KOLAJ INSTITUTE NEWS
Kolaj Institute Partners
with New Orleans Film Festival
Kolaj Institute is a Community Partner of the New Orleans Film Festival and is supporting the screening of “Animated Shorts: Luminescence,” a program of short films that includes examples of Collage in Motion, an ongoing interest of Kolaj Institute.
“This block of animated shorts is designed for grown-up audiences, not Saturday morning cartoons. From bold hand-drawn work to cutting-edge digital and experimental techniques, these films use animation to tackle complex themes—identity, desire, memory, and the surreal—in ways that live action never could. A showcase of artistry and imagination, these shorts prove that animation is a powerful medium for adults as much as for kids.” –New Orleans Film Festival
Of particular interest is Border Dweller Love by filmmaker Laura Asherman and poet Anna Flores. “Through stop-motion animation and poetry, this film uses land-based artifacts to reflect the desert and the people who withstand harsh distances through rooted traditions of mobility.” Oxford Film Festival writes, “This visually striking film tells the story of a family enduring separation on both sides of a border, using stop-motion animation and poetry to explore the enduring traditions that sustain connection despite harsh distances.” Anna Flores wrote, “We love against all odds. We love through dreams, prayers, and offerings.”
In Paris Baillie’s short film, “Humantises are masters of deception. But can they hide from change? When one Humantis unexpectedly goes through a physical transformation, it struggles to adapt and grow into its new self.” Cinemacy wrote, “Identity and belonging are the key themes of filmmaker Paris Baillie‘s incredible animated short Humantis. The experimental stop-motion film uses mystical praying mantis-like creatures as a vessel to symbolize a universal human experience of denial and transformation.”
IN-PERSON SCREENING
The screening will take place on Friday, 24 October 2025 1:15PM CDT and Monday, 27 October at 5:30PM CDT at MBS Black Box Theater at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans. Please stop by and visit Kolaj Institute’s table at the Festival’s Community Hub from 3PM to 5PM prior to Monday’s 5:30PM screening.
FRIDAY SCREENING: To attend Friday’s in-person screening, click HERE.
MONDAY SCREENING: To attend Monday’s in-person screening, click HERE.
ONLINE SCREENING
For those not in New Orleans, “Animated Shorts: Luminescence” is available for streaming online from 23 October 2025, 7PM CDT (0000 UTC) to 2 November 2025, Midnight CDT (0500 UTC).
ONLINE SCREENING: To view the screening online, click HERE.
ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL
The New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), organized by the New Orleans Film Society, is a renowned celebration of independent filmmaking that has been championing diverse voices and groundbreaking stories for over 36 years. As an Academy Award®-qualifying festival in the categories of Documentary Short, Narrative Short, and Animated Short, NOFF serves as a vital platform for emerging and established filmmakers to showcase their work to global audiences. The Festival is five days of in-person screenings from 23-27 October 2025 plus a Virtual Cinema streaming from wherever you are until 2 November 2025. “Come and meet filmmakers in person at talkback sessions after film screenings; discover emerging talent at our Filmmakers Conference and South Pitch Programs, both of which are free and open to the public; and mingle with fellow film lovers at NOFF’s parties and receptions!”
Are you interested in volunteering at the New Orleans Film Festival? Learn More & Sign-up on their website: www.neworleansfilmsociety.org/jobs
ABOUT COLLAGE IN MOTION
The Collage in Motion project explores collage and the moving image, a broad, loosely defined category that includes animations, film cut-ups, collage film, stop-motion, documentaries about collage artists, and other forms of media in which collage—as medium or genre—is present. For the Collage in Motion project, Kolaj Institute sees its role as not one of defining “collage in motion” but as one of asking what “collage in motion” can be. Collage in Motion may be a stand-alone artwork, a component of a larger contemporary art project, or a strategy for documenting and diffusing artwork. We find Collage in Motion at film screenings, on social media, and projected as part of art exhibitions and at live events such as festivals and music concerts. The project manifests as articles in Kolaj Magazine, an online directory, workshops, residencies, and screenings. Artists with a practice of Collage in Motion are encouraged to submit to the online directory. Learn more HERE.