Kansas City Art Institute

The story of a quiet old man who, surrounded by desolation and apathy, perseveres to remain true to the nature of his own beliefs and character. He toils daily to forge a last ditch effort to bring hope and life to a faithless, drought ridden old town.

Far in the future, a woman wakes up in an escape pod on the surface of an empty alien planet dotted with the remains of an ancient alien civilization. Faced with isolation and the threat of death from the toxic night air, she must travel across the barren landscape and find a way to send a message home. She copes with alternating emotions of hope and loneliness and encounters semblances of human presences that push and pull these feelings within her. All the while she is overshadowed by the immense monolith on the horizon, a leftover of the alien civilization that existed on the planet countless years before. Her journey transforms over time, evolving from a focus on her character in the face of impending death to a study of absence and presence, transience and endurance. Her journey towards the crash site and the giant monolith becomes a race against time as she seeks a way to leave her mark and not be forgotten.

In an age of political turmoil, Goon Girl – daughter of a famed folk hero – is cleaning up crooked politicians. Yet one obstacle stands in her way: MO-Man.

Short animation by Jack Donoghue, uploaded to the Kansas City Art Institute's filmmaking major YouTube Channel.