Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival

Toon In, Baltimore! Sweaty Eyeballs returns for the 8th Annual international festival of animated short films. 

The 8th Annual Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival offers in-person screenings at MICA Falvey Hall Theatre with individual screenings ($10/ea) showing from November 6-7, 2026. As always, the festival will focus on independently produced short animations from across the globe, with a lean towards the quirky and boundary-pushing.

“Animation is an art form that brings together so many wonderful disciplines including design, fine art, sculpture, computer graphics, cinema, and sound” says Phil Davis, the festival’s founder and creative director and professor of animation at Towson University. “We Strive to highlight animated short films that are strange,, thought-provoking, unique and can’t be seen on your normal streaming platforms.”

Since 2012, Davis and his “Sweaty Eyeballs” moniker have been carrying the torch of the animation scene in the Mid-Atlantic with original, one-night-only, animation programming and live performances in Baltimore. Many of the series’ veteran artists have gone on to earn critical acclaim at large festivals like Sundance, SXSW,  and the Academy Awards. Now in its 15th year, the beloved series partners with nonprofit, Central Baltimore Partnership  to once again launch a multi-day festival of animation in Baltimore with programming supported by area universities, arts organizations and businesses. 

Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival’s 7 Program Blocks include 72 animated short films in total, hailing from 21 countries around the world. The festival’s opening night, however, will showcase local talent, with a juried showcase of work created exclusively by Baltimore area artists. Along with local films there will be  4 blocks of international juried programming and a visiting artist talk and retrospective by Gina Kamentsky (Providence, RI) showcasing her prolific three decade career as an independent animator. The festival screenings will conclude with a closing night feature film “When We Become Wind” by local film and animation wizard Albert Birney. The festival also includes Sweaty Eyeballs: Sweaty Everything, a corresponding exhibition of animator process work and expanded animation curated by Animation Love Affair at the Area 405 gallery. Area 405 will also feature a Sound and Shadow performance night on October 16th at 7pm and a Smears, Schmears, and Slides animation workshop on October 31st at 11:30am, supported by a BOPA Freefall Grant. The festival concludes each night with after parties, free screenings and DJs at the Area 405 Gallery space.

For more information on Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival, visit: www.sweatyeyeballs.com

2026 SEAF Program Schedule:

Friday, November 6, 2026:

6:00-7:30 PM – International Animated Shorts Competition – Block 1

8:00-9:30 PM – Baltimore Showcase Animated Shorts

10:00-11:30 PM – After Party at Area 405 Gallery

Saturday, November 7, 2026:

1:00-2:30 PM – International Animated Shorts Competition – Block 2

3:00-4:30 PM – International Animated Shorts Competition – Block 3

5:00-6:30 PM – Gina Kamentsky – Visiting Guest Artist Talk & Retrospective Screening

7:00-8:30 PM – International Animated Shorts Competition – Block 4

8:30-9:00 PM – Awards Ceremony for International, Baltimore, and Audience Choice Awards

9:00-10:30 PM – When We Become Wind – animated feature film by Albert Birney