Catch the Brighton International Animation Festival on Latest TV!
The second Brighton International Animation Festival took place on 15th and 16th April at the Latest MusicBar, and if you missed it, don’t worry! We’ll be screening a selection of films from the live events in a TV festival from 21st to 23rd April on Latest TV. Here, Deborah Espect caught up with Festival Director Kate Jessop to find out what went down.
So, how was it?
The festival was amazing again this year and fully sold out! We had 36 visiting filmmakers, puppet makers, character designers and jury members from all over UK, two from New York and two from Germany – Berlin and Dresden. 12 events including a 360 turn around life drawing class, masterclass from Barry Purves and specially curated programme Queer as F++k.
What were the highlights of the weekend?
Joanna Quinn’s retrospective in itself, but then when she brought some of the original hand drawn frames on stage, that was something special. Some feedback that I got was that it was very inter-generational, so we had puppet legend Barry Purves in the same room as new grads straight out of college. The AR exhibition was popular also and was another way to engage with animation whilst waiting to go down to a screening. It also raised money for the Grassroots Suicide Prevention charity – at the end of the weekend, the prints were for sale.
You had prizes for Best UK, Best International and Best Student film. Who were the judges?
We had Joanna Quinn on Best UK, Barry Purves on Best International and Hannah Lau-Walker from She Drew That on Best Student.
From left to right: Hannah Lau-Walker, Joanna Quinn, Kate Jessop & Barry Purves
And who won what?
Best UK Film: Beware of Trains – Dir Emma Calder
Special Mention: Another Presence – Dir. Simon Ball
Best International Film: Ana Morphose– Dir. Joao Rodrigues
Special Mention: The Egret River- Wan-Ling Liu
Best Student Film: Curioso -Dir. Tessa Moult-Milewska
Special Mention: Thank you – Dir. Julian Gallese
What do we have to look forward to in the TV programme for the festival?
There’s so many beautiful films, it’s hard to summarise… For humour, The Best Ham Sandwich According to a Fish in “The (un)Natural World” episode is hilarious, as is Blooming from the same programme, for “Artists Film”, Marie.Eduardo.Sophie is a beautiful hand painted piece of work from Montreal. “Wild Characters” has a lot of madcap moments, including the brilliant surrealism of Cosmohedron.
What made you decide to host an animation festival in the first place?
I’ve spent most of my career travelling the world with my work going to festivals and I love them! Such a special meeting point for knowledge exchange, inspiration and just meeting new friends and contacts. When I first moved to Brighton there wasn’t an animation festival here so decided to set one up. I’m taking good practice I’ve learnt from my own experiences into setting up my own.
Life drawing class by Leo Crane
Will you be back next year for a third edition?
Yes – planning it already!
The Brighton International Animation Festival will be broadcast on Latest TV, Freeview 7, Virgin 159 and available to livestream anywhere in the world on our website, from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd April from 9pm, and repeated Friday 28th – Sunday 30th April. Programme as follows:
Friday 21st April – 9pm
New Generation
One of Us
Forget-Me-Not
Stay
In Boxes
The Bus to the Afterlife
The Magentalman and The Gentlemint
Throng
Swaddling Clothes
Symbols
Beacon
Swallow Flying to the South
The (un)Natural World
Transfigured Night
A Language of Shapes
The White Whale
Blooming
Canary
There’s a Bison on The Prairie
The Best Ham Sandwich According to a Fish
Anya Ratnayaka on the Colombo Wetlands and the Urban Fishing Cat
Fly Up Too
The Egret River
Long Short
As You Like It
Saturday 22nd April – 9pm
To Be Human
My Dear Son
Another Presence
Yeah I’m good thanks
IRIS
Beware of Trains
All Her Dying Lovers
You Are My Home
The Little Blue Boiler Suit
Handmade Happiness
Shame
Artists Film
Marie.Eduardo.Sophie
Monachopsis
L’ amour rebelle
Bleeding Book
Wish you were here
Of Wood
The Hour Coat
Eviction
The Pictures In His Mind Awoke And Began To Breed
The Joy of Biting
Empire
Puppet Stories
Abril
Exhibit-A
Pobre Antonio
Spoon
Sunday 23rd April – 9pm
Wild Characters
Keep Left
Thank you
Cosmohedron
A Whale Song
Aeons Ark
The Beatles Vs The Stones
Please Clap
Tiers
Lovely Rita
The Sphere
Time Trip Time
Fur
Queer as F++k
What even is a TERF?
Space
Cesspit of Freedom
All Those Sensations in My Belly
My Dear Mr. Whitman
Woodland
Embrace
Adorable
Before Her Body Left
