The Happy Valley Animation Festival (HVAF) is set to return to Penn State for its fifth year.

HVAF is an international competition that showcases animations created by students and professionals. The works are showcased in three primary categories: animated short films, experimental animation, and animated motion graphics & design.

The festival is a collaboration between organizers, volunteers, and academic partners, and is supported by the Digital Arts and Media Design Program (DART) and the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

The event is free to attend and open to the public, and will take place from Thursday, March 26, to Saturday, March 28. Official selections will be featured in screenings and exhibitions at the HUB Flex Theatre, the Carnegie Cinema, the Palmer Museum of Art, and the HUB Robeson Gallery.

The festival kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with a public screening of official selections in the international open and international student animation categories in the HUB Flex Theatre.

The following day, there will be a public screening of select award-winning animations and official selections in both the international open and international student categories from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will also be a continuous screening loop of HVAF official selections in the international open and student animation categories on loop for drop-in viewing from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. in room 131.

On the last day of the festival, there will be animation screenings in the Palmer Museum of Art from noon to 4:00 p.m., which is open to the public.

For more information about the Happy Valley Animation Festival, visit its website.