Offering something for all ages, the annual festival brings South Africans the chance to catch some of the world’s best animated films as well as an exciting range of masterclasses and workshops with global industry leaders, providing a rare opportunity to engage with them.
The CTIAF has become a significant fixture on the international festival calendar and provides a platform and marketplace for the fast-growing African animation industry. This year it received 221 entries for submissions from 40 countries. The festival also hosts business-to-business (B2B) sessions, producer events, networking opportunities and government panel discussions in addition to student competitions, an outreach programme and outdoor screenings.
The CTIAF is made possible thanks to generous support from sponsors the National Film and Video Foundation; Wesgro; Animation SA and the French Institute of South Africa. CTIAF has also partnered with Nickelodeon, South African Airways and Draw for Life.
Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz
Attendees won’t want to miss the inspiring Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz, who is living proof that wishes can come true at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio. While working as a post-production supervisor on Dora The Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, Esnaashari-Charmatz dreamed of making her own preschool series. Inspired by her Iranian-American upbringing, she wanted the series to have strong female heroes set against a vibrant multi-cultural fantasy world. And so her series Shimmer and Shine was born. The series has since become one of Nickelodeon's top-rated preschool series. In each episode, the twin genie sisters are faced with obstacles that they have to work together to overcome.
Shimmer and Shine
As a mother of two young kids, Farnaz sees the importance of empowering children with an understanding of resilience. Through the series, kids see that even though the outcome may not be exactly what they wished for, there is always a way to figure things out!
An exciting feature of the industry events will be a talk by producer Ivan Rouveure from Les Armateurs whose work includes Oscar nominated film The Secret of Kells, the TV series T'choupi à l'école and Kirikou et les Hommes et les Femmes which was nominated for a French César award.
Another incredible opportunity will be the talk by Veronique Encrenaz, to hear how to make your pitch and projects stand out from the crowd. With nearly thirty years’ experience in the industry, Encrenaz is project manager at MIFA (Marché International du Film d’Animation), which is associated with the Annecy Animation Film Festival, one of the the largest animation-focused markets and festivals in the world.
“We are also delighted to announce that Nat Abraham and Craig McGillivray, the President and Vice President of distribution, from the Canada-based Breakthrough Entertainment Inc are joining us. They are an award winning producer and distributor of premium content for worldwide audiences,” says festival director Dianne Makings.
This year, in collaboration with Design Indaba, the CTIAF will be presenting the African premiere of Revolting Rhymes, an adaptation of a Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake classic, which premiered to critical acclaim on BBC One at Christmas, produced by Magic Light Pictures and animated by Triggerfish Animation Studios. Coinciding with the one hundredth anniversary of Dahl’s birth, the two films combine the classic fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella, serving them with a mischievous twist.
There will be a screening of My Life as a Courgette which recently was announced as an Academy Award Nomination for Best Animated Feature Film and won in the same category at the European Film Awards, as well as Crystal and Public Awards at the Annecy International Film Festival and was Switzerland’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. This stop-motion feature film is adapted from Gilles Paris’ book about children and the strength of resilience amongst a group of friends, advocating empathy, comradery, sharing and tolerance.
“We are celebrating the depth of our internationally recognised South African talent while presenting the opportunity for industry players to gain access to global icons in the field,” says Makings. “We aim to promote and be a gateway for the African industry while connecting animation creators from around the world.”
Other industry events include Vanessa Sinden from Story Lab who will host a workshop on 'How to prepare and present your pitch bible'; panel discussions on skills building initiatives and transformation in the industry, and talks about funding and the results of the recent animation survey.
The mouthwatering line up also includes storyboarder and visual development artist Marc Moynihan, who has worked with the likes of Aardman Animation and Simon’s Cat; Mike Buckland, head of Production at Triggerfish Animation Studios; Autodesk applications engineer Dane Chapman, who helps clients build 3D environments and creative director and production designer Ree Treweek.
“Nick Hall, Glenn Gillis and Pippa Tshabalala are just two of the keynote speakers to address the gaming sector,” says Makings. “A new addition this year is an exhibition space where animators can get feedback on their portfolios from industry experts. Other films include the best of the Annecy Festival. Tickets to workshops and screenings sell out quickly so I advise people to book early and check their venue ahead of time.”
The CTIAF’s creative partner this year is Tulips and Chimneys, who designed the 2017 branding. They work across books, film, character design, concept development, illustration, animation direction and production design and will soon be re-releasing their acclaimed fantasy book, The Tale of How.
The schools’ student competition has been extended to include high schools this year, with Nickelodeon once again sponsoring the phenomenal opportunity for one student to do an internship at Nickelodeon in the USA.
The Outreach programme has also grown and will be hosted at the Isivivana centre in Khayelitsha. There will be movies in the morning, drawing classes with Draw for Life, and various workshops to teach the fundamentals of animation.
“We are delighted to be involved with the Festival for the sixth year,” says Frédéric Chambon, head of Film and Media, French Embassy/Institute of South Africa. “The French and South African animation industries have a long history of collaboration and the Festival has over the years provided many fruitful opportunities for growth and collaboration in the sector.”
“The animation industry is rapidly growing and it has the potential to be one of our biggest creative export products,” says Monica Rorvik, head of Film and Media Promotion at Wesgro, the official Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. “Our animators are among some of the best in the world and Wesgro strongly supports opportunities such as the festival that create platforms for them to connect and to thrive.”
“We have been a long-time partner of the Cape Town International Animation Festival as part of our commitment to funding initiatives that nurture our incredible South African talent, grow skills development opportunities and promote the industry as a unique driver of economic growth,” says Zama Mkosi, CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation.
“Canada’s film and TV industry is not just about great productions and actors. Canada is also a key player in the digital media industry. From animation and gaming, to amazing special effects, Canada is leading the way. I am delighted to support the participation of Canadians in the Cape Town Animation Film Festival, especially this year. Canada celebrates its 150th birthday in 2017 and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than promoting Canadian-South African collaboration in cultural industries." says Sandra McCardell, high commissioner of Canada to South Africa.
Visit the festival website for more information.
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Original source: Screen Africa.
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