History, Mystery & Odyssey

History, Mystery & Odyssey unfolds through conversations with six influential Portland-based animators: Jim Blashfield, Joanna Priestley, Rose Bond, Zak Margolis, Joan C. Gratz, and Chel White. Although their names may not be instantly recognizable, their work has shaped major corners of the animation world — from Blashfield’s iconic MTV music videos for Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, and Michael Jackson, to Gratz’s Oscar-winning Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase, and Margolis’s memorable contributions to A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff. Each artist arrives with a different background and artistic philosophy, yet all share the same impulse: to build entire worlds from imagination, craft, and experimentation. Together, they reveal just how vast and diverse the universe of independent animation truly is.

While blockbuster studios rely on massive budgets and cutting-edge technology, the creators in HM&O harness ingenuity and hands-on techniques to push the medium forward. Their D.I.Y. spirit leads to groundbreaking experiments — like Chel White’s Choreography for Copy Machine, made entirely with photocopier images, or Rose Bond’s large-scale projection, which gave voice to the disappearing stories of Portland’s Old Town community. The film also highlights deeply personal works such as Joanna Priestley’s Streetcar Named Perspire, an honest and humorous portrayal of menopause. Through these varied approaches, History, Mystery & Odyssey shows that animation can be political, intimate, playful, or profoundly experimental — and that its future, even in the age of A.I., remains rooted in human curiosity and the desire to create.