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2013 ASIFA Laureate Recipient Joanna Quinn

The ASIFA Animator's Award for 2013 goes to Joanna Quinn, who was awarded the prize November 22 at the 2014 Bradford Animation Festival!

Each year ASIFA honours a person who has made a significant contribution to animation over an extended period of time.  The 2013 recipient, Joanna Quinn, has delighted audiences with her beautifully drawn animations ever since her first film, Girl’s Night Out (1986), won three awards at the 1987 Annecy Animation Festival. 

Her unique drawing talent combined with wit and wisdom have earned her numerous top awards including Emmy’s, Bafta’s, the 2006 European Cartoon D’Or and jury prizes at all of the major festivals. Two films Famous Fred (1996) and The Wife of Bath (1998) have earned Joanna Oscar nominations and Britannia, a brilliantly biting view of British Imperialism, won her the prestigious Leonardo Da Vinci award in 1996.  Ironically the award was presented by Prince Phillip.

Joanna is a role model and inspiration to young female animators worldwide.  Girls Night Out, Body Beautiful, and Dreams and Desires – Family Ties, about the wacky, loveable Beryl are films that women of all ages can identify with.   At the present time Joanna is at work on her fourth film in the Beryl series, Dreams and Desires – Affairs of the Art in which her heroine decides to take up painting with the usual disastrous results.

She and Les Mills, her partner and husband, lecture and give workshops at Universities and festival around the world and are known for the generous amount of time they give to students in and out of the classroom.  Joanna is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London and the University of Wales, Newport as well as Honorary Doctor at the University of Wolverhampton.

With Les, who produces and writes their films, Joanna founded Beryl Productions International Ltd in their home town of Cardiff, Whales.  Along with their personal films, Beryl Productions has become known for commercial work.  Joanna’s distinctive style is immediately recognizable in the Charmin Bear Commercials which she has been drawing since 1999.  In 2010 Ad Week, the industry magazine, listed the Charmin Bear as one of the top ten advertising icons of the decade. 

The ASIFA 2013 Laureate Award was presented to Joanna on stage at the Bradford Animation Festival (BAF) by ASIFA Board Members Margot Grimwood of ASIFA UK and Nancy Denney-Phelps, ASIFA San Francisco on 21 November.  Joanna was suprized and delighted to receive a framed drawing created especially for her by noted Czech animator Michaela Pavlatova.  Joanna has previously said that Michaela is her favourite animator and that her films have been an inspiration to Quinn in her own work. Following the presentation of the award there was a screening of Joanna’s work.  She also gave an adult’s only life drawing workshop on another day.

ASIA would like to thank Michaela for the generous donation of her time to create the beautiful work of art.  We also would like to thank Deb Singleton, festival director, for including the award presentation and screening in the festival program, arranging for the framing of the drawing, and inviting Margot and I to the festival to present it. BAF is held at the National Media Museum in Bradford and is the UK’s longest running festival. 

Joanna Quinn has now joined a list of other esteemed members of the animation community who are ASIFA Laureates and we are very honoured and proud to have her as a representative of our organization.

CONGRATULATIONS JOANNA!