My Third Visit to the Festival
What I like about animation festivals is when each festival has its own identity. The Holland Animation Film Festival in Utrecht has its own identity. In the competition, the focus is on commercials and student films. About eight years ago, when I was a student, I had two films shown at Utrecht. At the time I didn't realize that it was a competition. When they were announcing the prize winner for my category, I was not in the audience. Apparently, I had won and people were looking around for me because I was expected to go on stage. I was very shocked and surprised that I had won. Not for one second had I thought about the possibility of winning. This year I had two works showing at the film festival, an 85-minute feature film Exit, I made with my father, and a one-minute trailer for the Filmfestival Zeeland 1997.

George Griffin and Paul Driessen at the festival's opening night. Photo courtesy of HAFF.

The festival ran November 18-22, and when I was asked to write, I decided to go and see as many different programs as possible in order to give an idea of what one can expect if attending in the future.

Commercials and Shorts
It must be quite difficult for a jury to decide who has made the best commercial. Most commercials last only 30 seconds. You can figure out yourself how many fit in a 50 or 60 minute festival program. For the audience it is also hard work to pay attention to every individual piece. The good thing about going to a festival though is you are able to see many different styles and solutions to problems.

As an animator you must get your message across in 30 seconds. It is your goal to try and make people want to buy something or think in a certain way. I was impressed by some of the educational "commercials" for UNICEF and MTV. For me, as a filmmaker who also makes commercials, it is very interesting to watch these programs. I try to look at each commercial from my point of view. How would I have done this? Would I have liked to work on this? In general, I am interested in the making of any commercial. If I look at my own work, I see that the more difficult the subject of a film is, the more creative I have to be, and the more I have to think.

Gerrit van Dijk, Priit Pärn and Gerben Schermer. Photo courtesy of HAFF.

It was also good to see that computer animation is developing. I saw some interesting computer animated shorts. In my own work I use the computer as a tool and not as a medium. So far I have not felt the need to make a computer animated film. Of course, that could change next week, all depending on what happens!

The Jury Program's Highlights
Another interesting collection was the Jury Program. Michael Dudok De Wit's film, The Monk and the Fish, was not new for me, but his commercial work looks very different and is also very good. Paul Bush's film, The Rumour of True Things, was a complete surprise for me. I knew at least three of his "scratch" films and was expecting a similar technique or approach. In all aspects this film was different. I am looking forward to his new films!