Arts Writer
THE Cape Town International Animation Festival is featuring an African premiere, multiple award winners and Oscar nominees at their fifth festival. Previously known as Kunjanimation, the film showcase is at The River Club until Sunday.
Curated by Animation SA, the annual event offers the chance to catch some of the world’s best animated films from countries such as France, Brazil, Australia, Ireland and South Africa. In addition there are a range of workshops with global industry leaders, providing a rare opportunity to engage with them and learn from their insights. This year’s topics include character animation, scriptwriting and producing.
The 2016 programme includes the African premiere of Stick Man, which premiered on BBC One and was the fourth most watched programme on Christmas Day with 9.27 million viewers and 41% audience share. Produced by Magic Light Pictures and animated by Triggerfish Studios, responses have included, “spell-binding… witty and wise… a delight”. Stick Man is adapted from the book by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler of The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child fame, the animated films of which Magic Light Pictures were nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA.
There will also be screenings of Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea, directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore, and recent Oscar nominee The Boy and the World, directed by AlêAbreu. The Boy and the World won the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the Grand Prix for feature film at the 2015 Animafest Zagreb.
Nominated in 2015 for an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature Film of the Year category, Song of the Sea tells the story of Ben and sister Saoirse who embark on a journey across a fading world of ancient legend and magic in an attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. Directed by Tomm Moore, whose film The Secret of Kells was also nominated for an Oscar.
The 2016 Oscar nominee The Boy and the World, tells the story of Cuca, who embarks on a quest to reunite his family. Entirely wordless, the narrative describes a clash between the poor and rich. Accompanying the visuals is a rich soundscape of pan flute, with samba, and Brazilian hip-hop, creating a powerful visceral experience of a passage through life.
Then there’s Oscar winning Adam Elliot’s latest short film Ernie Biscuit, the clayography of a lonely Deaf Parisian taxidermist whose life is turned upside down when a dead pigeon arrives on his doorstep. Sita Sings the Blues won the Cristal Award for best feature at the 2008 Annecy Festival and sees three shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana.
Adama was part of the Annecy official selection for 2015 and is a coming-of-age story set in 1916. Phantom Boy is the highly anticipated new film from Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, the Academy Award nominated directors of A Cat In Paris.
Other offerings include Aardman Animation’s short film Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas in which Shaun the Sheep gets the Farmer to bring home a llama from the County Fair. Also AKA’s Lost and Found, a short adaptation of the book by Oliver Jeffers about friendship and loneliness.
Festival director Dianne Makings says, “The programme is designed to inspire and build both the local industry and audiences, by exposing them to world class content through screenings, talks, workshops and masterclasses.”
One workshop highlight will be Laika’s producer, Mark Shapiro, who has worked on films such as Coraline and Paranorman. Renowned producer Christine Ponzevera will also discuss different strategies to pitch to European studios, and how co-productions work. Technical talks and demonstrations will all be hosted by Adobe, The Chaos Group, The Foundry and Cel Action.
“It’s a coup to have secured Nedy Acet, who is a 3D animator at Dreamworks studio. He has animated several of Dreamwork’s major productions including Kung Fu Panda 3, Peabody and Sherman and Madagascar 3. He will present a workshop about 3dcharacter design. We will also be partnering with Friends of Design to offer a series of gaming workshops, and once again with the innovative team from Pop the Culture, who will run various seminars around graphic novels and producer roles.”
Media Cloud will allow Q&A sessions with overseas directors such as Tomm Moore and Adam Elliot to be remotely accessible.
l Workshops are at The River Club and screenings take place at The Labia Theatre and the River Club. www.ctiaf.com