On an unforgettable evening, October 10, at Downtown L.A.’s United Theater, the multi-talented actor Donald Faison will lead as the host for NOUNS FEST— a celebration of animation and creativity, declares the festival’s organizers.

Anticipate a one-of-a-kind animation spectacle as NOUNS FEST brings forth 50 innovative and delightfully eccentric animated shorts from global animators, displaying their artistic freedom and creativity.

Secure limited tickets to NOUNS FEST at www.NounsFest.tv offering both access to the full viewing and the after-party of NOUNS FEST.

With accolades including two BET Comedy Awards and an NAACP Image Award nomination for his role in Scrubs, Faison is not just a renowned actor but also a successful voice artist for animation, showcasing talent in Star Wars Resistance, Tron: Uprising, Robot Chicken, and SuperMansion. The last two shows were produced by the award-winning Stoopid Buddy Stoodios which will premiere three new animated shorts at NOUNS FEST.

Faison expresses his enthusiasm about the breathtaking creativity and artistic talent in these animated shorts, and his excitement about contributing to this major event, Nouns Fest, that promises ‘animation unhinged’.

-Donald Faison

The event promises an electrifying DJ Set from DJ Douggpound along with delights of pizza, ice cream, popcorn, soda, an open bar, and a welcome “brown-bag special” enjoying wonderful Nouns-themed items along with snacks during the show.

Nouns’ digital arts collective has generously sponsored the production of the animated shorts premiering at NOUNS FEST with a grant pool of $1 million. These animated shorts range from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, created with complete creative freedom.

Appreciating Faison’s contribution to animation and entertainment, Eric Towner, co-founder of Stoopid Buddy and NOUNS FEST, expressed his happiness seeing Faison hosting Nouns Fest, acknowledging that this event aims to showcase the animation marvels from talented animators worldwide.

-Eric Towner (co-founder, Stoopid Buddy and NOUNS FEST)

There were 400 impressive entries from independent animation makers worldwide for NOUNS FEST. Following the review, 50 talented animators were chosen and awarded grants between $7,500 and $25,000 for their short films’ production. A panel of reputed animation industry veterans will judge NOUNS FEST entries.

Participants had the sole instructions of incorporating at least one ‘Noun’—the digital characters, auctioned daily at Nouns.wtf, into their animation. All other creativity aspects were given free rein.

Nouns Fest, co-founded by Eric Towner, Walter J. Newman, Chris Waters, Joel Cares, Joshua Fisher, and director Goldy, is a collaborative effort with the digital arts collective Nouns to provide the most substantial funding platform for independent animated shorts.

In keeping with the liberty of creative expression, animators featured in NOUNS FEST retain their work’s full rights forever, showcasing Nouns’ commitment to the free exchange of artistic ideas.

Established in 2021, Nouns is a global, community-run organization that utilizes proceeds from digital collectible sales to fund open-source technology, art, and public-works projects.

NOUNS FEST is a step-up from the “Nouns Short Shorts”, a competition-cum-festival resulting in 17 animated short films in 2023. In June 2023, some renowned independent animators’ works were featured in the festival held at BrainDead Studios in L.A. These shorts can be viewed at nounsfest.tv.

An exhaustive list of all the short films to be premiered in the 2024 NOUNS FEST will be out shortly before the festival kicks off on October 10. Gain more insight about Nouns and the Nouns DAO at nounish.com