The Flock of Forgotten Faces

Status:

Complete, Submitting to Festivals

Projected Release to YouTube:

Summer of 2026.

A grungy and expressive animated short about the truths we conceal to fit in.

This animated short film was co-directed by A.B. Osborne and Emily Hogue. It was crafted by the students in Augusta University's animation program, specifically the Production Animation courses. We worked 2 semesters to craft this 5 minute film.

The synopsis:

A bird-like girl named Lacuna finds herself aboard a mysterious train with passengers wearing masks. As Lacuna discovers the unique faces under these masks, she draws the attention of the authoritarian Conductor.

This project is particularly exciting because we animated our project with a non-photorealistic style. After animating in 3D, we added 2D drawovers to boil around the characters and create effects. This style of production feels fresh.

We premiered the film on our campus on April 25th in Augusta to an audience of 130. Here's the ongoing festival and awards list:

Atlanta Shortsfest — Innovative Vision Nominee June 2025 • Atlanta, GA
Absurd Film Fest — Honorable Mention (Runner-Up) for Best American Film June 2025 • Milan, Italy
Palm Springs International Animation Festival — Official Selection July 2025 • Palm Springs, CA
Indie Shorts Fest — Official Selection for July 2025 July 2025 • Online
Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival (AIMAFF) — Honorable Mention in Animation July 2025 • Athens, Greece
Geekapalooza Film Extravaganza — Official Selection July 2025 • Everett, WA
Pulse of Animation — WINNER - Best Color Palette July 2025 • Gorni Bogrov, Bulgaria
21st Annual HollyShorts Film Festival — Official Selection August 2025 • Hollywood, CA
One-Reeler Film Competition — Official Selection and Special Mention August 2025 • Los Angeles, CA
Symbiotic Film Festival — Finalist for Best Animated Short August 2025 • Kiev, Ukraine
Imagination Films International Festival — Official Selection August 2026 • Bhilai, India
Monza Film Fest — WINNER - Best Animation July-August 2025 • Monza, Italy
Atlanta Women's Film Festival — WINNER - Best Animated Film September 2025 • Atlanta, GA
Critics Choice International Film Festival — Official Selection September 2025 • Nagercoil, India
Bollywood Star International Film Festival — WINNER - Best Animated Short September 2025 • Mumbai, India
Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film Festival — Official Selection September 2025 • Istanbul, Turkiye
ANIMAZE Montreal International Animation Festival — Official Selection October 2025 • Montreal, Canada
Pineapple Animation Festival — Official Selection October 2025 • Bratislava, Slovakia
National Independent Film Association Awards - Semi-finalist - Best Short Film October 2025 • Appleton, WI
LUSCA Film Fest 2025 — Official Selection October 2025 • San Juan, Puerto Rico
FilmHaus 2025 — Nominee - Best Original Animation Style October 2025 • Berlin, Germany
ASIFA International Animation Day 2025 — Official Selection October 2025 • Denver, CO
Cannes Indie Shorts Awards 2025 — Semi-Finalist - Animation Shorts November 2025 • Cannes, France
Open World Animation Festival — Official Selection November 2025 • Allentown, PA
Tanzanite International Animation Festival — Official Selection November 2025 • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tampa Animation Festival — Official Selection November 2025 • Tampa, FL

We continue to submit to festivals worldwide, but you can see the trailer here:

The crew of the Flock of Forgotten Faces - Augusta University Animation students.

The Flock of Forgotten Faces deals with the theme of masks - physical or metaphorical facades that hide who we actually are. In an effort to fit in, we lose who we are.

Another theme is order versus chaos. We like structure in society, but too much control can be a bad thing. Sometimes order can be ugly. Sometimes chaos can be beautiful.