Still images from the animation

Password protected video on Vimeo:

2026 Screenings:

DC Independent Film Festival
Toronto Short Film Festival
Experiments in Cinema
Spokane International Film Festival
Big Muddy Film Festival
Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival
Madrid Indie Film Festival
Made in Michigan Film Series

Strangers answer the call to locate a lost pet.

“35 Days” is an experimental, stop motion animation about what happens when a coalition of strangers answers the call to locate a missing cat during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Voicemail messages from neighbors reveal the empathy and core connection we have for and with our pets and each other, demonstrating how a virtual community can transcend the isolation of the pandemic.

Animated frame-by-frame using fabric and paper cutouts, thread and wool.

Music excerpts by Frank Pahl from “Music for Architecture.”
Animation assistant: Sophie Hullinger
Graphics assistant: Valerie Matula

Run time: 6:49 min.
1.78:1 (16×9 HD)
USA
2025
Stereo
English

“35 Days” PRESS KIT HERE
1 page Summary/Bio

True story: My cat went missing during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. I launched a major search for him, distributing flyers, knocking on doors, following every lead. I received dozens of calls from concerned neighbors and strangers who claimed to have seen my orange tabby. This is their story–pieced together like clues to a crime.