In short, the Animaze Festival is a tribute to everything animated. From shorts to full length features to Saturday morning cartoons to syndicated prime-time shows.
Being a fan of all animated shows for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of creating a whole world from scratch. Animation is free from all limits live action films/tv programs have to overcome such as settings, props, special effects, even the talent/abilities of the actors. Anything goes and the only limit is the writer’s imagination.
The idea for the festival came after I had watched the film Free Jimmy and was blown away. I couldn’t stop thinking to myself “How is this film not an international success? Or a cult classic? How is this movie not well known even in animation circles?”. That’s when it occurred to me that the only animated films released in North America are family films. Internationally, animation is used by all genres like serious dramas, adult comedy and even horror. There’s a whole world of animation out there which will never make it to us so I made it my mission to bring them to an audience that have no access to these masterpieces.
-Michael Dahan, Founder of Animaze Festival
Animaze Animation Film Festival is proud to present the schedule of its first edition to be held at Cinema du Parc (3575 Ave du Parc) and Concordia University's Hall Building Auditorium (1455 Ave de Maisonneuve W) from November 18 to November 20, 2011.
For its inaugural year, Animaze will celebrate the wonderful world of animation through a wide range of activities :
- International Film Competition Several highly-acclaimed features will be screened in North America for the first time, such as Jeż Jerzy ( an off-beat satire from Poland) and Viva the Nam ( an eclectic stop-motion made with GI JOE dolls). Two prizes will be awarded in this competition; one for “Best in Show” as determined by a panel of judges and one for “Audience Favourite” as voted by the public.
- 30th Anniversary Screening of Heavy Metal with director Gerald Potterton The cult classic gets the special anniversary treatment. Legendary director Gerald Potterton will be attending the screening and will address his legion of fans before the show.
- Saturday Morning Cartoon Extravaganza for Sun Youth Montreal In honour of that lost time where children had to wait a full week till they got their cartoon hit, we are recreating CBS’s 1986 Saturday Morning lineup with all proceeds going to charity. For this event, we will feature the Berenstein Bears, Muppet Babies, Galaxy High and the unforgettable Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
- Student Animated Shorts Contest It's institution vs. institution in this animated short film contest exclusively for undergraduates of local film schools.
- “Freleng: Frame by Frame” charity screening for Sun Youth Montreal with presentation by director Greg Ford An elusive documentary about Warner Bros legendary director Friz Freleng. Director Greg Ford will be present to share his memories of working at Warner Brothers with the godfathers of modern animation ( Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Virgil Ross, and Bob Clampett).
+ many more activities
