animation newport v2.0: festivals

Newport Animation Dept

2 Newport Graduate films have been selected for the Encounters 'Emerging Talent' programme.

Sh*t Happens (2008) by Andy grindle and Heartstrings by Rhiannon Evans(2009)..

Screening is on Wed 18th Nov, 20.30 or Friday 19th at 12.30

http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/2009-programme/Competition-Screenings/4mations-emerging-talent-2.html

Newport Animation Dept

Gus Arteaga, MA Animation graduate from 2007 has won the best UK film prize at the London International Animation Festival.

http://www.liaf.org.uk/2009/program.html

Mexican by birth, Gus settled in the UK many moons ago. He came to the medium of animation via photography, bringing with him a sensibility of lens-based image making, and thereby a sophisticated use of the camera apparatus in animated 3D stop Motion film. He incorporates ocular trickery, using disorientating angles and distortions, shadows and silhouettes, focus pulling and other visual illusions, creating a strange, otherworldly viewing experience. Perhaps his magic realist style is attributable to his mexican roots, coupled with his links to the renowned Estonian Nuku film Studios, where he worked for a short period of time in 2005.

Gus graduated from the MA Animation programme at Newport in 2007, after completing the Newport BA Animation programme.

A judge’s comment :

‘In some way this film reminded me of the work of the late, great Oliver Postgate - which is one of the biggest compliments I can give. By skillfully combining traditional storytelling, simple but effective puppet animation and beautiful abstract photography, the director has created an atmospheric and magical world, evoking a child-like sense of innocence and wonder’.

Programme Leader Caroline Parsons's Comment :

Caroline says : This success is significant because Gus’s work invites us to return to a pre-digital, altogether more innocent form of filmic storytelling, which celebrates puppet animation at a time when it is most threatened. He clearly champions film making as craft, a position that has been become rarefied by the predominance of digital production.

Felix

Felix Massie (with funding from the UK Film Council, South West Screen and Aardman) completed his second film last year. It's called, 'The surprise demise of Francis Cooper's mother' and is the story of Francis Cooper and his mother; Emily Maddison and that man's face; and Craig MacKay and his cat.

You can see a short clip below and a complete list of credits and promotional stills here.

It has so far been shown at Animex, Encounters and the Northern Lights Film Festivals and is also being shown at Animated Exeter this weekend in the Screen Out Loud category (Sunday 15th, 4.30pm) and in competition at Florida Film Festival in April.

James Manning

Last month Jonay's graduation film Homeland (2007) was screened at the ICA in London as part of the Open Rehearsal and the Cultural Olympiad launch. Homeland was screened, as Jonay originally intended, with the live original music for prepared piano performed by the composer and Big Bang Lab director Sergio López Figueroa. Homeland has been well received by the festival circuit and has to date been screened at the following festivals:

-St. Petersburg Open Student Film Festival (Russia) : Sept 25-30
-Animasyros Animation Festival (Greece) : Sept 19-21
-Animadrid Animation Festival (Spain): Sept 30th
-Balkanima animation festival (Serbia) : Oct 7th -11th
-Optica Paris (France) : Oct 4th.
-Canarias Mediafest (Spain) : Oct 28th - Nov 1st.
London International Animation Festival (UK)
Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)
Animofest Animation Festival (Slovakia)
London Spanish Film Festival (UK)
Huesca International Shortfilm Festival (Spain)
Animated Exeter (UK)
Proyectaragon (Spain)
Optica Festival (Spain)
Finest Films, University of Wales, Newport (UK)
Adobe Media Event in London (UK)
Scife short film festival (Spain)
Black&White short film festival (Portugal)
Hebden Bridge Festival (UK)
Imaginaria Film Festival (Italy)
Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy)
VII Muestra de Cortos Aragoneses (Spain)

To keep up to date about Jonay and his film, browse to http://www.thisishomeland.com/. Below is Jonay's latest showreel:

Jonay O Urbina reel sept08 from Jonay O Urbina on Vimeo.

Newport Animation Dept

MA graduate Firman Machda's 'Empty Space', Felix Massie's Keith Reynolds and Matthew Walker's 'Operator' will be screened at the Edinburgh Film festival on June 23rd - 29th.

'Empty Space' and Felix Massie's 'Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight' is in Trailblazer screening on the 23rd Operator is in the Maclaren Animation 2 screening.

http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk