Many people only get the chance to view great animation through films that find mainstream distribution, but help is at hand.
Bursting with animated riches, the 2009
Melbourne International Animation Festival is here. The festival's
premiere this Monday 22nd of June kicks off a seven-day blast from the independent animation scene. Among the 40 programs and 400 films screening at
ACMI there is a gem to captivate each of us.
The MIAF lineup presents an up-to-date picture of animation.
The program features the best recently released films plucked from 2000 submissions MIAF received from more than 30 countries. Every technique, subject, and genre is represented. There are six International Competition Screenings, digital animation, the best of revered Croatian studio
Zagrebfilm, highlights from Asia, and some brilliant work from the ever-original studios of London.
The
Australian Panorama showcase gathers up films from emerging and established homegrown talent — check out the state of Australian animation and meet some of its faces.
The
Women in Film and Television screening features handpicked submissions in which women played a key part, as director, editor or producer. After the screening, a forum will explore the films and the issues that confront women working in the industry.
This year's special guest is a true master of the medium,
Chris Landreth, who will screen highlights from his groundbreaking films. Canadian animator
Rose Bond will also be there showcasing her captivating wares. This year's
Studio Watch event takes a peek at the mind-blowing work of UK animation studio, The Mill. (Remember the
Sony commercial where thousands of coloured balls ecstatically bounced down a San Franciscan street? That was one of theirs.)
Each year the festival turns its spotlight on a particular technique. The 2009 focus is animating sand, the process by which an animator moves coloured sand, salt and powder on a light box. Brushes and fingers shift the sand about to create textured pictures that produce a complete film. Check out this mesmerising medium
here.
With it's diverse and delirious program, MIAF proves that animation is much more than child's play.
Visit the
website for details of other specially curated programs that highlight recent productions and splendid offerings from the archive.
