festival, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 2020
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2020
- FLOW Festival and Film Market, Plantation, Florida, 2020
- Palm Springs International Animation Festival & Expo, Palm Springs, California, 2020
- Key West Film Festival, Key West, Florida, 2020
- Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival, Tampa, Florida, 2020
- Central Florida Film Festival, Tavares, Florida, 2021
- Southern Oasis Film Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2021
- Shiver International Film Festival, Canada, 2021
- Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2021
- Magikal Charm Experimental Video & Film Fest, New York, New York, 2021
- Central Florida Short Night, Orlando, Florida, 2021
- Buzz Vicious Underground Film Festival, Amazonas, Brazil, 2021
Special Mention:
- London X4 Seasonal Short Film Festival, London, England, Autumn 2020
Heather Knott 