LECTURES

Artist Talk by visiting faculty animator DAN SOUSA

Sousa graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied painting and animation. His films, which include Minotaur (1999), Fable (2005), and The Windmill (2007), have been screened around the world in festivals such as Sundance, Ottawa, Annecy, Hiroshima, and at The Boston Institute of Contemporary Arts. He has received several LEF development and production grants, a RISCA fellowship, and a Creative Capital grant. In his work, Sousa uses animation and themes commonly found in mythology and fairy tales to examine archetypes of human nature, and the inner struggles between our intellects and our unconscious drives. Rather than following conventional narratives, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective. He focuses on states of mind, evoking the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions. In addition to his independent projects, Sousa has worked as a director and animator with Cartoon Network, Olive Jar Studios, Global Mechanic, and Duck. He has also taught at RISD, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Wheaton College, and the Art Institute of Boston. He is a founding member of Handcranked Film Projects, a group of New England filmmakers actively engaged in the production of independent experimental films.