LEWISTON – Performance artist Leland Faulkner, known for his sleight-of-hand antics with handshadows and paper manipulation, will present his “Cats, Masks & Shadows” program Friday, Oct. 26, at the Lewiston Public Library

The family-oriented program, designed for ages 8 and older, will include a showing of his newly released film, “King ‘O Cats.”

Based on an old English folk tale, this 20-minute short subject tells the surreal story of a church sexton who falls asleep while digging a grave in the churchyard, only to be startled awake by a cat’s meow. Peering up from the grave, the man witnesses the bizarre funeral of a cat. With this vision burning in his mind, he runs home to relate the strange experience to his wife. She listens unbelieving until their own house cat reveals a surprising secret that shocks them both.

“King O’ Cats” has attracted attention since its release this past June, capturing top prize in the 2007 Maine Short Film Competition, Best Children’s Feature at the 2007 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, and four citations from the national Accolade Awards.

Faulkner, who trained at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California and now lives in Auburn, first adapted the story into a screenplay in 2002, and eventually shot the movie on location at cemeteries and barns in Maine. Starring in the movie are internationally recognized dancer/mime Karen Montanaro and actor/clown Avner Eisenberg, both of whom also call Maine their home.

To set the tone for the “King ‘O Cats” screening, Faulkner will demonstrate his skills as mime, magician, actor and artist in a live performance of two of his trademark solo sketches. In “Shadowplay,” he employs the antique art of shadowgraphy to conjure up a menagerie of silhouettes using only his hands. As “Paperman,” he transforms simple sheets of paper into an array of items, including a mask, a bicycle, barbell and baby.

Also included on the Oct. 26 program are screenings of “The Sky God’s Dance,” Faulkner’s whimsical seven-minute short in which tiny shadow puppet cut-outs animate an African-inspired myth; and “Mort and the Stiffs,” his four-minute comedic saga of a mortician and the daunting challenges he faces in preparing a pair of bodies.

Faulkner’s touring career as a performer has spanned more than two decades. He is the former director of the Celebration Barn Theatre in Paris, and for several years was on the roster of the New York City-based Affiliate Artists Program.

Faulkner has built a substantive record in filmmaking, television, editing, producing and consulting on popular feature films, including the recent Castle Rock feature “The Polar Express.” He holds a degree in motion picture studies and won national recognition with the receipt of a Cine Eagle Award in 1997.

Faulkner’s “Cats, Masks & Shadows” program, lasting just under an hour, will begin at 7 p.m. in Callahan Hall at the library. Tickets will be available at the door only. The library is at 200 Lisbon St. For more information, call 784-0135, extension 210; or log on to www.lplonline.org.