Peter and Astor Parr

At The Arts University College at Bournemouth (formerly The Arts Institute of Bournemouth) in Bournemouth, England he is a beloved Founder, Principal Lecturer, and Leader of their award winning BA Honors Animation Production Course. It is recognized on an international level and accredited by Skillset.
When I visited Peter and Astor in their lovely home in South West Hampshire on the edge of the New Forest I was fascinated to learn  about Peter’s other life.  I should not have been surprised to learn that he has also had a distinguished international career as a designer for film, television, and theater in the United States and London as well as his acclaimed work in animation.
Peter has designed murals for London’s Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company.  His murals have gone on world tours in productions of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s renowned stage presentation of Evita and Harold Pinter’s The Doll’s Life. His work also appeared in the Hal Prince production of Lulu on Broadway.  These are just a few of the many productions that he has worked on.
Exhibits of his work have been held in diverse locations.   Madame Tussaud’s in London and Amsterdam displayed his Trompe L’oeil Murals and Old Masters Paintings. English Heritage and Yorkshire Television have permanent  displays of figurative murals for The Book Tower at Sudbury Hall.  Figurative murals have been shown at the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Old Masters at Madame Tussaud’s in Amsterdam

Mural for Sudbury Hall Book Tower

Mural of the Battle of Trafalgar

Recognized throughout the animation community for his teaching methods and versatile draftsmanship, Peter has contributed to animation periodicals and publications.  Examples of Peter’s drawing from his sketches and story board contributions feature prominently in two of Paul Wells’ books, Fundamentals of Animation and Drawing for Animation, which illustrate the key elements of animation and tips on drawing.

From Peter’s sketchbook, in Venice

“Peter Parr is one of the most renowned teachers of animation in Britian. He stresses the core skills of drawing and visualization in his work with students, pointing out the relationships between character, emotion and ‘dramatic” movement. (Paul Wells)

Peter sketching at Annecy

First and foremost, Peter’s name is associated with animation.  In 1965 he joined the London based film optical house Roy Pace Studio, assisting the camera team with shooting on the iconic Yellow Submarine. There he met Bob Godfrey and many other future colleagues in the animation world.  He went on to contribute animation to numerous film and television projects.  His television credits include character designs for the BBC production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as numerous classical portraits for dramas, title sequences, storyboards and animatics.

Concept sheet for the film Lion, Witch and Wardrobe

Rembrandt

Along the way Peter has garnered many awards. He received The British Interactive Multi-Media Award for his visualization of the CD ROM The Art of Singing . His most prestigious honor was his BA Animation Course receiving The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Film and Animation. When I asked him about his honors, Peter told me in his typically humble, humorous style, that over time he has met most members of the Royal Family, but never all together, and he is not on the Royal Family’s Christmas Card List.
All of Peter Parr’s professional achievements would be enough to fill more than one lifetime, but if you ask him what he is proudest of, he will answer immediately that it is the many students that he has guided along the path to successful careers in all branches of the animation industry.
Peter’s first student in 1967, BAFTA Award winning Clive Juster, says that “one of Peter’s greatest strengths is the deep and genuine personal interest that he takes in all of his students.”  A testament to this is that Clive has remained a lifelong friend of Astor and Peter.
Parr’s talent to help each student develop his or her own distinctive style can be found in the far flung corners of the animation community.  At Aardman Studios Daniel Capozzi is an animation director and production designer.   Guillermo Garcia, the creator of the BAFTA Award winning  Pokoyo, is at Zinkia Studios in Madrid, Andy Grisdale at Pixar, Jason Smith at Lucas Studio where he works in game development. The list goes on and on.  The new generation such as recent graduates Jamie Badminton and Tim O’Sullivan are now making their mark as co-directors at Karrot Animation, which has created many animated segments for CBBC.
Somehow Peter finds time to serve on Animation Festival selection committees and juries from Hiroshima to Zagreb to London.  In 1997 he headed a seminar organized by The Walt Disney Features Animation Company.  Held at the then Arts Institute of Bournemouth, the meeting brought together five European institutions known for the high quality of their teaching and training in Animation.  Gerard Vallin, Co-director of Ecole Superieure D’Arts Graphiques Et D’Architecture Interieure in Paris praised Peter for his “exceptional ability to research and organize” the seminar.  Gerard and Peter developed such a close working rapport that they have gone on to organize a 25 Nation Exhibit, “European Way(s) of Life” at the Louvre in Paris in 2002.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Peter as an ambassador for the Arts University College at Bournemouth is Peter’s wife Astor.  Together they have pioneered an exchange program which has brought students from all over the world to study in Bournemouth.  Thanks to the ambassadorship of Peter and Astor, young animators from around the world have broadened their study and work experience through  the Leonardo Program, which  has funded student placement and exchange programs with several European animation companies.  Most recently Astor and Peter have negotiated successful collaborations with animation companies and educators in China.
The Peter Parr Appreciation Society page on Facebook was started by Peter’s students as a genuine heartfelt tribute to a beloved professor, and even more importantly, a dear friend.  When I posted a request on the page for comments about Peter, I received many responses, all echoing “a grand animation tutor and a mentor for generations of students”.   Matt Cruickshank (Bournemouth 1988 formerly with Warner Bros. and now head of Merchandising at Disney U.K.), summed up what so many former students expressed by saying “Peter gave me something that I will never forget, and that is integrity.”

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Priit and Olga Parn at the Nukafilm Party

There were two other films on the program that I had not seen before - In the Air by Martinus Daane Klemet and Oranus from the team of Mari-Liis Bassovskaja and Jelena Girlin who gave us the multi award winning The Dress in 2004.  Both are complex in typical Estonian fashion and need another viewing especially Oranus which has a very mixed media style.  Also on the program was Crocodile, Kasper Jancis’ brilliant tale of love found and lost and of course, a crocodile.  I had seen it the previous week at the Fredrikstad Animation Festival where it won the Grand Prix.

The screening was followed by a party at the EAST Creative Space in conjunction with their opening of Graphic Dreams, an exhibition of comics art.  Since Kasper had not been present in Fredrikstad to receive his Grand Prix award, I carried his Golden Gunnar to Tallinn.  Unfortunately the multi-talented Kasper missed the opening ceremony that night because he was performing with his band, so I finally got to present his statue to him during the party.

Nancy, Priit Tender and Tatia Rosenthal at the Opening Night Party

On Thursday the first two of the four competition programs screened. I had seen many of the films already, but there were some unique surprises.  One such was Lucia, which the jury awarded the Grand Prix.  Three young Chilean collaborators, Cristobal Leon, Niles Atallah, and Joaquin Cocina, used dirt, flowers, found objects, cardboard, and charcoal to carry us into Lucia’s memory as she recalls the summer when she fell in love with Luis.  Shot in stop-motion with a digital camera, this disturbing film blurs the lines between memory and reality.  You can view scenes and sets from the film at the trio’s on line exhibition space Diluvio Gallery at

Even though there were plenty of films to watch there was still time for parties every evening.  Thursday evening Film Estonia Animation Studio hosted a reception in the festival café with generous amounts of snacks and drink.

The highlight of the festival parties for me happened the next evening when Nukafilm hosted their cabbage soup and vodka evening at their fantastic studio.  I have wonderful memories of their party two years ago and once again they outdid themselves with long tables with large pots of aromatic cabbage soup, hearty slices of brown bread, platters of pork and beef, and of course many bottles of vodka.  Even better than the delicious food and drink was the chance to talk to old friends and get a firsthand look at the new projects at the renowned puppet animation studio.

I have long been a fan of Mati Kutt’s films so it was a special treat to have him take me on a tour of his very busy workroom where his latest project is in full swing.  The room was packed full of drawings and puppets constructed out of all sorts of things from clay figures to a dog fashioned out of a folding knife.From the looks of the detailed storyboard on the wall to the figures that Mati showed me it looks like his next film with be another hit.

Mati Kutt with his friend

The party was my only opportunity to talk with Olga and Priit Parn because they were off to Helsinki, Finland the next morning where Pritt was being honored with a retrospective of his work.  I hadn’t seen Rao Heidmets since KROK so this was my first chance to congratulate him on his Grand Prix win at the Ottawa International Animation Festival with his very funny Inherent Obligations.  Priit Tender told me about his latest project which is in development.  The jurors were at the party so it was a good chance to talk to my old friend Hardi Volmer who was one of the judges. The party was truly a memorable evening.

Puppets at Nukafilm

As if one good party was not enough for one night we all strolled to Old Town in true Estonian style to a party hosted by the Estonian Art Academy’s students.  The students acted as DJ’s, playing a wide array of music and held a special lottery with great prizes.  Of course there were snacks and plenty of vodka, beer and wine to add to the fun.

Tallinn is a beautiful city to explore on foot with winding cobblestone streets and storybook medieval houses.  As you wander around Old Town you will find the image of Juke the Dog cast in copper in the pavement in front of a house in Suur-Karja Street where Juke was “born.”  The Adventures of Juke the Dog was Estonia’s first experimental animated short.

Placque commemorating the first Estonian experimental animated short

All too soon it was the evening of the closing ceremony held in the festival home Cinema Soprus.  The festival awarded cash awards for the first time which added to the suspense and excitement of the ceremony.  The Grand Prix was given to Lucia created by Cristobel Leon, Niles Attallah, and Joaquin Cocina from Chile.  In addition to the Wooden Wolf Grand Prix award that is traditionally crafted by Nukafilm Studio, 1,000 Euros was awarded by A Film Studio Estonia.

The 500 Euro Estonian Academy of Art Award for best animated film was given to Red-End and the Seemingly Symbolic Society by Robin Noorda and Bethany De Forest from the Netherlands.  The jury cited the film for “outstanding visuals, excellent design, and the music.”

The closing party at the Cinema Sopra was called “Soprus in Memoriam.”  2009 was the last year that the festival will be held at the beautiful old movie palace because the owners are converting the building to other uses.  No one was quite sure what lay in store for the building, but its lovely atmosphere will be missed when the festival moves to its new home in a modern, multi screen theater.  Amid an abundance of snacks, vodka shots and dancing to an array of DJ’s the Cinema Sopra was bade a fitting farewell.

Just as it was the end of an era it was also a new beginning.  It was the first year for Margit Sade as festival director.  Although new to the job, Margit did a wonderful job paying great attention to detail.  She displayed a keen ability to program a festival with a rich and varied selection of films.  Behind her, but no less important, was her efficient staff who went out of their way to make their guests feel welcome.  Margit and her staff have their work cut out for them in 2010 to match this year’s success, but I am sure that they will rise to the challenge.  To learn more about Animated Dreams visit their web site    www.poff.ee/anim

Festival Director Margit Sade with the Grand Prix Wooden Wolf

Animated  Dreams 2009 Festival Awards:

Grand Prix – “Wooden Wolf and 1,000 Euros awarded by A Movie Studio Estonia

Lucia – Cristobal Leon, Niles Atallah, and Joaquin Cocina – Chili

“Fresh, outstanding and innovative approach to animation medium, which extends the boundries of animation a truly unique way.”

Mention

Mask – David Alapont, Luis Briceno – France

“Brilliant song, perfect execution, which undermines and enhances the classic animated film”

Mention

Please say something/say something please ­– David O’Reilly – Germany

“Multi-layered, cleverly staged entirely original portrait of lust and abuse “

Mention

Wings and Oars – Vladimir Leschiov – Latvia

“Simple and elegant design, with a surreal sense of humor  which poetically expresses memories of the past”

Best Design

Tibi – Michaal Socha – Poland

“Strange but intriguing intimate, elegantly designed for the mobile universe”

Best Story

Job ­– Santiago Grasso – Argentina

“Charming in its sharp humor and theatrically accurate detail which leaves no viewer indifferent”

Best Estonian Animation

Crocodile – Kaspar Jancis – Estonia

“Unique, funny and rich metaphorical description of love”

Estonian Art Academy Award for Best Animated Film and 500 Euro Award

Red-End and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society – Robin Noorda and Beth De Forest – The Netherlands

“Outstanding visuals,  excellent design and the amazing music”

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If you have never had a chance to meet or  see the amazing films of the Great Russian Animator Yuri Norstein do not miss this rare  opportunity.Yuri will appear in person on Feb 7 to present 3 works: Hedgehog in the Fog, Tale of Tales, and a segment of his work in progress, Nikolai Gogol’s Overcoat.  Tale of Tales has been recognized as the greatest animated film ever made.
The first two will be accompanied live by Gojogo - a Berkeley based world music quartet with guest artists who will perform a new original score for the animations. The entire duration of the screening will be about 1h20m. Doors 8pm, screening 8:30.

The show will be a benefit to raise funds for Yuri Norstein’s studio in Moscow.

The show is expected to sell out so advance tickets are advised.
Advance tickets and prices: Brown Paper Tickets

The Balboa Theater is located at:

3630 Balboa Street

San Francisco    94121

This site is a member of Animation blogspot, part of the Animation World Network

This site is a member of Animation blogspot, part of the Animation World Network

Only a few festivals stand out in my memory as a perfect combination of excellent animation programs, superb organization and top-notch hospitality.  Fredrikstad Animation Festival, November 11 through the 15th in Fredrikstad, Norway was such an event.  Of course, how could I not love a festival where the award is named The Golden Gunnar, after my good friend Gunnar Strom, Norwegian professor and animation historian.  The statue, a moveable golden armature sculpture of Gunnar, complete with his wild long hair, designed by renowned sculpture Pjotr Sapegin.
At the heart of the festival is the Nordic-Baltic competition comprised of three competition programs and a separate screening of the top student films.  Some of the films were very familiar to me such as Kaspar Janice’s wonderful Crocodile and Signe Baumane’s Birth, however I made many new discoveries.
The biggest surprise was Anita Killi’s Sinna Mann (Angry Man), based on a popular Norwegian children’s book of the same name by Gro Dahle and Svein Nyhus.  Killi’s disturbing film is about a boy who blames himself for the repeated acts of domestic violence that he witnesses.  The story is loosely based on a true incident in a Norwegian village, where several children wrote to the King asking for his help in dealing with the violence in their families. They assumed that tbe King could do anything. The King was extremely touched and invited the children to the royal palace so that he could explain to them that their father’s behavior was not because of anything that they did.
I was told that when the King saw Anita’s film he cried.  Obviously the jury and audiences were equally moved because the film was awarded as The Best Nordic-Baltic Short Film as well as receiving the Audience Award.  The jury stated that Angry Man is a “dark theme told in a naive but very wise way.  It is an important film for all ages that really gives a positive solution to a terrible problem.
An interesting departure from most festivals was the third competition program carried a warning “This program is not suitable for children”.   It certainly did contain some strong material.  The opening film, Ralph and Jimmy, by Swedish director Jacob Stalhammar dealt with pedophilia.  The competition went on to Dildoman, set inside an unusual strip joint and Watch Alice Bleed, an 11 minute stop motion music and theater show whose title tells it all.  I didn’t think that I would ever say that Signe Bauman’s Birth was one of the tamer films in a program, but in this case it was.  I commend the festival programmers for putting together a program that was challenging to watch and sure to offend some of the audience, but with films deserving to be screened.
In addition to the Nordic-Baltic films there was a presentation of International Short Films, a special Children’s Program and a screening of the five 2009 Cartoon d’ Or finalists. The winner for 2009 was David O’ Reilly’s Please Say Something.  He received the prestigious award a few weeks before at the Cartoon Forum in Stavanger, Norway.  Several feature films such as Mary & Max and Coraline were also screened.
The Festival abounded with guests and special moments.  The Opening Night ceremony started on a very touching note when revered Norwegian animator Inni Karine Melbye was awarded a Life Time Achievement Award for her many contributions to animation.  To add to the joy of this special evening, Inni was presented her award by her old friend and collaborator Michel Ocelot.  Michel flew in from France for the one night just to honor his colleague.  He kept his arrival a secret, even eating dinner in his room that evening so that no one would see him and spoil the surprise.  The next morning, he was on his way back to France.

Inna Karine Melbye with her Golden Gunnar

Gunnar Strom, Inni Karine Melbye and Michel Ocelot

A screening of the new Swedish animated thriller Metropia, introduced by director Tarik Saleh followed the award presentation.  Set in the near future in a Europe which is kept under control by a massive underground Metro system, the film features characters made with highly stylized and reworked photos, in muted tones of grey and black.  The film held my interest for the first few minutes but then the plot seemed to wander all over and the script writing became very weak.  Nik and I discussed the film later and neither of us could make much sense of it.  The party in the hotel Blue Sky Bar with its sweeping views of the city skyline definitely lifted spirits.
Ralph Eggleston, Academy Award winner (The Birds, 2002) and production designer at Pixar led off the daylong seminar for professionals entitled Style and Design in Animation.  Not only is Ralph a nice guy, he’s also a very entertaining speaker.  He filled his two hours with a mixture of technical talk and stories about his contributions to such legendary films as Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E and Up.  I was very pleased to hear him stress how important a strong background in drawing is for working in computer animation.  Ralph showed the importance of each step from the initial drawing of a character to the sculpting of it before it is finally rendered into the computer.

Ralph Eggleston

Meeting Philip Hunt, co-owner and creative director of London based Studio AKA, was a delightful surprise.  Philip also gave a two hour professional seminar covering some of his idiosyncratic work in commercials and short films including the multi-award winning short film Ah Pook is Here, an interpretation of recordings by the late William S.Burroughs.
In a separate program, Hunt talked about adapting and directing his latest project,  the children’s animated film Lost and Found.  It is based on Oliver Jeffers’ award winning children’s book of the same name.  I’ve watched this heartwarming story of a boy who finds a penguin on his door step several times with friends of all ages and they have all been as touched by it as I am.  It is definitely a film for children of all ages. Lost and Found won the TV special award at Annecy 2009.

Lost and Found

The third participant in the daylong event was Tarik Saleh, designer and director of Metropia.  I couldn’t attend the presentation but I did talk to a fellow festival guest who did.  He said that the talk didn’t make him like the film any better, but he did gain an appreciation of the film’s design process and the new techniques that the film makers invented.
Renowned Russian animator Ivan Maximov presented a retrospective of his work.  It was a rare treat to see the body of Ivan’s work on the big screen.  Nik created the music for Ivan’s latest film, The Additional Capabilities of the Snout, and he played along with the film on his clarinet when it was shown.  Nik and I also presented a program of historical animation with emphasis on the musical scores.   We were extremely honored to be introduced to the audience by our old friend Gunnar Strom.

Nik, Gunnar Strom and Ivan Maximov

An animation workshop was set up in the theatre lobby by E6 Ostfold Media Workshop, part of the Fredrikstad Cultural School, to give festival attendees a chance to explore simple hands-on animation techniques for themselves.  The Media Workshop also premiered Animation Composition, a collaborative program that brought together the talents of The Norwegian Wind Ensemble, five local composers, and young students from throughout Norway.   Under the tutelage of professional animators, the students made animated music videos which were screened with live accompaniment by the ensemble.  Although not all of the pairings of animator and composer worked well together, it was an impressive undertaking, as this was a first-time project.
Live music and images were again put center stage with a special performance by audio visual artists Noriko Okaku and Max Hattler.  Using repetitive sequences of animated figures and objects, ranging from simple designs to more complex structures the duo worked seamlessly together to create a live audio visual experience projected onto three screens.  The work “/\/\/\”, commissioned by and premiered at the festival, was an amazing experience.  As I watched the images flow across the trio of screens and listened to the interesting soundtrack especially commissioned for the piece, I became part of the experience.  I talked to several festival goers who had the same experience.  I urge any of you who have the opportunity to see Noriko and Max not to miss the experience.  Visit www.maxhattler.com/live to find out more about the duo’s work.

Noriko Okaku and Max Hattler performing /\/\/\

The festival café, conveniently located across the street from the festival theatre featured a special exhibition of works from Inni Karine Melbye’s 1983 feature film of The Journey to the Planet Nazar.  In the evenings there was a special festival bar which was the place for everyone to congregate.  Nik and our good friend Ivan Maximov gave a few impromptu guitar and clarinet concerts in the there.

Nik and Ivan Maximov playing in the bar

The Festival “Caravanima”, the world’s smallest cinema, was parked outside the theatre.  A 1977 vintage caravan was fitted out as a mini cinema on wheels and anyone could pop inside to watch a selection of short animated films.  Caravanima is especially designed for use with children and adolescents, and also makes appearances at music festivals and other large events in Norway to bring animation to an even wider audience.
The week seemed to fly by, and all too soon closing night arrived.  The Awards Ceremony was held in a large gaily decorated room with long tables rather than traditional theatre seating giving the presentation a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Festival director Trond Ola Mevassvik and coordinator Magnus Eide at the Caravanima

The festivities opened with all of the guests being introduced on stage, where we were each presented a bouquet of flowers and a DVD of Norwegian film and animation. (Luckily for us, all the proceedings were conducted in impeccable English by the two presenters.) This was followed by a screening of Inni Karine Melbye’s The Journey to the Planet Nazar.
The jury, composed of Swedish animator Jessica Lauren, Antti Laakso, winner of the Festival’s Best Nordic-Baltic Student Film of 2008, and audio-visual artist Max Hattler, came to the stage to present the awards.  Estonian Kaspar Janice’s Crocodile, a touching, humorous film about love, pain, and loss, won the Golden Gunnar Grand Prix.  This win automatically makes Crocodile a nominee for the 2010 Cartoon d’Or since the Fredrikstad Animation Festival is one of the nine European festivals which nominate a film.
A very radiant Anita Killi took home the Best Nordic-Baltic Award for her poignant film Angry Man.  She also was honored with the Audience Award.  A complete list of winners and the jury’s statements are at the end of the article.
The ceremony concluded with a performance by Ultra Sheriff.  When I read their description in the program as “hard electronic with robot voices, grand choruses, and a sci-fi ‘80’s cartoon style” I was prepared to really dislike them, so  I was in for a very pleasant surprise when the trio took to the stage with a combination of live music and animated backdrops presented with a dash of humor.  They put on a high energy, entertaining stage show and the animations were spot on.  They also had the good sense to keep their set short (about 20 minutes) and left the audience wanting more.The tables and chairs were pushed back for dancing and everyone got into the party spirit.

A very radiant Anita Killi

Festival Director Trond Ola Mevassvik and Magnus Eide, Festival Co-director were perfect hosts, going way out of their way to make sure that their guests were well taken care of.  The festival was well organized with high quality screening rooms,  and most important of all the programming for the entire week was strong and varied.  The Festival theatre was conveniently located just a few doors from our hotel, which was especially nice when it snowed.  All of the guests stayed in the same hotel, which meant that we ate meals together.  This gave us the opportunity to get to meet and talk informally over food and drink.  Almost every night there were after parties in one hotel room or another.  Conversation, drinking and many people crammed into one room went on far into the night.
This was my first trip to Norway - I have always wanted to go there and I was pleased to find that my instincts were indeed correct.  Fredrikstad is a beautiful city located at the convergence of two rivers at the edge of the North Sea.   I took every opportunity that I could to explore the city, full of very friendly people, on foot.  Trond Ola and Magnus arranged for the guests to visit the Old Town across the river from modern Fredrikstad.  We explored the fascinating ancient city with Morten Marius who was born and raised in Old Town and works at Netron Graphic Design and animation  located in an old building there.  Morton was an excellent guide, giving us a mired of details about the walled city.   Kongsten Fort was constructed in 1663 as a military enclave which could easily be defended against Swedish invaders.  The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with picturesque 17th Century buildings, many of which are home to artists and craftsmen who live and work within the city’s walls.  Old Town is the best preserved fortress town in Scandinavia and although the 330 permanent residents are invaded every summer by thousands of tourists, the town has managed to avoid becoming one large tourist trap as so often happens to many “historic old cities”.  After a short ferry ride back across the river and a leisurely stroll through Fredrikstad we were back at the festival and ready to see more animation.

Foreign Guests in Old Town

I urge anyone who is invited to the Fredrikstad Animation Festival to attend.  Not only did I have the opportunity to watch many Scandinavian films that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise,  I also got to eat all of the pickled herring and beets for breakfast that I wanted and meet many warm, wonderful people.
On Monday Nik headed back to Belgium to go back to work on music and I went on to Tallinn, Estonia for the Black Nights Animation Festival.  Since Kasper Janice was not in Fredrikstad to receive his Grand Prix award for the wonderful Crocodile I had the honor of carrying it to Tallinn to present it to him at Black Nights.  More about my adventures in Estonia next.
To learn more about the Fredrikstad Animation Festival visit their web site:   www.animationfestival.no
AWARD WINERS:
Best Nordic-Baltic Student Film - Space Monkeys by Jan Rahbek, Denmark
Jury Justification:  “Action filled, full of humor and a warm finish.  A very impressive student film.”
Best Nordic-Baltic Comissioned Film – Jenkki Professional Tooth by Jalmari Helander, Finland
Jury Justification”  “A funny and sympathetic film about taking care of his teeth as if they were your pets.  For an original idea and good implementation.”
Best Nordic-Baltic Short Film – Angry Man by Anita Killi, Norway
Jury Justification:  “A dark theme told in a naive, but very wise way.  An important film for all ages that gives us a solution”.
Special Mention – Birth by Signe Baumane, Latvia
Jury Justification:  “Talks about anxiety about birth and motherhood illustrated with clever use of animation.”
Special Mention – Consoul by Lasse Gjeertsen, Norway
Jury Justification: “Consoul uses restrictions and conventions from an 8-bit computer game to reflect on the limitations and conventions of everyday life.  A thoroughly enjoyable and pointed film, which gives a new meaning to many lives and other dimensions.”
Golden Gunnar Grand Prix – Crocodile by Kaspar Janice, Estonia
Jury Justification:  “A funny film about loss and pain with a reptilian theme.  The innovative animation takes everyday life to a higher level”.
Audience Award – Angry Man by Anita Killi, Norway
Innovations Award – Fanthomas by Qvisten Animation, Norway for the Website Fanthomas
Jury Justification: “A new Norwegian animated series which has inspired the Board of the Norwegian Animation Forum to hand out an award for innovation in animation.”
Life Time Achievement Award – Inni Karine Melbye, Norway
Given by the Board of Norwegian Animation Forum – “As a modern Niels Klim you have explored Nazare worlds.  You have been essential in bringing International Animation to the Nordic countries and Nordic Animation to the world.  And your art and movies have entertained us for decades.  Thank you.”

This site is a member of Animation blogspot, part of the Animation World Network

This site is a member of Animation blogspot, part of the Animation World Network

So as I wander into the final week of my penultimate term at Animation Mentor I thought this would be a good moment for a blog entry. I’m currently on the train on my way to work typing this on my phone though so I will do my best to quality control my mistypings and bizarre predictive text choices! Trains are brilliant places to observe people, there are certainly a few poses and character traits that I’m going to save for a future shot! Although right now there appears to be mainly varations on sleeping. The evening rush hour is great too, pleanty of variations of walks and runs! These are definitely my new favourite source of inspiration. I’ve also recently started accumulating footage for my own video reference library and I’ve discovered a brilliant source is the news as you get (most of the time) 100% natural moments from people.

As I had anticipated (and pleanty of people warned me!) working as a full time animator and Animation Mentor student at the same time has proved tough, although so far it’s been doable. I’m not feeling burned out by constantly animating either, in fact I feel even more enthusiastic about it, everything feels more real now that I can say I’m working as an animator! I think it may also help that the animation I do at work is a different style to that of AM so I get some variation. Hopefully soonish I’ll be able to upload some clips of what I’ve been working on for the last few months.

Our Christmastime AM gathering in London was last weekend which was good fun as always. We saw James Cameron’s “Avatar”. This was the first live action 3D film I’d seen with the current 3D technology and personally, although I found the visuals absolutely stunning, I was left unimpressed (and mildly headachey!) by the 3D.

In other news, the other week I was lucky enough to see a blogger’s preview of Disney’s new film “The Princess & The Frog” at Disney HQ in London. Most of the world will be able to see this over Christmas but we don’t get it over here in the UK until February, so it was a real privilege! Everybody in the audience absolutely loved it, it was so good to have Disney back doing 2D again and of course it was fun to see my Class 4 mentor T.Dan Hofstedt in the credits. The film really proved what a mistake it was to shut down 2D animation. The story, songs and characters were all first class, it brought back such fond memories of being a little boy, seeing films like Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast in the cinema. It felt like they had infused the film with the spirit of everyone’s favourite Disney moments but created something completely new, I hope it does well.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to a little bit of rest from animating for the next week and a bit and then I’m back at Animation Mentor for my final term as well as Impossible TV to start on a new series. I suppose I had better get off the train now as my station’s coming up!
Happy New Year!
Simon

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It’s the time of year when we are all searching for the perfect gift to give and for me this means books, CD’s or DVD’s. The book that tops my list this year is British animation: The Channel 4 factor by Clare Kitson.  For anyone who loves animation the book is a rich treasure with an in-depth look at 30 classic British films and the animators who created them. Clare
brings to life the back story of the creation of some of my favorite animated friends such as Joanna Quinn’s wacky Beryl and Dolly Pond of Pond Life.
From the production of The Snowman, which marked the dawn of Channel 4’s innovative move to funding animation for television in 1982 to Suzie Templeton’s Academy Award winning Peter and the Wolf, Clare is the insider who was a big part of it all.  For a decade, from 1989 to 1999, she commissioned Channel 4’s animation, championing young animators and vigorously fighting to give short animation a high profile spot on the station.
For anyone interested in the inner workings and politics of arts programming for media this book is a must read.  We all know that arts and commerce always seem to be at war, but it’s very insightful to be taken into the war room by someone who fought on the front lines.  Clare was not only a fighter but an innovator as well, creating such programs as Four-mations.  The series was a showcase for young British animators as well as a vehicle to bring the work of international animation legends into the living room.  Kitson even managed to occasionally get these programs aired during prime time.
Clare Kitson’s struggle to bring quality adult oriented animation to the public is a true labor of love and who better to tell her story than Clare herself. I found this book to be as exciting and engaging as any page turner and I am still enjoying leafing through the book to look at the 300 illustrations and pictures, many in color.  Not to be overlooked is a lovely forward by Peter Lord.
For those in the UK and Europe you can purchase the book from:
http://parliamenthillpublishing.co.uk      17.99 pounds + postage and packing fee.
In the United States it is available through Indiana University Press:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/cat     $29.95

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ASIFA guests in our festival bus

After lunch there were more talks. The program ended with three presentations from ASIFA Board Members.  Heikki Jokinen from Finland talked about Scandinavian animation, illustrating his remarks with clips from several beautiful films.  I wish that we had time to see the films in their entirety but the 30 minute time limit per presentation made this impossible.
Ed Desroches of ASIFA Colorado presented early American animation and Brett Thompson screened excerpts from classics including  Little Nemo, Gertie the Dinosaur, and one of my personal favorites, Felix Woos Whoopee.  I would have liked to see all of Brett’s excellent films, but we were scheduled to attend a banquet hosted by the Mayor of Xiamen at the hotel that evening . Unfortunately the Mayor arrived almost two hours early so Brett’s presentation was cut short and we were all rushed back to the hotel.  I guess that not keeping the Mayor waiting was more important than animation.

ASIFA Atlanta President Brett Thompson and ASIFA International Executive Director Bill Dennis

The next day a small group of us were taken to Gulangyn Island.  This beautiful island was home to Westerners during Xiamen’s colonial past and has beautiful architecture in a world wide array of styles.  Streets in China are packed with automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians so the vehicle free island is a refreshing change and a perfect place to stroll through narrow streets and lush, tropical vegetation. The island is also home to China’s only piano museum. We were taken to a government owned tea shop where a young lady brewed and poured several varieties of tea for us.  Unfortunately our visit had to be cut short so that we could be back at the hotel in time for four of us to go to rehearsal for the Cyber Sousa Award Ceremony that evening.  We ended our visit to the island with a wonderfully bumpy, fast speed boat ride back to the mainland.

Heikki Jokinin ASIFA Finland inspecting tea on Gulongyn Island

Tea server at the government Tea House on Gulongyn Island

Heikki, Brett, Hannah (Brett’s girlfriend) and I were requested to accept the awards for Best Foreign Animation.  In my article about the 2008 festival I complained that these awards were accepted by young Chinese who acted as if they had won the awards.  When we were told that we would appear on stage I assumed that it would be announced that we were accepting the awards on behalf of the absent animators.  At the rehearsal it became apparent that this was not the case.  We were told that when the trophy and diploma were presented to us we should smile gleefully, wave at the audience and look very proud.
I was very upset and embarrassed to be asked to accept an award where I was clearly portrayed as the animator.  I would have no problem if it was announced that I was accepting the award on behalf of the actual winner, but I was told that they wanted European faces to accept the awards so that no one would know that the animators were not there in person.  This is highly unethical!
Prior to the ceremony I raised my objections.  I was assured that it would be stated that we were accepting for the actual creator.  The ceremony was in Chinese with no English translation and our interpreters were not allowed to attend the ceremony with us, but I was sitting next to a lady from the French Film Commission who spoke fluent Chinese.  She confirmed my suspicions that nothing was announced except the title of the film, the winners name and country.  It was even more embarrassing to have members of the audience come up to congratulate me on my award.
It seemed very strange that the jury was not introduced at the awards ceremony, nor was there a catalog so that we could see what films were considered, which awards were being given and who was on the selection committee and jury.  I did hear from one of the jury members that they didn’t receive a list of film titles in English and that the government organizers interfered in the evaluation of the films and even banned some films from consideration for an award. I also heard that the jury had selected three films in each category to receive awards but at the ceremony four awards were given in each category.  The juror I spoke to had no idea where this forth film came from or what it was.
The entire awards ceremony was televised complete with a 1950’s I Love Lucy type laugh track.  Unfortunately the person operating the applause track didn’t always come in on cue, which made for some very funny effects.  Following the awards, an overproduced, untelevised theatrical piece which had nothing to do with animation was presented.  I would have much rather seen some of the award winning films.
Earlier that day a tour of Xiamen Software Park was offered. I was looking forward to getting a glimpse at what the 4,000 animators were doing in all of those buildings.  Unfortunately I was told that I had to go to the rehearsal for the awards ceremony at the same time the tour was scheduled.  In reality I wasted a lot of time sitting in an auditorium and waiting while lots of people with clipboards ran around shouting at the top of their lungs.  I finally walked on stage for 2 minutes and stood on an X on the floor and then walked off.  That was the extent of our rehearsal.
The next day I was not scheduled to fly home until early evening.  I mentioned to my translator Janet that I had not seen any animation and was very sorry to have missed the Software Park tour.  It just so happened that her mother, Tan Yiwen, is the manager of Xiamen Software Park and so with a couple of phone calls the screening room was put at my disposal.  The screening room is definitely high state of the art rivaling anything I have experienced at Skywalker Ranch or Dolby Laboratory.  The sound system was superb with the volume and balance adjusted to the perfect level.  The butter soft leather seats were very comfy and each chair was separated by an individual table which gave the feeling of being in a living room and not a theatre.
I’m sorry to sat the majority of the work I viewed was not as impressive as  the screening room.  Most of what I was shown was snub-nosed, big eyed kids and animal characters or Ninja like warriors.  One piece of work did stand out above all the rest.  Heart Hugs, created by Space Mouse Animation Company in Guangdong Province, was designed to help children who had suffered from the devastating effects of the August 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province.  I was told that several animations had been made especially to assist children who had lost family members in the disaster to regain confidence and a healthy mental outlook on life.  Even though I couldn’t understand the words I could feel the warmth and compassion that poured out from the little characters on the screen.  I visited the Space Mouse web site, www.spacemouse.com.cn, but unfortunately there was no English translation available.
I want to emphasize that the very major problems with the festival were not due to former festival directors Anni Lang or John Chill Lee of Asifa China, who organized the 2008 festival.  They were placed in a most embarrassing and untenable position of having to act as go betweens for the foreign guests and the government officials who had taken control of the  Festival out of their hands.  They deserve great thanks for their hospitality and efforts to keep a bad situation from getting any worse.
I cannot say enough nice things about my translator, Janet, who did everything possible to make my visit a pleasant experience.  She answered all of my questions and if she didn’t have immediate answers for me she took the time to find out the information for me.
I got the distinct impression that the guests were only invited to be used by the government to prove that the festival was “important” by showing that it could attract so many foreigners.  There was no way that this event could be called an animation festival.  Some of the Forum presentations were on interesting subjects, but it is hard to cover any topic in any depth in 30 minutes.  Most of the talks from the Chinese presenters dealt with technical and business aspects of running an animation business.  My overall impression was that the festival was created solely to attract partners for the Xiamen Software Park Company and it was never meant to be about animation.
If you see an announcement to submit your film for the 2010 “festival” I recommend that you check very carefully to see if conditions have changed, who the pre-selection jury is, and where and to whom your film will screened.

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KROK sign on the ship

For a growing number of animators all over the world, TO KROK is a very special verb.  Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to sail on the KROK boat has many lovely memories and a host of new friends.  The 20^th Anniversary edition of the KROK International Animation Festival took place from September 28^th to October 7, when 200 animators from around the world boarded the Dnieper Star to share this unique experience.  KROK, a joint Ukrainian/Russian festival, took place this year in the Ukraine sailing down the Dnieper River and across the Black Sea from Kiev to Odessa.

Edward Nazarov and Vanessa piloting the ship

Over the last 10 years that Nik and I have been part of the KROK family I have had the opportunity to see films from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, to name but three countries whose films are not readily available at European festivals, much less in the United States.   This year one of my favorite films was Little Bird ABC by South African director Diek Grobler and animator Charlles Badenhorst.  The film won the Best Children’s Film award, and its clever scenes that explain the ABCs with different sounds made by little birds in a fun and playfully wicked way is also entertaining for an adult audience.  The letter B for instance is illustrated by a bird drinking beer and burping, F is the farting bird.

I have known Georgij Lyahovetskij for ten years and I have watched him grow from a shy boy into a young man of considerable talent as a painter. He has had gallery showings in New York City, Moscow, and London.  I can best describe his work as naive art full of joy and optimism with an offbeat sense of color and composition.  His paintings show a child like openness with a true, sincere perspective of the world.  In the film Gosha’s Tales, Russian director Dmitriy Naumov manages to bring Gosha’s (the Russian familiar name for Georgij) vivid paintings to life on the screen.  I hope that this charming film will be shown at festivals around the world so that more people will be able to discover Gosha’s special world.

2009 has been a weak year for short film.  There have been many good films but nothing that has really stood out as exceptional.  The selection committee did an excellent job of putting together programs that were of the highest quality given what they had to work with.  I have already written in other articles about many of the films that were shown such as Canadian animator Cordell Baker’s Runaway and Western Spaghetti by the very talented PES.  I am very fond of Russian animator Ivan Maximov’s The Additional Capabilities of the Snout (for which Nik did the music ) which is very surreal.  Muto which is comprised of animations of Argentinean animator Blu’s graffiti style paintings on public walls has won major awards at many major festivals this year including a Special Jury Prize for Best Animation at KROK.

Among the films new to me in the 9 competition programs was The Swimming Lesson by Danny de Vent who lives in Gent, Belgium.  It was awarded a special jury prize for the Best First Professional Film.  Danny’s film about a 4 year old boy’s first swimming lesson not only brings back memories of childhood fears we have all had to face but also reminds me that no matter how old we are we will always have fears of the unknown.

2009 is the 20^th Anniversary of KROK which first saw the light of day when the Ukraine was still part of the old USSR in 1989, the year that the former USSR broke apart.  Animators took to the water in an atmosphere of friendship and harmony which knew no state frontiers or boundaries only to return to the Soviet shores to find their world turned upside down.  In 1997  Daniel Grimes’ Flatworld (UK) became the first foreign film  to win the Grand Prix.  As part of the celebration of the 20 year milestone two programs of KROK Grand Prix winning films were screened.

Members of the International Jury, French born Monique Renault who lives in The Netherlands, Russian animator Violetta  Kolesnikova, Joan Gratz from Portland, Orgeon, and Jean Rubak of France presented retrospectives of their work.  The fifth member of the jury was Ukrainian film critic Sergey Trymback.  A panorama of animation from Ukranimafilm Studio was shown to celebrate the renowned studio’s 50^th anniversary.  Ukranimafilm is the oldest animation studio in Eastern Europe and has produced over 400 animated films since its founding.  Unfortunately Ukranimafilms has ceased production but such classics as revered Ukrainian KROK President David Cherkassky’s Captain Vrungel’s Adventures live on.

Jurors Monique Renault and Jean Rubak in a quiet discussion

Master Classes were offered on board the ship by internationally acclaimed names in animation.  Ukrainian animator and director Igor Kovalyov is best known for his short film Hen, His Wife and the TV series The Rugrats. Kovalyov was also co-founder of Moscow’s legendary Pilot Studio with Alexander Tartarsky.  Igor now lives and Works in Los Angeles.

Edward Nazarov, Russian President of KROK also gave a very impressive presentation.  Another highlight of the sessions for me was Alexander Petrov’s demonstration of his technique of painting on glass.

Once again this year, the morning press conference was turned into coffee with the directors.  I always find it fascinating to hear animators talk about their work.  Although it seldom changes my opinion of a film it is interesting to have insights into what motivated a director with his story and style choices.  Some mornings it was very hard to get up for the early morning press conferences that were very ably moderated by Russian Film Critic Larisa Malyukova, but the coffee and tea seem to have done their job and the audience of journalists and animators asked some good, insightful questions.

Special excursions were planned by the staff to give guests an opportunity to experience some of the great cultural and historic wonders of the country.  Nik and I have been on the tours many times so we spent this free time exploring on our own, but one tour that we would never miss is to the ancient Chersonesos (Kherson) Rybalsky Island tucked away in the Chersonesos reed beds.  We were taken in a small boat through the channels among groups of small islands, primarily inhabited by fishermen.  When we docked we were greeted by local bubas (grandmothers) who had cooked for us a traditional meal using fresh produce from their gardens.  The food on the ship was much better than what we had been served in the past few years, but it was a great treat to eat fresh tomatoes and eggplant and of course my very favorite, homemade pelmeni (small, filled dumplings).    The very powerful alcohol that was in plentiful supply was also homemade.  It’s always a very happy boat ride back to ship but I always feel sorry for the film makers whose works appear in the screening that evening.

Nik and Nancy going to Fisherman’s Island

KROK may mean step in Ukrainian but to me it means FUN!  If days were full of animation and excursions, night was for music and dancing. RE-ANIMATION evenings, where we all sing, dance, play music and just plain engaged in silly behavior were great fun.

The boys in the band

One evening was a tribute to KROK’s 20^th Anniversary and especially to honor, with humor and love, the amazing work that Irina Kaplichnaya and her staff have done to keep KROK afloat.  There was birthday cake for all and gifts for Irina including  a portrait of her painted by Alexander Petrov.  After the evening’s performances, beautiful paper lanterns were sent aloft from the top deck.  The lovely lanterns gently drifting in the warm full moon night were a breath taking sight.

Lanterns being launched from top deck

Festival director Irina Kaplichnaya with the two Westies

RE-ANIMATION nights are the warm-up for the great event – CAR-NI-VAL!  Several days before the actual event groups of people cluster in deep conference.  This year our group was very lucky to score master story teller Dennis Tupicoff as our script writer and of course Nik was our musical director, putting together a great band for our performance.  Our International group sang the lyrics Dennis penned “20 Years of KROK and What Do You Get -  A Little Bit Drunker and Deeper In Debt. . .” to the tune of the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song 16 Tons.  Filomena Adler acted as our bar maid, serving vodka shots to us on stage as we sang.  Our efforts won us a coveted prize of lovely straw hats for each person and a large bottle of vodka, which our thirsty group made quick work of.

Whenever the ship sailed at night Master DJ Ivan Maximov provided music for dancing on the top deck until sunrise.  In port we moved into the bar to dance the night away.  It is a lovely experience to watch the sun rise over the river.  Mikhail Tumelya, Belarus animator and balalaika aficionado, Alex Budowsky from the US on harmonium, Russian Alexey Alekseev and his guitar and Nik on Sax have played together on the KROK boat for years as “The River Side Ramblers”.  The play everything from Russian and Ukrainian folk songs to O Susanna and Beatles tunes on the top deck at night while everyone sings and drinks.  They also performed at RE-ANIMATION, in fact, you could run into them making music all over the ship.

Nik and Alexei playing

Late night on the top deck

Late night refreshments

The closing night award ceremony was held in Sebastopol at a beautiful modern multiplex.  The evening began with a documentary film made on board ship by Igor Kozijanthuk.  Somehow Igor managed to be everywhere on the boat all at once and his camera didn’t miss a thing, capturing at least one portrait of everyone on board.  The film was a beautifully edited visual memory of our trip.  The KROK ship also had a group of very young animators.  While we spent our time watching film they were busy creating their own masterpiece which they shared with us at the closing ceremony.

Next came the event everyone was waiting for, the announcement of the award winning films.  The festival Grand Prix along with a cash award of $5,000.00 went to Estonian director Riho Unt for Lili.  His puppet film, made at the renouned Nukufilm Studio, is the story of a group of hungry rats on a WW II battlefield trying to answer the question “Who is Lili Marleen?”  The choice turned out to be quite controversial and for the first time that I can remember at KROK the jury gave a special press conference the next day to explain their choice.  Personally, I feel that if a jury wants to make a statement on stage when they give the award that is fine but they should not have to justify their decision after the fact.  It is one group of people’s decision and that is that.

Nukufilm Studio picked up another honor when Rao Heidmets was awarded the Special Alexander Tatarsky prize “The Plasticine Cow and $3,000 for the film that most embodies the spirit and love of humor of Tatarsky.    Riho won the Grand Prix at the first KROK festival in 1989.  He said on stage he was very honored to have been awarded the first KROK Grand Prix but that winning The Tartarsky Award was the victory that he really wanted.  His film Inherent Obligations is really hilarious and won the Grand Prize for Best Short Film at Ottawa this year.

The 2009 KROK ship sailed three days less than in previous years but given the world economic situation and the political tensions between the Ukraine and Russia it is amazing that Irina Kaplichnaya and her wonderful, hard working staff were able to make the festival happen at all.  Irina said that “politics is threatening KROK”.  It would be a tragedy if bureaucrats and politicians were allowed to destroy what is one of the greatest cultural exchanges in the world.

All too soon the boat landed in Odessa and it was time for very fond, sad farewells.  If you have never been to KROK there is really no way to express the experience in words.  KROK really will change your life.  You leave the boat with a very special group of friends and no matter where you travel you will find a KROK compatriot ready to share drinks and beautiful memories.  LONG LIVE KROK!

KROK 2009 INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

Prize for Films up to 5 Minutes:

Variety – director Roelof Van Den Bergh, The Netherlands

Diplomas in the Category to:

Western Spaghetti – director PES, USA, for his original approach to cooking

Chick – director Mychal Socha, Poland, for graphic design

Santa:  The Fascist Years – director Bill Plympton, USA, for black humor

Cat-Man-Do – director Simon Toefield, Great Britian, for “My Mommy”

Prize for Films of 5 to 10 Minutes:

A Trip To The Seaside – director Nina Bisyarina, Russia

Diploma in the Category to:

7 More Minutes – director Izabel Plucinska, Germany, for the clay animation

Prize for Films 10 to 50 Minutes:

Silly – director Ekaterina Sokolova, Russia

Diplomas in this category to:

Candido – director Zepe, Portugal, for the classic animation style

Skhizein – director Jeremy Clapin, France, for the concept

Ochumelov – director Alexey Dyomin, Russia, for the literary adaptation

Prize for the Best Film For Children:

Little Bird ABC – director Diek Grobler, South Africa

Prize for the Best Applied and Commissioned Animation:

Log Jam – director Alexey Alekseev, Russia/Hungary

Diplomas in this category to:

All The Year Round.  Autumn Northeaster – director Veronica Fyodorova, Russia, for cut-out animation

Vladimir Rules – director Adrian Sakhaltuev, for political satire

How To Destroy The World –director Pete Bishop, Great Britain, for the environmental message

Special Jury Prize for Best Animation:

Muto­ – director Blu, Argentina

Special Jury Prize for Best First Professional Film and $3,000.00:

The Swimming Lesson – director Danny de Vent, Flemish Belgium

Special Jury Prize for Best Children’s Film and $3,000.00:

Pudya – director Sonya Kravtsova, Russia

Special Alexander Tatarsky Prize of The Plasticine Cow and $3,000.00:

Inherent Obligations – director Rao Heidmets, Estonia

The Gran Prix and $5,000.00:

Lili­ – director Riho Unt, Estonia

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