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[ani-fest]

Meet the Programmers!

Payton Bissell

I’m Payton, long time animation fan, and Senior in Cinema and media studies at the UW. While my heart belongs to traditional 2D animation, I’d never turn down the opportunity to be blown away by the dedication and marvel of stop motion and 3D animation. I hope this event lets a larger audience see animation as the medium of endless possibility that it truly is. 

Sam Basilico, Event Coordinator

Hi I’m Sam! I am a student producer for the CG Animation Production Program in the school of CSE, and I am very excited to curate these events for AniFest! I am very interested in the animation production pipeline and creative process, and through my program I have learned so much about the specifics of CG animation. I love all types of animation, and I am so excited to be able to share with you all of the many different people that have made these films possible. Hopefully, through these events, audiences will be able to understand all of the hard work that goes into animation and gain a global perspective on how animation gets made.

Olivia Huang

Hi I’am Olivia, I am a senior in Cinema and media studies. However, I am not familiar with animation until we decided to have the Anti-Fast. I am very impresses with what animation could bring about to us also having different perspectives when the audiences are with different cultural backgrounds or from different age groups. I think this event offers a new perspective to not only me but everyone else!

Michael Kare

Hi I’m Michael. I am the festival organizer for Anifest and am currently a senior studying cinema and media studies here at the UW. I am also minoring in DXARTS, which has led me to explore various forms of video art, installation art, and animation. I’m currently really interested in how new and upcoming artists are using state of the art softwares like Cinema 4D, Blender, and Maya to make their own, independent creative works. I am excited about all the different kinds of animation here at Anifest, and hope to provide a meaningful platform for others to explore as well.

Charlize Unpingco, Press Writer/Editor

Hi, I’m Charlize! I’m a senior studying Cinema and Media Studies at UW. I’m in charge of writing pieces for the festival that helps our audience understand what Ani-Fest is all about. I love animation films, especially Disney and Pixar films, and hope that this festival will help people enhance their personal experiences with the films they love and grew up with!

Tongyu Wu

Hi，Hello, I am one of the organizers of this film festival. Now I am studying Cinema and Media Studies. I'm in charge of graphic design for this film festival. Film is an art, so is graphic design, and I am very happy to combine them and convey beauty with color.

[ani-fest]

2021 Screenings

Available online for the duration of the festival, here is the 2021 program for Ani-Fest! 

Anomalisa (2015)

An American made, deep psychological comedy/drama that is made in stop motion. Nominated for Best Animated feature in 2015, this feature shows us how much human expression and feeling we can see in an artistic animated representation.

Wallace and Gromit (3 piece set)

A close shave, The wrong trousers, and a grand day out. Beautiful and fun stop motion from the UK that solidified stop motion in many households across the world.

The Breadwinner (2017)

An Irish adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, this modern 2D animation nominated for best animated feature in 2017 shows a young Afgani girl doing all she can to provide for her family when her father is arrested.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

A Wes Anderson stop motion film with an all-star cast from George Clooney to Bill Murray, that went up for a best animated picture nomination in 2009.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis, this mature Japanese thriller made in traditional 2D animation shows the dark side of fame, and the psychological weight it can have on its stars. Produced by Mad House, known for hit series like Death Note, Hunter X Hunter, and One Punch Man.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

A Studio Ghibli classic in their iconic traditional 2D style. A masterful tale of humans' involvement in nature, that hits harder now than ever. Love, spirits, and an industrial movement clash for a masterpiece of iconic animation.

Klaus (2019)

 A Spanish animated modern Christmas origin story, getting Netflix its first best animated picture nomination in 2019. This feature shows the promise in modern animation outside of the big production scene, the studio being made by Sergio Pablos, a worker on Disney renaissance films, demonstrates the soul of classics will live on.

Love, Death and Robots (2019)

While Technically a series, each “episode” of Love Death and Robots can be seen as a collection of shorts with many different styles, themes, and types of animation, perfect for showing the diversity and capabilities of the animated feature. Another Netflix hit, that just put out a trailer for its second season!

Into the Spiderverse (2018)

A shocking masterpiece of comic book inspired animation, from the studio that brought us the Emoji movie, this feature brought home the Oscar for best animated feature in 2018, Spiderverse can resonate with any audience with amazing performances, animation that feels like reading a comic and hilarious comedic timing.

Bao (2018)

A modern Pixar short that won best Animated short in 2018. Masterfully a full Pixar film’s emotional weight into 8 minutes. Any parent or child will find themselves welling up through this short roller coaster.

Lava (2014)

A musical Pixar short, humanized volcanoes in the search for love sing to each other, spanning thousands of years in 7 minutes, show the endless pursuit and tribulations of chasing the one you love.

Burrow (2020)

A 2020 Disney+ short that accompanied the release of Soul. A 2D animated Pixar production and was nominated for best animated short for 2020.

Canvas (2020)

A Netflix animated short, a touching story of how art connects us with family and memories. It was considered for a nomination for animated best picture by Netflix.

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Day 1 Events

CG Vs. 2D Vs. Stop Motion

Come learn about your favorite animation medium whether it’s made with 3-D software, pen and paper, or puppets! The teams behind Into the Spiderverse, Klaus, and Wallace and Gromit will each discuss their approaches to their animation styles.

Big Budget Vs. Small Budget

Join the teams behind Anomalisa and Into the Spidervse to learn more about the challenges that come with a range of production budgets in the context of these two films.

Creating Memorable Characters - Character Design for Animation

Learn about the intricate detail that goes into developing complex character designs for animation - with special guests from Fantastic Mr. Fox, Princess Mononoke, The Breadwinner, and Klaus.

Set Design & Immersion

Explore the mind blowing set design that goes into creating immersive films with the head set designers of Perfect Blue and Lava.

Production Management Roundtable

Ever wondered who keeps these animation artists on track and on budget? Come join production coordinators and managers from Perfect Blue, Bao, and Wallace and Gromit  to learn more about how it’s done.

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Day 2 Events

Writing for Animated Shorts

Writers James Ford Murphy (Lava), Madeline Sharafian (Burrow), and Frank E. Abbney III (Canvas) will discuss their approaches to writing animated shorts and how it may be different from feature length films.

Adult Animation - Is It Here to Stay?

Will animation specifically targeted towards adults continue to have such a high demand? Learn more about this rising trend with producers from Blur Studios (Love, Death, and Robots) and Anomalisa

International Directors Roundtable

From Ireland, Spain, and Japan, directors Nora Twomey, Sergio Pablos, and Satoshi Kon will be discussing their international perspectives when it comes to directing their respective films.

Animation Software and What’s to Come

Representatives from industry standard animation software companies Blender, Autodesk, and Toon Boom will present their contributions to modern animation and what new innovations are being developed.

Grand Finale: An Announcement from Netflix Animation

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about the exciting new features that Netflix Animation is planning to release in the coming years. Join us in concluding our first run of Ani-Fest with the studio making one of the biggest splashes in animated content.