Binocular Briefs – Spotlight on Annecy 2023 Part 2: Shorts
Ottawa Animation Festival artistic director Chris Robinson takes a look at 5 intriguing short films competing at this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival, which runs June 11-17.
Ottawa Animation Festival artistic director Chris Robinson takes a look at 5 intriguing short films competing at this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival, which runs June 11-17.
The Oscar-winning animator drew inspiration from the village of Salamiou’s landscape, creating ‘Views of World’ for the 22nd edition of the festival returning August 9-12.
LXiA reveals an expansive, exciting slate of premieres, in-person panel discussions, an animated shorts program, and virtual ‘cafecitos’ coffee chats, running June 1-3; LALIFF runs May 31-June 4.
Amazon will award $10,000 for the Best Overall Film and $5,000 for an Audience Award, plus lead a discussion panel on the future of LGBTQIA+ storytelling; the selected films will premiere at the October 2023 festival.
Yegane Moghaddam’s film wins the Grand Jury Prize and the Award for Best Mixed Technique, while Carmen Córdoba wins for Best Spanish Short Film, at the Oscar qualifying event.
Works from Portugal, Spain and Argentina are honored across nine categories at the May 13 in-person gala event and closing ceremony recognizing achievements in Ibero-American animation.
Hard-rocking duo Jack Black and Kyle Gass burst onto the music scene for the first time in years for a video featuring a mix of 2D and 3DCG that takes viewers on an amazing adventure through the worlds of many fan-favorite games.
Initiative provides mentoring and coaching sessions from industry experts to prep women animators from emerging animation communities in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America to pitch projects next month at Annecy 2023.
Funding for Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian producers co-developing projects with Ibero-American creators provides up to €150,000, and a support program valued up to €95,000 to promote new technology in creating animation; applications now open - submission deadline is August 21.
For Dave Hughes, 300+ films over five years are just the beginning as he continues to find innovative creators like Nic Collins and Sean Godsey, Sam Lanier, Kelly Cooper, Felipe Di Poi, and Sarah Schmidt in his search for funny new stories he hopes can jump to specials, pilots, or series.
The Oscar-winning producer, known for films including the Academy Award-winning animated short, ‘Anna & Bella,’ established the Dutch animation distribution company Animated People, was active in the Haarlem artist circuit, and was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
California-based Elara Systems harnesses Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Maya, Unreal Engine and NVIDIA Omniverse, connecting 3D pipelines to create AI character-driven 3D medical animations that help raise public awareness through relatable storytelling.
The new update introduces Procedural Content Generation tools and a Substrate shading system providing artists with new real-time functionality – both showcased in March at GDC’s Electric Dreams real-time demo; also announced Unreal Fest 2023 coming to New Orleans in October.
Based on the award-winning 2021 animated short ‘Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics,’ the stop-motion installation reflects Indigenous teachings from the earth, fused into the story, creating a unique viewing experience; debut set for Tribeca Festival’s ‘Tribeca Immersive’ showcase in June.
The short film, music video, and commercial director brings Unreal Engine expertise to cutting edge creative lab following their recent collaboration on Alienware’s campaign.
The creative director and co-founder of Mackinnon & Saunders Studio will accept the Studio of the Year Award 2023 at the International Festival of Animation, Transmedia and Meta-Arts, taking place in Pescara May 31-June 4.
The Nelvana co-founder and Canadian animation industry leader will also deliver the event’s Keynote; the Montreal International Animation Festival takes place September 17 – 19.
Travel to a galaxy far, far away in the newest cross-promotional gem following the youngest Simpson as she hops in Grogu’s hovering pram for a hyperspace-bopping adventure, streaming exclusively on Disney+ May 4th.
For executive producers James Waugh, Jacqui Lopez, and Josh Rimes, nine original shorts from a roster of top animation studios - created with 2D, 3DCG, stop-motion, and different fusion techniques - embrace global perspectives not always explored in Western narratives; new season debuts May 4 on Disney+.
11 animated features have been chosen to compete at this year's festival, including ‘Art College 1994’ by Liu Jian, ‘La Sirène’ by Sepideh Farsi and ‘Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams’ by Benoît Chieux; the 47th edition of the festival runs June 11-17.
Whoopi Goldberg hosts the June 10 presentation and screening - based on a true story of the murder of an Ethiopian college student killed by racist skinheads, the film is about the pain and personal triumph of a son left behind; the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s directors.
The festival wrapped its 30th edition with an April 30 ceremony honoring winners of the main competitions, with Priit Tender and José Miguel Ribeiro, respectively, taking home the big awards.
Presentations on June 13 and 14 will showcase Disney’s 100-year legacy, including ‘Building on the Legacy’ and a look forward at ‘Learning the Ropes: A Guide to Creating the Next Big Disney Hit;’ other highlights include an exclusive screening of the animated anthology ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,’ and reveals from DBT President Ayo Davis and Disney EMEA VP of Animation Orion Ross.
The short, part of the festival’s May 7 ‘Lost and Found’ animation program, tells a young girl’s story of discovering her mother’s survival of the 1945 Tokyo Firebombing.