Winners Lateesha Gillespie and Liam Barnwell with Tasania Parsadh, Channel Director for Nickelodeon at Viacom International Media Networks Africa. Photo by Gavin Withers.
South Africa - Proudly presented by Animation SA, the seventh Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) took place from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th March 2018.
The Festival presents the best of local and international films by award-winning animators, as well as providing a unique platform to engage with global industry leaders in a series of insightful workshops, talks and panel discussions. The CTIAF has become a significant fixture on the international festival calendar as a marketplace for the fast-growing and internationally acclaimed African animation industry.
As part of the Festival’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of animators, the Student Awards has become an annual highlight at the Festival. The initiative recognises student work across various categories, for both team and individual projects. There were an incredible 58 entries this year and the judging panel comprised of 18 leaders in the industry.
Nickelodeon for the third consecutive year has sponsored the phenomenal prize for two students to have the opportunity to participate in a two-week internship at their Burbank studios in the USA. Tasania Parsadh, Channel Director for Nickelodeon at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, which incorporates Nick Jr. and NickToons, handed over the prize to winning students Lateesha Gillespie and Liam Barnwell. In addition to their exceptional talent, they showcased both vision and leadership in their applications. This competition is indicative of Nickelodeon’s commitment to creating platforms which contribute to and uplift Africa’s youth and society.
Recently, South African Manga group Umlando Wezithombe won the Bronze medal at the prestigious 11th Japan International Manga Award for a pictorial story of the life of Nelson Mandela titled Mandela. Manga is a popular art form in Japan. The handing over ceremony of the award took place at the Ceremony awarded by Yasushi Naito, Consul of Japan Cape Town. This formed part of the second year of collaboration between the CTIAF and the Japanese Embassy and Consulate in Cape Town, who are marking their centenary celebrations in South Africa.
CTIAF Student Winners 2018. Pic by Gavin Withers.
The Chaos group, providers of 3d rendering software, sponsored an award for technical excellence to three students. Karien Benz, Justin Pedersen and Conor Smith each won a year’s license to industry 3D rendering software from the Chaos Group.
Animation SA's Julia Smuts Louw presented two awards to graduates of Draw for Life, Animation SA's outreach initiative, which is offered by Sparks Flew Development Studio and PASCAP Trust with the support of The Animation School and Animate Africa. Draw for Life is a term-long Saturday morning programme teaching the principles of drawing for animation to underprivileged teens from Mitchell’s Plein and Hout Bay. Andile Nqabelele was recognised for most promising digital drawing ability, and Tashreeq King, for most promising gesture drawing ability, with prizes generously sponsored by CTIAF and WACOM Europe. Both these learners have been invited to take part in Triggerfish's hot desk learning residence in 2018.
“The calibre of work submitted just gets better every year,” says Toni Andrews, schools coordinator for the Cape Town International Animation Festival. “The Award programme at the Festival is an incredible opportunity for the students to have their work seen by industry professionals as well as enjoy the sense of achievement with being nominated.”
The full list of winners is:
Character Animation / 1 Year Students – Arrest Me – The Animation School
Character Animation / Individual Projects - Digital– Boom Shakala – The Animation School
Character Animation / Team Production – Mite-y Beard – The Animation School
Story / Team Production - Mite-y Beard – The Animation School
Art Direction / Team Production – Rocket Boys – The Animation School
Lighting / Team Production – Eden – The Animation School
Visual Fxteam Production – Rocket Boys – The Animation School
BEST PROJECT 1styear STUDENTS– Papyrus – The Animation School
Best Production / Individual Students tradigital –Tik Tok – Stellenbosch School of Design
Best Production / Individual Students Digital – Boom Shakala - The Animation School
Best Team Production Tradigital - The Knight Shift – CFAD
Best Team Production – Digital - Rocket Boys – The Animation School
The CTIAF is proudly presented by Animation SA and is made possible thanks to generous support from sponsors the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Cape Town, Wesgro, Nickelodeon, the High Commission of Canada, The Japanese Embassy and Consulate in Cape Town and the French Institute of South Africa. CTIAF has also partnered with Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Animate Africa.
Visit www.ctiaf.com for information about the Festival.
Original source: Artlink.co.za.
Additionally, official Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) Press Release via Artlink.co.za:
Record numbers attended CTIAF 2018
A record number of people enjoyed the annual Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) which took place over the weekend 2 to 4 March.
Presented by Animation SA, the Festival, which is now in its seventh year, saw 2000 people attending the event.
President and CEO of Polygon Pictures Shuzo John Shiota addresses a packed room at the CTIAF. Photo credit: Corrie de Vries.
The CTIAF has become a significant fixture on the international festival calendar, presenting the best of local and international films by award-winning animators, as well as providing a unique platform to engage with global industry leaders in a series of insightful workshops, talks and panel discussions. The CTIAF is a marketplace for the fast-growing and internationally acclaimed African animation industry, with business-to-business sessions, producer events, networking opportunities and government panel discussions in addition to student competitions and an outreach programme.
Almost sixty speakers and industry leaders from South Africa, Canada, Japan the USA and France shared their insights and knowledge with attendees. Members of the public had free access to catch internationally acclaimed films such as The Highway Rat, Big Bad Fox, Mary and the Witch’s Flower and Pear Cider and Cigarettes. The public also took part in the popular free drawing and stop-motion workshops as well as visiting the Artists Alley, showcasing the work of forty graphic artists and animation studios, as well as live drawing and virtual reality experiences.
“We have been inspired by the response to this year’s festival and excited by how much this event has grown,” says Festival Director Dianne Makings. “From thirty delegates at the first conference seven years ago, the Festival has grown to welcome 2000 visitors and become the continent’s only dedicated animation festival.
“A number of local studios announced exciting developments this year including Sunrise Productions, whose project Munki and Trunk has been acquired by Nickelodeon. We are thrilled that a meeting between them at the Festival in 2015 was the first step in this process,” says Makings.
“We found incredible stories at the Festival, including thirteen-year-old Ndita Lesenyeho, who travelled from Johannesburg to join us for the weekend. Ndita started drawing aged nine and after attending workshops with the Digital Canvas Academy at the Animation School, the animation bug bit. When she heard about the Festival, she said she had to attend and was determined to get to Cape Town.”
The Triggerfish Foundation once again facilitated the CTIAF Outreach Programme at the Isivivana centre in Khayelitsha including drawing classes with Animate Africa, and various workshops to teach the fundamentals of animation. The Isivivana centre also presented the African premiere of The Highway Rat, which was first screened on BBC 1 in England on Christmas Day and which is produced by Magic Light Pictures and animated at Cape Town based Triggerfish Animation Studios.
“The standard of entries for the CTIAF Student Awards was exceptionally high and we congratulate all our winners, especially Lateesha Gillespie and Liam Barnwell. These two students were awarded the phenomenal prize sponsored by Nickelodeon to have the opportunity to participate in a two-week internship at their Burbank studios in the USA,” says Makings.
This is the third consecutive year that Nickelodeon has sponsored this prize. In addition to their exceptional talent, the two entrants showcased both vision and leadership in their applications. This competition is indicative of Nickelodeon’s commitment to creating platforms which contribute to and uplift Africa’s youth and society.
The CTIAF is proudly presented by Animation SA and is made possible thanks to generous support from sponsors the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Cape Town, Wesgro, Nickelodeon, the High Commission of Canada, The Japanese Embassy and Consulate in Cape Town and the French Institute of South Africa. CTIAF has also partnered with Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Animate Africa.
The Cape Town International Animation Festival 2019 will take place from 1 to 3 March 2019. Visit www.ctiaf.com for the full programme details.
Join the CTIAF on Facebook www.facebook.com/CTInternationalAnimationFest and Twitter @CTanimationfest
Comments from CTIAF supporters
Department of Arts and Culture (DAC)
“The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) commissioned a strategy for the animation sector 2014. The purpose of the study was to conduct research on the animation sector that would shed light on the animation landscape in South Africa and how we fit into the world. The information gleaned from this exercise was used in the crafting of the strategy that seeks to inform governmental interventions in the sector. The exercise was helpful in identifying inefficiencies and asymmetries in the animation industry value chain. Further, it puts forward measures that may be implemented to mitigate against these value chain asymmetries. The DAC views the platform created by CTIAF as contributing to the growth and development of the sector. We congratulate the CTIAF on yet another successful instalment of the festival.” Department of Arts and Culture
Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille
“Cape Town as the ideas capital of Africa is fast emerging as a new media hub on the continent. The creative economy, and especially animation, has the ability to provide differentiation in the international market place and unlock competitiveness. Its value is not only in economic terms, though. Through the products and services generated in the creative industries, Capetonians explore their heritage, identity and values. Building an economically resilient city, which can grow in the face of adverse economic conditions, requires a certain level of innovativeness and creativity. These are characteristics that Cape Town is increasingly becoming known for. The City of Cape Town is proud to be associated with an event that highlights to the world the richness of our creative industries and the cutting-edge work that is being done here.” says Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille.
Tim Harris, Wesgro CEO
“The fourth industrial revolution creates significant opportunities for economic growth and job creation in the Western Cape, and we believe that the growing Animation sector in the province is an obvious case in point. The value chain of animation is wide, with one single production resulting in several years of work by large teams of artists and computer scientists. This has already been witnessed in films like Triggerfish Animation’s “Khumba” and “Adventures in Zambia”. Of particular interest to us is that there is a low barrier to access for potential future animators, as talent can easily be identified with a merely a pen or pencil. If we nurture this talent, and further develop coding and IT skills in the province, we will have an increasingly large pool of citizens who will be able to access the excellent opportunities that await in the world of Animation.” says Tim Harris, Wesgro CEO.
Sandra McCardell, High Commissioner of Canada in South Africa.
“The High Commission of Canada is proud to support a Canada focus at the 2018 Cape Town International Animation Film Festival. Canada is a global leader in the animation and digital effects industry and well-known for top innovation and creativity. Festival audiences for the Canadian short films and the Academy Award-nominated Pear Cider and Cigarettes are in for a treat!” says Sandra McCardell, High Commissioner of Canada in South Africa.
Yasushi Naito, Consul of Japan Cape Town
“The Embassy of Japan/ Consulate in Cape Town is pleased to have its second partnership with the Cape Town International Animation Festival in 2018. The 2018 partnership is special because it is our centenary year as the Office of Consul of Japan in Cape Town was established in 1918 as the first overseas mission of the Japanese Government on the African Continent. The Japanese Embassy/Consulate in Cape Town intends to bring Japan closer to Capetonians with our Centenary Celebrations and one way of doing so is through Animation and Manga, which are popular art forms in Japan. Japan has made many advancements in the field and numerous masterpieces and artistic/technological innovations are constantly impacting and influencing Animation and Manga worldwide.
“We are happy to announce that a South African Manga artist group has won the Bronze medal at the 11th Japan International Manga Award. The handing over ceremony of the award will take place at the CTIAF 2018, the award-winning piece is a pictorial story of the life of Nelson Mandela titled “Mandela” created by Umlando Wezithombe under the Nelson Mandela Foundation. It is a happy coincidence that this group from South Africa won this very competitive award in the year of the Mandela Centenary, a first for animators from Southern Africa. We look forward to many more collaborations in the field of Manga and Animation with Japan in coming years.
“We are excited about this year's Japanese contents at Cape Town International Animation Festival 2018 as we have invited Shuzo Shiota of Polygon Pictures, and there will be screenings of Japanese animation films, including “Mary and the Witch’s Flower”. There will also be a workshop with animation artists including Umlando Wezithombe.”- Yasushi Naito, Consul of Japan Cape Town
Erika Denis, Regional Head of Media, Film & Music, French Embassy/French Institute of South Africa
"Our partnership with the festival has been a valued collaboration for many years and we look forward to this new opportunity to sharing our support to foster collaborations between the South African and the French animation industries and talents,” says Erika Denis, Regional Head of Media, Film & Music, French Embassy/French Institute of South Africa.
Notes to editors
CTIAF
Now in its seventh year, the CTIAF (previously called Kunjanimation Animation Festival) has enjoyed great successes in its goal of creating a platform for the art and business of South African animation. These successes have included:
- In 2014 they hosted a delegation from France and through that partnership launched the special SA MIFA call to pitch at the Annecy Festival 2015.
- This resulted in a special pitch platform at MIFA for several SA studios.
- Bugbox studios won the pitch and is now partnered with Folimage Studios in a co-production to produce the series.
- In 2013, a formal partnership between the world-renowned Parks based Gobelins l’ecole de l’image and the Animation School in Cape Town with a contract for the next three years.
- Successful talks between the NFVF, GFC, DTI and Animation SA towards adopting an incubator/cluster model for animation development and production, with a research delegation sponsored by French Institute of South Africa planned to coincide with Annecy in June 2015.
- Ties strengthened between the French and South African Animation industry with a successful delegation of French producers having visited in November 2013 and 2014.
- It has also been successful in the building of social capital within the SA animation industry where many studios have historically been competing. The results can be seen in the white papers Animation SA drew up for the DTI in February 2014 on how incentives for the industry could be altered to help SA become more globally competitive.
ANIMATION SA
Animation SA is a non-profit organisation mandated by industry to develop, promote and represent South African animation. It believes that animation has a vital role in transforming South African by articulating values to ourselves, our children and the rest of the world. In this way, its vision is to help build the South African brand through the medium of animation. It is dedicated to creating a healthy self-sustaining animation industry which provides South Africans with creative, challenging and fulfilling jobs.
It seeks to facilitate the growth and evolution of South Africa’s animation industry by:
- Creating new business opportunities by identifying and coordinating export missions to key markets
- Conducting and participating in global market research.
- Creating knowledge-sharing opportunities to upskill our animation professionals
- Helping bring our studios and their original properties to market-readiness
- Consulting with government on policy and strategy, building the framework that will enable the animation industry to thrive.
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