14: Ourselves but Hotter with Lena Greene

If you need a bar recommendation, enjoy Lena's encyclopedic knowledge of cool karaoke bars, including the ones that exist only in her mind. Throats Karaoke Bar is the setting of her latest short film Tuna Tartare, which challenges you to be yourself but hotter. Set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Tuna Tartare is a trashy, karaoke musical about an expired can of tuna fish and her BFF Susan (a fake Louis Vuitton purse) as they struggle to pursue their artistic dreams in a world that has long since dismissed them. Upcoming screenings include Tuna's NYC premiere at The Downtown Festival on 10/11 at 2:30pm and at the Woodstock Film Festival's Saturday Evening Cartoons block on 10/18 at 4:30pm. Lena Greene is a director, animator, illustrator, storyboard artist and character designer based in NYC. Her work is campy, playful, and absurdist, and her characters are often striving to “make it” in a world that has long since overlooked them. She has directed widely screened animations for Lauren Greenfield, Lana Del Rey, Celeste, Gohar World, Comedy Central’s Saturday Morning(ish) Cartoons, and Blumhouse’s Crypt TV. Lena was a storyboard artist on seasons 1 and 2 of Adult Swim & HBO’s Teenage Euthanasia, season 2 of PBS & Augenblick Studio’s City Island, and a character designer on season 3 of Adult Swim & HBO's Smiling Friends. She has made animations for clients such as Vice, Droga5, Edelman, Gucci, Knoll, Tory Burch and collaborated on four large-scale 3D zoetropes with Camille Henrot. Lena was an adjunct animation professor at Queens College, and is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design where she received a BFA in film, animation and video. Lena hosts a recurring karaoke talent show on Montez Press Radio, which has been highlighted in Document Journal, The New York Times, Frieze, Dazed, Cultured Mag, and the LA Review of Books. Links to points of discussion: Lena Greene's websiteLena Greene's InstagramThe Downtown Festival - NYCHollyShorts Film Festival - LAFicus Interfaith on InstagramEarth on Instagram - LAPlank Skate MagMontez Press RadioInsa - NYCWoodstock Film FestivalMiyu DistributionAnimest - RomaniaThe Animator's PlaylistPlanet Rose - NYCMontero's - NYCWinnie's - NYCSinger's - NYCGogopa - NYCMary's Crisis Cafe - NYCAsia Roma - NYCThe Animator's FavoritesThe Animator's Friend on InstagramChristopher RutledgeAndrew Onorato on InstagramLucas Ansell's websiteThe Animator's Animations The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator based in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation. Credits: Recorded, produced, and edited by India Lombardi-BelloBooking assistance from Luce Grosjean at Miyu DistributionDigital marketing assistance from Arnesh KunduMusic by CloutmeyerDesign by Sawyer RipponMicrophones provided by SVA MFA Computer artsSpecial thanks to my mom and dad; Cynthia Chu; Michael Dondero, Kristie Kish; Darren Santa Maria; Malt Adult and Sarah Schmidt; Montez Press Radio.