aaa news updates
June 1998 - More news from aaa
Our
latest piece of news was sent late January. Since then more classes, more
kids and more teachers have discovered Animation with us. By the end of
this school year - on June 30 - 1 150 young people, from 6 to 24 years,
will have 'invaded' our premises, seen authors' films and made their own
first animated piece.
|
| ||||
|
|
 |
On April 17, we had the great pleasure to have Nag Ansorge as our special guest. When we happened to know that the Swiss filmmaker had just co-produced a documentary about excluded people 'Alain comme les autres', we decided to organize two screenings under the title 'From Animation to Documentary'. Nag chose 'The Ravens' a sand animation short film he made with his wife Gisèle in 1967 to introduce the program. So, our one day's manifestation was dealing with exclusion. During the discussions with the audience - most of them students and animation fans - Nag Ansorge had the opportunity to tell and show that animation and documentary can communicate the same emotions in different forms of cinema however. |
Annecy'98 Festival
Four children for aaa -two girls : Marie, 12 and Pauline 9, and two boys
: Benjamin 13, and Nicolas 12- served on the Children's Jury. We selected
them for their passionate interest for Animation and also because precise
ages were requested by the Festival organizers.
These kids viewed three programs of shorts in competition (out of the four
ones included in the Festival as they were not allowed to miss too many
school lessons). They discussed seriously and secretly (they even refused
to tell their parents) before choosing their prize winner : 'Stage Fright'
by Steve Box from Aardman. It's obvious how warmly young people love plastiline
and Wallace and Gromit. The four of them went up the stage at the beginning
of the closing ceremony and announced their prize both in French and English.
A charming initiative :
The Bonlieu Hotel, near the Festival Center, put at our disposal the walls
of the hotel hall, breakfast room and video room for the exhibition of our
young people's graphic material and screening of their animated works. So,
as early as breakfasting, tourists and Festival guests were surrounded by
'Frame by Frame' and could watch animation shorts.
The
announcement of Annecy'98 prize winners was a happy surprise for our workshop
'Night Butterflies' by Raoul Servais, the production of which we
participated in, has been awarded :
The Fipresci Prize - International Critic
The Annecy'98 Short Film Grand Prix
'Night Butterflies' is a beautiful tribute to the Belgian painter
Paul Delvaux. It's good that Raoul Servais, after his feature film 'Taxandria',
has gone back to a short film. It's comforting that in a period of time
when so much is said and written about new technologies, a well-known filmmaker
joins together the art of painting and the art of animation and it' good
that a Jury appraises that.
On our return from Zagreb Festival - a Festival we would not miss - we'll
organize two screenings of all the films produced in aaa during the 1997-98
school year : A two hours' projection !
The first two weeks of July will be busy with training
sessions in Animation for students, and activities with groups of kids who
can't go away for Summer holidays.
August will be a quiet month for filing and planning next year.
