Re-Animate THIS!

The Two Sayats: The Color of Pomegranates (1969) & the novel The Highlands Burn (2026) (feat. THB author Joe Kassabian & theatre actress Mari Vial-Golden)

Episode recorded: April 18th, 2026 (04/18/2026) April is the Armenian American Heritage Month, this means Jay is going to talk about The Color of Pomegranates, that one Armenian movie he mentioned in last year’s Halloween Special. Before that, he invited two creatives of Armenian background - one is his close friend and another is a novelist who has his latest novel publishing soon. Mari Vial-Golden is a theatre actress while Joe Kassabian is a military history podcaster with his gunpowder fantasy novel The Highlands Burn soon coming out. By pure coincidence, The Color of Pomegranates is about a real-life ashugh Sayat-Nova, and the main character of The Highlands Burn is named Sayat. Before going into Sergei Parajanov’s tableau vivants movie, Jay is going to ask Joe about the inspirations behind his upcoming novel. After that, we will deep dive into Parajanov's filmography, his influences from illustrated manuscripts, Armenia’s rich animation culture, and whether The Highlands Burn would be considered as “the first Armenian anime”?   And sorry for Jay explaining the summary of these Armenian shorts poorly.   The Color of Pomegranates is currently distributed by Janus Films. It is now part of the Criterion Collection and available on video-on-demand, streaming, blu-ray, and DVD.    Mari’s website: https://www.marivialgolden.com/ [https://www.marivialgolden.com/]   Joe Kassabian’s social media profile: https://bsky.app/profile/jkass99.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/jkass99.bsky.social]   Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast’s Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys [https://www.patreon.com/lionsledbydonkeys]   Pre-order Joe Kassabian’s The Highlands Burn: https://a.co/d/09pahrj0 [https://a.co/d/09pahrj0]   Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast]   For inquiries: jay@box.jaywhangmakes.com [jay@box.jaywhangmakes.com]   Some promotions, shout outs, and fundraising:   Scout Tafoya’s Stubborn Beast GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/383ef7b6b [https://gofund.me/383ef7b6b]   Link to the ticket page for the premiere of Ryan’s short Dork at the Coney Island Film Festival:    https://www.coneyisland.com/2026-ciff/program-7 [https://www.coneyisland.com/2026-ciff/program-7]   Link to the ticket page for the New York City screening of Hellavision Television’s CUNT-A-VISION 2.0: Fix Your Heart Or Die:    https://restlessnites.com/events/hellavisioncuntavision21may2026 [https://restlessnites.com/events/hellavisioncuntavision21may2026]   For info on more screenings of Hellavision Television’s CUNT-A-VISION 2.0: Fix Your Heart Or Die:    https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/episodes/cunt-a-vision-2-0-fix-your-hearts-or-die [https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/episodes/cunt-a-vision-2-0-fix-your-hearts-or-die]   https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/links [https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/links]   ARMOR Coalition: https://www.instagram.com/armorcoalition/ [https://www.instagram.com/armorcoalition/]   The Garod Collective: https://www.instagram.com/garod_collective/ [https://www.instagram.com/garod_collective/]   Arshak Makichyan: https://www.instagram.com/makichyan.arshak/ [https://www.instagram.com/makichyan.arshak/]   Warren Manvelyan: https://www.instagram.com/warren.manvelyan/ [https://www.instagram.com/warren.manvelyan/]   Anoush Ter Taulian:   https://www.instagram.com/anoushforjustice/ [https://www.instagram.com/anoushforjustice/]   (for funds to help the displaced people of Artsakh): https://venmo.com/u/anoushforjustice [https://venmo.com/u/anoushforjustice]   https://freearmenianprisoners.com/ [https://freearmenianprisoners.com/]   For Vrej Khatchatyran’s education fund: https://donorbox.org/my-sweet-land-vrejs-fund [https://donorbox.org/my-sweet-land-vrejs-fund]   Intro music: WANDERLUST (Celest3 mix) by Celest3 - https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mixhttps://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix [https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix] (CC BY-SA 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]) Ad break music: Early Riser by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Best_of_2014_1461/Early_Riser [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Best_of_2014_1461/Early_Riser] (licensed under a Attribution 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/]) Ending music: Arizona Green Tea by Stuffy Doll - https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-teahttps://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea [https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea] (used it with a permission)   Narrator: Dom Valentini [https://bsky.app/profile/voiceoverdom.bsky.social] Audio Editor: Jay Whang & Jessie Hymowitz   Movies, shorts, and tv shows we have mostly discussed during the episode (spoilers ahead): * The Color of Pomegranates (Նռան գույնը) (1969), directed by Sergei Parajanov * The Highlands Burn (2026), written by Joe Kassabian * Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Тіні забутих предків) (1965), directed by Sergei Parajanov * The Legend of Suram Fortress (ამბავი სურამის ციხისა) (1985), directed by Sergei Parajanov & Dodo Abashidze * Ashik Kerib (აშიკ-ქერიბი) (1988), directed by Sergei Parajanov & Dodo Abashidze * Ivan’s Childhood (Ива́ново де́тство) (1962), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky * Wow, a Talking Fish! (Ух ты, говорящая рыба!) (1983), directed by Robert Sahakyants * Lilit (Լիլիթ) (1972), directed by Robert Sahakyants * Lur-Da-Lur (Լուր-դա-լուր) (1972), directed by Valentin Podpomogov * The Legend of Parvana Lake (Փարվանա) (1970), directed by Valentin Podpomogov * The Snow Queen (Снежная королева) (1957), directed by Lev Atamanov * My Sweet Land (Տունս քաղցր ա) (2024), directed by Sareen Hairabedian * Aurora's Sunrise (Արշալույսի լուսաբացը) (2022), directed by Inna Sahakyan Most of sources that I have cited: * Parajanov is special to me: Tarsem Singh meets fans within the framework of Golden Apricot - Armenpress Armenian news agency. armenpress. (2024, July 12). https://armenpress.am/en/article/1195642 [https://armenpress.am/en/article/1195642]  * Animation Obsessive Staff. (2024, February 2). In flux with Robert Sahakyants. Animation Obsessive. https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/in-flux-with-robert-sahakyants [https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/in-flux-with-robert-sahakyants] * Paradzhanov, S. (1998). Seven visions (G. Ackerman & G. Bennett, Trans.). Green Integer.  * Suny, R. G. (1988). The making of the georgian nation. Indiana University Press in association with Hoover Institution Press, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.  * Dowsett, C. J. F. (1997). Sayatʻ-Nova: An 18th-century troubadour: A biographical and literary study (Vol. 561). Peeters.  * Stone, N., Stone, M. E., & Bereznyak, A. (2019). Studies in Armenian art: Collected papers. Brill.  * Robinson, B. W. (1967). Persian miniature painting from collections in the British Isles. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

A Grand Mockery (2024) (feat. Sam Dixon & Adam C. Briggs)

Episode recorded: March 21st, 2026 (03/21/2026) This is mostly a clip-less episode. Jay and Ryan are back with talking about A Grand Mockery, an Australian movie shot with Super 8mm films and set in the city of Brisbane, Australia. From there on, they discuss Australian film industry, how feature films rarely shot on 8mm films, and what would be the New Yorker animation equivalent to it. In the midst of it, the movie's directors Sam Dixon and Adam C. Briggs enter in and tell the creative process and inspirations behind A Grand Mockery. A Grand Mockery is currently distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures. It is now available on video-on-demand and blu-ray. You can purchase the physical copy on Vinegar Syndrome.  Follow Adam and Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamcbriggs/ [https://www.instagram.com/adamcbriggs/] https://www.instagram.com/dickos_variety_hour/ [https://www.instagram.com/dickos_variety_hour/] And also, please help our co-editor Jessie get her short film Affluenza funded: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aidanserviss/affluenza-a-satirical-short-film [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aidanserviss/affluenza-a-satirical-short-film] Jessie described it as a satirical short film thematically similar to HBO’s Succession with an absurdist element. It’s about the spoiled son of an upper class family who commits a crime that could put his father’s political ambition in jeopardy, so the family hire a doctor to diagnose him for an affidavit. It’s inspired from the real-life case of Ethan Couch, who got away with vehicular manslaughter through non-existence diagnosis called Affluenza. If you like Succession the tv show and interested in the real-life case of Ethan Couch, please help Jessie to get her project off the ground on Kickstarter. The link to the crowdfunding campaign is in the description, and it is currently live until April the 2nd. And support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast [https://www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast]   Intro music: WANDERLUST (Celest3 mix) by Celest3 - https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mixhttps://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix [https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix] (CC BY-SA 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]) Ad break music: Early Riser by Kevin MacLeod - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Best_of_2014_1461/Early_Riser [https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Best_of_2014_1461/Early_Riser] (licensed under a Attribution 3.0 International License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/]) Ending music: Arizona Green Tea by Stuffy Doll - https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-teahttps://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea [https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea] (used it with a permission)   Narrator: Dom Valentini [https://bsky.app/profile/voiceoverdom.bsky.social] Audio Editor: Jay Whang   Movies, shorts, and works that we have discussed (spoilers ahead!): * A Grand Mockery (2024), directed by Adam C. Briggs & Sam Dixon * Eraserhead (1977), directed by David Lynch * Lost Highway (1997), directed by David Lynch * Mulholland Drive (2001), directed by David Lynch * DumbLand (2002), directed by David Lynch * The Nightingale (2018), directed by Jennifer Kent * The Babadook (2014), directed by Jennifer Kent * The Loved Ones (2009), directed by Sean Byrne * Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008), Directed by Mark Hartley * Lesbian Space Princess (2025), directed by Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese * Harvie Krumpet (2003), directed Adam Elliot * Bluey, created by Joe Brumm * Sable: A Ghost Story [https://sablecomic.com/], created by Ethan M. Aldridge [https://linktr.ee/ethanmaldridge] * YOLO (2020-2025), created by Michael Cusack * Bushworld Adventures (2018), directed by Michael Cusack * 1981 (2026), directed by Andy & Carolyn London * Tango (1981), directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński * Running Up That Hill [Kate Bush Cover] (2019), directed by Meg Myers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7iVWK2W48o] * The End of Evangelion (1997), directed by Hideaki Anno & Kazuya Tsurumaki

This Episode Was Truly Born in Flames (1983) (feat. Brandyn from The Most Important Election of Our Lives)

Episode recorded: February 22nd, 2026 (02/22/2026) Note: Yes, I made a typo on the thumbnail. And yes some of Brandyn's audio got muted out due to internet connection issue. It was too glitchy that I couldn't hear his explanation.  Please support our Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast [http://www.patreon.com/c/ReAnimateTHISPodcast] Black history month of February is coming to close and Brandyn of The Most Important Election of Our Lives [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-most-important-election-of-our-lives/id1793488824] is back with an Afro-futuristic cult classic movie Born in Flames, directed by Lizzie Borden. It was made during the No Wave Cinema movement right before the indie cinema boom of the 1990s. What Jay and his animator co-host Ryan Castrillo [https://ryancastrillo.portfoliobox.net/] didn’t expect was the NYC-set movie’s non-conformist storytelling and its surprisingly relevant political theme - and dare to confront the inherent flaws of democratic socialist alternative to then-recent Reagan’s America. To keep themselves warm during the massive blizzard in New York City, each of them share their hot takes and rebel against the conventional opinions (as long as it’s nothing problematic). Jay, Ryan, and Brandyn explore political media with non-conventional aesthetics, animated documentary with lo-fi elements, experimental animation with guerrilla filmmaking elements, and the possibility of animation media that’s rebellious inside-out. This episode was truly born in flames. Also, check out Hellavision Television’s latest open-call C*NT-A-VISION 2: https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/open-calls/cuntavision-2-open-call [https://www.hellavisiontelevision.com/open-calls/cuntavision-2-open-call]   Intro music: WANDERLUST (Celest3 mix) by Celest3 - https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix [https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix] (CC BY-SA 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]) Ending music: Arizona Green Tea by Stuffy Doll - https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea [https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea] (used it with a permission)   Narrator: Dom Valentini [https://bsky.app/profile/voiceoverdom.bsky.social] Audio Editor: Jay Whang & Jessie Hymowitz   Movies, shorts, and works that we have discussed (spoilers ahead!): * Born in Flames (1983), directed Lizzie Borden * One Battle After Another (2025), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson * Killers of Flower Moon (2023), directed by Martin Scorsese * The Warriors (1979), directed by Walter Hill * Network (1976), directed by Sidney Lumet * HAPPYEND (2024), directed by Neo Sora * Zero for Conduct (Zéro de conduite) (1933), directed by Jean Vigo * Frank Film (1973), directed by Frank Mouris and Caroline Mouris * Fritz the Cat (1972), directed by Ralph Bakshi * Gorillaz’s The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God, directed by Damon Albarn & Jamie Hewlett * I Died in Irpin (Я померла в Ірпені) (2024), directed by Anastasiia Falileieva * Waltz with Bashir (ואלס עם באשיר) (2008), directed by Ari Folman * Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ) (1973), directed Eiichi Yamamoto * Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), directed by Guillermo Del Toro * Chainsaw Man manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto * paul revere is here (1976), directed by Mary Beams & Susan Rubin * The works of Norm McLaren * Jim Mahfood’s Grrl Scout comics

Going on A Trip to the Moon (1902) with Winsor McCay (feat. Movies Silently)

Episode recorded: January 24th, 2026 (01/24/2026) To start off the new season, we will be talking about a silent movie and perhaps the oldest movie we have discussed so far. Jay and his co-editor Jessie has invited Fritzi Kramer of Movies Silently [https://moviessilently.com/], a blog that dedicates to researching silent movies, to discuss Georges Méliès, his famous short film A Trip to the Moon, his intentional colorization, Ted Turner's forced colorization that has led to the creation of National Film Registry, the early filmmaking of his era, the works of Winsor McCay, his legacy on the modern animation, The Great Train Robbery director Edwin S. Porter's live-action adaptation of McCay's Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, Porter's complicity to Topsy's electrocution, how the global filmmaking community connected with the inventor Thomas Edison, and whether Méliès's ideas would work better in the medium of animation. And Jay has opened up a lot of cans of worms. Because we are discussing silent movies, there are not much of audio clips. And Jay was too busy working on commissioned works that he was unable to finish the narration script, so there are no information narrations from Dom this time. Plus, we have discussed much about Georges Méliès, Winsor McCay, Edwin S. Porter, and Thomas Edison enough throughout the episode. Intro music: WANDERLUST (Celest3 mix) by Celest3 - https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix [https://celest3.bandcamp.com/track/wanderlust-celest3-mix] (CC BY-SA 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/]) Ending music: Arizona Green Tea by Stuffy Doll - https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea [https://stuffydollband.bandcamp.com/track/arizona-green-tea] (used it with a permission) Episode edited by Jay Whang Movies that we have discussed throughout the episode (possible spoilers ahead): * Flow (Straume) (2024), directed by Gints Zilbalodis * A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune) (1902), directed by Georges Méliès * The Inventor Crazybrains and His Wonderful Airship (Le Dirigeable fantastique ou le Cauchemar d'un inventeur) (1905), directed by Georges Méliès * Fury of the Demon (La rage du Démon) (2016), directed by Fabien Delage * À la conquête de l'air (1901), directed by Ferdinand Zecca * Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and His Moving Comics (a.k.a. Little Nemo) (1911), directed by J. Stuart Blackton & Winsor McCay * L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895), directed by Louis Lumière * L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (1896), directed by Auguste and Louis Lumière * Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), directed by Winsor McCay * Bug Vaudeville (1921), directed by Winsor McCay * Slumberland (2022), directed by Francis Lawrence * Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (1906), directed by Edwin S. Porter & Wallace McCutcheon * Electrocuting an Elephant (1903), directed by Edwin S. Porter (DON'T WATCH THAT ONE IF YOU LOVE ANIMALS AND VALUE YOUR SANITY! AND F**K EDWIN PORTER!) * Hundreds of Beavers (2022), directed by Mike Cheslik * Les Vampires (1915-16), directed by Louis Feuillade * Irma Vep (1996), directed by Olivier Assayas

NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECIAL 2025

Episode recorded: December 17th, 2025 (12/17/2025) Jay invited most of the rotating co-hosts along with Brandyn to his apartment in Brooklyn and celebrate the New Year's Eve party. Those who couldn't make it have left their voice messages. From there on, they discuss various things, including what they are looking forward to next year. Narration: Dom Valentini [https://bsky.app/profile/voiceoverdom.bsky.social] Audio Editor: Jay Whang & Jessie Hymowitz