Festival Season:
January 2026
THE INTENTION INVENTION
Directors:
Writers:
R.j. Sullivan
R.j. Sullivan
Producers:
R.j. Sullivan
Run Time:
0:04:33
Awarded for the following Category(s):
Awarded Category(s)
An idealistic inventor develops a technology capable of detecting the true intentions of anyone it targets.
Submitter Statement
This hand-drawn animation is a dark comedy that explores the intersection of technology, perception, and human nature.
As a filmmaker, I am interested in using animation as a medium for storytelling that blends humor and depth. The concept behind The Intention Invention is rooted in the idea that what we say is often not how we really feel.
R.J. Sullivan is an award-winning animation filmmaker, composer, and screenwriter. He produces hand drawn 2D animated films for adults as well as children. Originally from Ventura, CA, R.J. now lives in Portland, OR. He earned a B.A. in Arts and Letters from Portland State University in 2004 and founded Catch and Hatch Studios in 2022.
His short films have been shown in film festivals internationally including Australia's biggest Oscar qualifying short film festival, St. Kilda Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying Flicker's Rhode Island International Film Festival, Dances With Films (in LA and New York), Breaking TV Film Festival in London, and Birmingham Film Festival in Birmingham, England. Notably, his short animated film, Arlo Sings the Blues (In the Middle of the Night) received the most audience votes to win Best Animation Film for the 2023 BAMkids Film Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York.
R.J. hand-painted watercolor backgrounds for his children’s short Pinto the Mean Bean, which had its West Coast premiere at the 26th Annual Dances With Films festival in June 2023 at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Los Angeles.
In 2024, he produced The Pinto Variety Hour, an adult animated comedy series pilot, which had its world premiere at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology in August 2024. Since then, the pilot has toured the world screening in festivals, earning multiple awards including Best TV Show, Best TV Pilot, Best Animation, Best Screenplay, Best Web Series, Special Jury Award for Animation, Best Voice Acting in a TV Pilot, and Best Director for a TV Pilot.
Both of his children’s shorts and The Pinto Variety Hour have been featured in showcases at the Hollywood Theatre in the Portland, OR, Airport. Arlo Sings the Blues was part of the Fall 2023 program (September - December), while Pinto the Mean Bean was showcased in the Winter 2024 program (January - March). The Intention Invention screened in the Summer 2025 program (July - September).
Key Cast
Other Credits