Brighton’s ONLY Animation Festival comes to LATEST!

Latest Musicbar is proud to be hosting the first international animation festival in Brighton!

Taking place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th April, the Brighton International Animation Festival (BIAF) will host an array of programmes, Q&As and talks.

We spoke to Animation Filmmaker and Festival Director, Kate Jessop, about what we can expect.

Why did you decide to organise an animation festival in Brighton?
I’ve spent the last 10 years travelling the world with my films and been to some wonderful festivals all over the world and met really inspiring people. Festivals are so important in terms of community building, building networks and just friendships! They are also a place of knowledge exchange and inspiration for the medium. I moved to Brighton last summer and wondered why there had never been one. I initially thought about just setting up an animation club meet-up, that soon ended up being a whole international animation festival! Maybe I can continue with the animation club with Brighton animators during the year, though, and have this as an annual event.

What’s your vision for BIAF?
My vision for the festival is that it’s not just screenings but also a space where people can learn about the medium, such as participating in hands-on workshops and hearing from industry speakers. I also wanted it to be as deaf accessible as possible so part of the rules and terms of the festival submissions is that all films had to be captioned/have English subtitles. I did put in an Arts Council application so there could be BSL signers at the workshop, talks and Q&As but they chose not to fund the event.

What do we have to look forward to?
Curated programmes of films from all over the world such as Czech Republic, Canada and China. Programmes are curated into themes such as Puppet Stories, Sound and Vision and Global Visions. There is also a hands-on animation workshop from Leo Crane of Figuration who will be hosting a charcoal erasure animation workshop (just bring your smartphone!). The series producer from Karrot Animation (responsible for Sarah and Duck and Peppa Pig) will be doing an industry talk on the Sunday, giving a behind-the-scene glimpse into their studio and tips for getting into the industry. There is also an animation karaoke battle on the Saturday night!

You have prizes for Best UK, Best International and Best Student animations. Can you tell us about the judges?
There are awards being given for those categories and the judges are:
Best Student Film – Dr. Birgitta Hosea, Head of Animation Research at Farnham UCA
Best UK Film – Holly Murtha, Director of FAFF Factual Animation Film Festival
Best International Film – Leo Crane, Director of Figuration
You can read full biogs on the website brightoninternationalanimationfestival.com and also follow @brightonanimation on Instagram for updates!