RIT Student Film Looks at Jelly-Covered Cat

Kimberly Miner is making a major impact in the world of student film.

Miner will present her short film “Perpetual Motion” at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 22. It tops a long list of other honors received for the film, including a gold medal in the animation category of the Student Academy Awards last June.

The 87 second-long film raises a comical question: If a cat always lands on its feet, and jellied toast always lands jelly-side down, what would happen to a cat with jelly toast strapped to its back? The answer is explored in laugh-aloud fashion through the use of hand drawings, watercolors and computer-assisted animation.

Miner, a second-year animation major at Rochester Institute of Technology, says her initial reaction to the news was disbelief. “This wasn’t something I intended at all,” she says. “I didn’t have a clue as to what the significance of this film would be.”

Having never traveled outside the country, Miner thinks the festival will be an exciting but frenzied environment. She intends to enjoy the opportunity to show her work at such a prestigious event, and simply savor the moment. “I’ll just enjoy whatever comes.”