Come and meet Sean Buckelew, one of the directors selected for the 13th Edition of the Festival du film Merveilleux et Imaginaire.

Sean Buckelew

Sean Buckelew is an award-winning animator and director based in Los Angeles, California. He received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Experimental Animation and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2019, he was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

He also works as a freelance animator on feature films (We Are Your Friends, The Biggest Little Farm, & He Named Me Malala) and commercial projects with clients including HBOMax, Adult Swim & MTV. Additionally, he is president of the board of directors and head programmer at the GLAS Animation Festival, held annually in Berkeley, CA.

He is currently in development on his first feature, No Glory In the West.

Film in competition – Drone

Synopsis: The CIA attempts a rebrand by installing a Predator drone with an onboard AI personality named Newton to serve as an ethical and compassionate voice to defend and justify the use of lethal force. At the press rollout, a malfunction causes the drone to go rogue. The livestream of the event is an instant viral sensation, and the world watches as the runaway drone attempts to understand its purpose in the world. On the ground, CIA personnel scramble to figure out how to salvage the situation and capitalize on the sudden rush of attention.