TWIN TALENTS: The twin characters from Shimmer and Shine with their creator, Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz. Picture: Nick Animation Studio TWIN TALENTS: The twin characters from Shimmer and Shine with their creator, Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz. Picture: Nick Animation Studio
The sixth annual Cape Town International Animation Festival, which screened the world’s best animated films and hosted various workshops, took place at Observatory’s River Club and the Gardens’ Labia cinema over the weekend.
Films screened this year included the Oscar-nominated My life As A Courgette and The Red Turtle.
Masterclasses and talks with local and international experts in the industry were popular events at the festival.
It also had stop-motion and drawing workshops for children, outdoor screenings, industry networking and business-to-business sessions, and a student competition with a prize to win an internship at Nickelodeon.
Festival director Dianne Makings said: “One of our key successes has been showcasing the wealth of South African talent and connecting industry players from all over the world.
“This year, in addition to our long-standing relationships with the French animation industry, we have been delighted to welcome delegates from Japan and Canada.
“Over the past few days Capetonians have had a once-off chance to catch amazing films that are otherwise not distributed in South Africa, and the industry events have planted seeds that we hope will grow into fruitful associations.”
Speakers included Stuart Forrest, CEO of South African-based Triggerfish Animation Studios; John Shuzo Shiota, CEO of Polygon Pictures, Japan’s most established animation company; and Ivan Rouveure, COO of Les Armateurs, whose work includes an Oscar-nominated film, The Secret of Kells.
Other speakers were Veronique Encrenaz, Project Manager at Mifa, part of the Annecy Animation Film Festival, one of the largest animation-focused markets and festivals in the world.
Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz, creator of Shimmer and Shine at Nick Animation Studio, was also there.
Global humanitarian and Peabody Award winner Firdaus Kharas and Graham Peterson, animation supervisor on hits such as Bob’s Burgers and Rick and Morty, also spoke at the festival.
Makings said the festival was made possible through generous sponsorships from the National Film and Video Foundation, Wesgro, the French Institute of South Africa, the Japanese and Canadian embassies, Nickelodeon and Draw for Life.
The French Embassy also played a major part in making the festival possible.
This year the festival received 221 entries for submissions from 40 countries.
Animation SA, a non-profit organisation, was also involved.
raphael.wolf@inl.co.za