Baltimore’s Transfiguration Festival Opens With a Make-It-Together Animation Workshop

Colorful hand-drawn creatures surround a movie camera in the Baltimore Transfiguration festival poster.

Baltimore’s Transfiguration Festival starts September 8 by inviting the audience to help make a film. Animation Love Affair is hosting the three-day experimental film and animation event at 2640 Space, with a collaborative workshop followed by two evenings of screenings that connect international work with filmmakers in the city.

The venue’s program lists doors at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for “Animation Love Amalgamation: Drawing Musical Chairs.” The workshop costs $15, requires no previous experience, and is limited to 24 participants. Organizers say admission closes after 6:10 p.m. The group’s short film will later introduce the festival’s Baltimore block.

Screenings follow on September 9 and 10, with the detailed program listing 5:30–9:30 p.m. both nights. Wednesday presents the first international block. Thursday combines a second international selection with the Baltimore Special Block and a short question-and-answer session. Screening admission is $11 per night, with tickets online or cash at the door; the venue says lack of funds will not bar entry.

The festival’s own description places independent artistic choices at its center. Founded by Jonni Peppers, Transfiguration presents contemporary experimental animation and short filmmaking outside conventional commercial expectations. Its stated interests include inexpensive, humorous, challenging work and filmmakers pursuing a singular visual approach.

That emphasis makes the workshop more than an extra activity beside the screenings. It gives visitors a way into animation through a shared exercise, then brings the result into the program. For someone curious about how a short film takes shape, the sequence connects making and watching within the same local event.

The organizer’s 2026 itinerary also lists later stops in North Carolina and Tokyo. Baltimore’s edition therefore offers a local encounter with a traveling program, while the dedicated city block gives area filmmakers space within that wider exchange.

PowerPage’s recent Baltimore arts coverage has highlighted other ways to spend time with work made for an in-person audience. This week’s festival adds moving images and participation to that mix. Check the venue’s program before heading to 2640 Saint Paul Street, especially if attending Tuesday’s time-limited workshop.