Best of the Thomas Edison Film Festival 2025

The annual tour of award winners from the Thomas Edison Film Festival (TEFF) returns to the National Gallery. 

Since 1981, the mission of this festival has been to promote innovation in the art of the moving image with films that honor Edison’s vision. The selected international short films include animation, experimental, documentary, narrative, and screen dance works from all over the world. Festival director Jane Steuerwald will introduce the program. 

International Shorts: Program One (Saturday, August 2, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.)

Tennis, Oranges  
A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in perpetual loops. (Sean Pecknold, USA, animation, 11 minutes)

Art21: Amy Sherald  
In 2018, when former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama selected Amy Sherald to paint the former First Lady’s portrait, she moved from being a virtual unknown to one of the most talked-about artists in the world. Beyond her most well-known work, she has been painting portraits of everyday people with dignity and humanity with the belief that images can change the world. (Ian Forster, USA, documentary, 15 minutes)

Dawn Every Day 
Set in 1956, 8-year-old Nabil navigates through new social norms he cannot fathom that impact his neighbor and best friend in post nationalized Egypt. The story takes place during a complicated and difficult moment in Egypt’s history and is told from the point of view of Nabil who is determined not to lose his friend. (Amir Youssef, Egypt/USA, narrative, 20 minutes)

At First Sight 
A poignant tale of serendipity and heartbreak, At First Sight follows the fateful encounter between a man and a woman whose lives intertwine in a single, life-altering moment. Drawn together by an inexplicable force, they experience love at first sight, only to have their bond tragically severed by a sudden accident moments later. They are granted a brief glimpse into an alternate reality, where they explore the depths of their connection and envision the future they could have shared. (Kate Harpootlian, USA, screen dance, 8 minutes)

Assemblages 
An animation exploring core memories through the objects that trigger them, including digital stop motion, found footage, found objects, collage, image composites, visual effects, and sound effects. (Martin Mulcahy, USA, experimental, 9 minutes)

6 minutes per kilometer  
In rhythm with the footsteps of her Atikamekw ancestors, Catherine, a multidisciplinary Atikamekw Nehirowisiw artist based in Odanak, immerses us in the dreamlike universe of her morning runs. (Catherine Boivin (Abenaki), Canada, experimental, 3 minutes)

Polemos
Highlights the centuries-long battle for freedom and independence in Ukraine. Throughout history, Ukraine has given birth to warriors whose worldview was based on the desire for freedom and the willingness to give up everything for it, even their lives. The generations of warriors depicted in the film are manifestations of the same tradition, in which the fight for freedom is the most important principle. (Evgen Brooks, Ukraine, narrative, 12 minutes)

Jerusalema: From Austria to Zimbabwe 
A loving look back at a viral phenomenon that burst out during the COVID pandemic: The Jerusalema Dance Challenge. (Su Friedrich, USA, documentary, 8 minutes) 

International Shorts: Program Two (Sunday, August 3, 2:00 - 4:00pm)

A is for Ant  
Explore the alphabet through a captivating blend of live action and animation. This charming and engaging film celebrates concepts of creativity, play, the natural world, beauty, and silliness. (Jack Davison, UK, animation, 10 minutes) 

Hunky Dory 
Hunky Dory juxtaposes scenes of animal life with images of human existence, observing the quirky and unexpected ways in which we are similar. The meticulously hand-drawn animation is a visual smorgasbord, moving and morphing in perfect time to the banjo music of Béla Fleck and his bandmates in My Bluegrass Heart. (Steven Vander Meer, USA, animation, 6 minutes) 

Entity  
Against the backdrop of Iceland's landscapes, Entity invites viewers to witness the evocative journey of two isolated souls, as they discover the boundless energy within and ultimately evolve into a unified, expressive whole. (George Steffens, Germany, screen dance, 8 minutes) 

How I Roll  
Facing unthinkable hardships including murder, loss, and battling multiple sclerosis for 24 years, Robin Cohen impressively defies the odds, finding light in spite of darkness. (Brianne Berkson and Miguel Gluckstern, USA, documentary, 13 minutes) 

The Taste of Pork Belly 
This film is based on three elements within a young boy’s childhood experiences: hunger, his father's imprisonment on false charges, and his sometimes-carefree youth. When he discovers that his mother is secretly trading "flesh for flesh" to feed her family, he refuses to eat the pork belly she cooks. The film takes place in the 1960s against the grim political backdrop of the "white terror," a time of political repression of Taiwanese civilians and dissenters and widespread poverty. (Sophie Shui, Taiwan, narrative, 20 minutes) 

High Street Repeat  
High Street Repeat uses a range of animation techniques to explore the story of migration and enterprise. High Street is a common name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village in the UK and Commonwealth, where there are more than 7000 such streets. (Osbert Parker and Laurie Hill, England, animation, 4 minutes) 

Old Girl in a Tutu: Susan Rennie Disrupts Art History 
A retired feminist scholar takes up iPhone photography and creates a new body of work – placing her own body into master works of art. (Cheri Gaulke, USA, documentary, 8 minutes) 

Inter-Library Loan  
From quiet reading to rambunctious display, 15 members of the Rhode Island College Dance Company inhabit elegant spaces in the Providence Public Library. (Marta Renzi, USA, screen dance, 8 minutes) 

Serious and Lively 
Evoking The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, this delightful film contrasts the lives of two young Chinese boys. The masterful intercutting of the boys’ lives is comical, heartbreaking, and profound. (Jieying Song, Shanxi, China, narrative, 5 minutes)