A Lake of the Isles homeowner and a Minneapolis chainsaw sculptor shape meaning (and a twenty foot tall pencil) from the twisted trunk of a fallen oak tree.
But this pencil isn’t meant to last. Every year, thousands gather to sacrifice a part of the pencil in a sharpening ceremony, and in the process renew the collective promise to “do something.”
May 29, 2026 at 10:00AM
Festival Tent
Followed by Q&A with cinematographer and producer Austin Straub
May 28-31
Followed by Q&A with director and producer
Daniel Straub
June 17-22, 2026
Presented as a part of
Shorts: Community Up Close
April 18, 2026 at 1:00PM
UNCSA Gold Theatre
April 25 at 3:30PM
UNCSA Gold Theatre
WALKER ART CENTER
SPECIAL SCREENING
A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil with How to Sharpen Pencils
April 12, 2026 at 7:00PM
Walker Cinema
Followed by Q&A with filmmakers and participants.
Moderated by Audrey Kennedy, Axios Twin Cities
MINNEAPOLIS PREMIERE
April 18, 2026 at 11:10AM
Main Cinema
A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil and The Oldest Person in the World
April 19, 2026 at 7:20PM
Main Cinema
WORLD PREMIERE
February 10
SBIFF Film Center
February 11
SBIFF Film Center
Original/English Title: A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil
Country of Production: United States
Duration: 22 mins
Screening Material: DCP
Sound: 5.1 surround
Screen Ratio: 1.43:1 (Ultra Pencilvision)
Frame Rate: 24fps
Color
English Language (with English subtitles)
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Santa Barbara Film Festival Winners: A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil
“We are thrilled to celebrate such a wonderful array of winning films that represent the best independent creatives working today,” said Claudia Puig, SBIFF programming director. “All these outstanding films tell essential stories that speak eloquently about the human condition… their stories are set in scenic locales from Malaysia to Minneapolis.”
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Berkshire Film Festival Lineup Revealed
The beloved Berkshire International Film Festival returns to Great Barrington and Lenox, Massachusetts, for its 20th edition. “For our 20th anniversary, we’re presenting a dynamic lineup that spans the full spectrum of contemporary cinema, from acclaimed international voices to bold new talent,” said founder and artistic director Kelley Vickery.
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Nantucket Film Festival 2026 Lineup, Honorees Announced
“This year’s slate of films continues to celebrate bold and independent voices close to home and across the world. We invite our audiences to explore a wide range of work that honors the power of storytelling — and, in turn, our shared humanity over the course of our six-day, highly curated festival.” Basil Tsiokos and lead programmer Anita Raswant added in their own statement.
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Giant Pencil Sculpture Gets Documentary Treatment
If you missed out on last year’s LOTI Pencil sharpening party, fear not — you may be able to see it on the big screen. Filmmaker Daniel Straub’s short film about the Lake of the Isles icon is coming to Minneapolis theaters next week as part of the MSP International Film Festival
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Minneapolis’ 20-foot-tall Pencil stars in short documentary at MSPIFF
Lake of the Isles Pencil fans who need more pencil in their lives are in luck. More than 300 Pencil fanatics packed the Walker Cinema to watch the documentary.
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Review: A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A GIANT PENCILis an absolute delight for the entire family. It’s a “sharpened” showcase of what happens when art connects and gives people a sense of community… and one film I won’t want to “erase” from my memory any time soon.
DANIEL STRAUB
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
Daniel is a Los Angeles-based director and producer whose most recent film, the award-winning investigative feature documentary OUT OF PLAIN SIGHT for the Los Angeles Times, is completely different than this and has almost nothing to do with pencils.
AUSTIN STRAUB
CINEMATOGRAPHER, PRODUCER
Austin Straub is an Emmy®-winning cinematographer (The Migrant Kitchen, PBS/KCET) whose work spans the gamut of the industry. They have lensed theatrical-feature films, as well as specials for Disney+ and Apple TV+, and their documentary-style camera operating has been tapped for concert films produced by HBO, Amazon and Apple. Austin thrives in intimate, human stories bathed in naturalistic light, and they are passionate about placing the audience in the heart of the most pointed issues of our time, including pencils.
BRYCE CYRIER
PRODUCER
Bryce is a film and documentary producer known for his versatile leadership and commitment to fostering the creative process. He’s made feature documentaries, doc series, shorts, commercials, and music videos, ranging in distribution from wide theatrical release to millions of views on YouTube. He has worked with professional athletes, NY Times bestselling authors, and Academy Award winners like Laura Dern and Golden Globe winners Paul Walter Hauser, Michael C. Hall, and Annette Bening. This is his first short documentary specifically about a giant pencil. He is also a screenwriter, a husband, and a proud father to two kids who love movies even more than he does.
JAMES ELLINGTON
COMPOSER
James is a lifelong musician, pencil user, composer, producer and music supervisor with an eclectic music palette.
Ellington's most recent project is Out of Plain Sight, an unprecedented feature documentary produced by the Los Angeles Times, for which he composed the entire score.
