An Afternoon with Don Hertzfeldt

The Carsey-Wolf Center is pleased to welcome UCSB alumnus Don Hertzfeldt back to the Pollock Theater for a screening and discussion of two of his animated short films. Hertzfeldt’s newest film, ME, is a 22-minute musical odyssey that mixes jazzy compositions with philosophical ruminations on trauma, technology, community, and humanity’s retreat into itself. We are also pleased to screen Hertzfeldt’s It’s Such a Beautiful Day, returning to theaters for the first time since 2012. Originally released as a series of three shorts, the film follows the existential journey of a character wrestling with memory loss and the meaning of life. The picture was captured entirely in-camera on a vintage 35mm rostrum animation stand built in the 1940s. It was one of the last surviving cameras of its kind still operating in the world. Hertzfeldt has used this camera on all of his animated films since 1999, creating the unique images and visual effects that have become the hallmarks of work. It’s Such a Beautiful Day painstakingly blends traditional hand-drawn animation and experimental optical effects with new digital hybrids, printed out one frame at time and placed under the camera. The film has been hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of the best animated films of all time.

Don Hertzfeldt will join moderator Miguel Penabella (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of ME and It’s Such a Beautiful Day.