Conor Oberst Announces Debut Short Film Invention 13
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Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst and Shawn Foree have announced their debut short film, Invention 13, which will premiere at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles on 26 September, alongside details of Bright Eyes' full autumn 2026 and January 2027 tour dates. Shot on Super 16mm over four nights in Omaha, Nebraska, with a 40-person crew, the 15-minute film follows a frustrated pianist beset by strange obstacles while attempting to master J.S. Bach's fiendishly difficult composition of the same name, blending practical effects with hand-drawn animation.
The film stars Emory Cohen (The OA), newcomer Olivia Howard and professional skateboarder Nelly Morville, with a score by Bright Eyes member Nathaniel Walcott and a voice-acting credit for Phoebe Bridgers. It debuts at the Egyptian Theatre alongside Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 horror classic Hausu, followed by a Q&A hosted by Whitmer Thomas. Oberst will then rejoin Bright Eyes for a US tour running from 19 September through 20 October with reunited act Lullaby for the Working Class, before three shows at Brooklyn Paramount in January 2027 in which the band will play I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn in full, continuing celebrations of the albums' 21st anniversary that began earlier this year at Red Rocks and the Hollywood Bowl.
- Conor Oberst's debut short film Invention 13 premieres 26 September at Beyond Fest
- Phoebe Bridgers voices a role; Nathaniel Walcott scores the film
- Bright Eyes tour US this autumn, play two albums in full in January 2027
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Bright Eyes is the indie folk-rock band fronted by Conor Oberst, known for albums such as I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Digital Urn, both released in 2005 and now marking their 21st anniversary. Alongside his music career, Oberst has teamed up with collaborator Shawn Foree to move into filmmaking with a short project called Invention 13.
The film takes its name from a notoriously difficult piano piece by J.S. Bach and follows a pianist struggling to learn it while facing a series of odd obstacles. It was shot on old-fashioned film stock in Oberst's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and mixes physical special effects with hand-drawn animation; the cast and crew include actors, a professional skateboarder, and musical contributions from Oberst's Bright Eyes bandmate Nathaniel Walcott and singer Phoebe Bridgers.
The film's announcement was paired with news of Bright Eyes' upcoming live plans, including a US tour and further shows built around the anniversary of those two acclaimed 2005 albums. This links Oberst's new venture into film to his established identity as a musician, giving fans two connected reasons to pay attention.
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