Get ready to witness the wonders of the human imagination at its finest, as the 8th edition of the Melbourne International Animation Festival, featuring the latest and best animation from around the world rolls into town from the 16-22 June, 2008 at ACMI!
Featuring over three hundred films taken from over 2000 entries, thirty plus unique programs and over thirty countries represented, this is your only opportunity in Australia to see such a comprehensive lineup of the most current animated short films in competition, along with specially curated programs that highlight recent productions and absolute gems from the past. Whether side splittingly hilarious, employing a documentary style, abstract or gothic inspired, these films range from the beautifully hand drawn and painted, to Flash gems, high end computer wizardry and stop motion puppets, defying the notion that computer generated animation is what defines contemporary animated filmmaking.
In addition to the spectacular lineup of films, the festival will also feature international guests, and multi Oscar award winner, Marcy Page, one of the most successful animation producers in the world. Canadian, Marcy Page comes to MIAF with a collection of her finest films as well as her latest masterpiece Oscar nominated Madam Tutli-Putli. This is a remarkable opportunity for budding animators to hear the secrets of just what it takes to make such great films in an extended question and answer session.
MIAF aims to challenge and inspire audiences with thematic, aesthetic and technical diversity from award winners, outstanding industry veterans and those wonderful newcomers who are exploring their talent on screen for the very first time.
D.I.Y. Art member, Stephanie Brotchie (Winners of the Best Australian Film MIAF07 for Fraught), says festivals such as MIAF are vital.
“Festivals like MIAF are the only way our sorts of films will ever get onto the big screen”, says Brotchie. “The festivals really inspire us as filmmakers but more importantly do a great job of connecting us with audiences and in the process reminding us all what a great artform animation is”.
Melbourne International Animation Festival, 16-22 June 2008
ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Opening Night Sneak Peek Premier Screening
Come and help us open the festival in style on Monday 16 June, 7.00pm.
Tickets: $25 full, $20 Concession
We’re doing it a little different this year. There’ll be some of the hottest competition films, a few true classics from the special programs, a sample of the latest Aussie stuff, a few surprises and even a film that wasn’t supposed to get into the festival at all.
Plus…
Meet the festival’s Special Guest Marcy Page who will introduce her latest film Madam Tutli-Putli, hear the trials and tribulations from members of last year’s Best Australian Film winners, D.I.Y. Art Films, as they introduce the premiere of their latest film Supermarket Musical Massacre: The Feel Good Homicide Of The Century! finished just days before MIAF’s opening.
And we round out the whole shebang with an extra special screening of the very latest Disney short starring Goofy – yep, hot off the press, Goofy is back up on the big screen where he always did his best work and you’ll love him in How To Hook Up Your Home Cinema.
Marcy Page: Special Guest MIAF08
Our special guest this year is Marcy Page, one of the most successful animation producers in the world. As a key producer working in-house for the famed National Film Board of Canada, Marcy has been responsible for bringing an outstanding slate of animated films to the big screen, gathering Oscars, numerous nominations and a vast array of other awards along the way. Marcy travels to MIAF with a collection of her finest films and will share the secrets of what it takes to make films this good. After the screening, Marcy will take part in an extended Q&A session. This is a chance not just to see an incredible program of animation but to hear how it was made, why it’s so good… where the magic comes from.
Screening: THE DANISH POET, RYAN, FLUX, THE BOY WHO SAW THE ICEBERG, BULLY DANCE, HOW WINGS ARE ATTACHED TO BACKS OF ANGELS & MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI (excerpt).
“Ryan” is one of the most acclaimed, important animated films of recent years ( and won Best film of MIAF05). It and “The Danish Poet” won Oscars. “Flux” has picked up a Best of Fest Award at a past MIAF and her latest masterpiece “Madam Tutli-Putli” was an Oscar nominee and will be a highlight of our Puppet Animation Panorama #1. Marcy will also take part in the WIFT Forum.
Special Feature: Fear(s) of the Dark
A unique collection of fear by ten of the world’s most cutting-edge, cool, acclaimed graphic artists. An intertwined compendium of FEAR(s) extracted from the collected imaginations of ten of the world’s hippest underground, cult graphic artists & comic book creators. Bleeding away colour to retain the starkness of light and the pitch black of shadows, this electrifying percolation of phobias, disgust and nightmares is an epic of Fear at its most naked and intense.
The Artist Roll Call… Blutch > Charles Burns > Marie Caillou > Pierre di Sciullo > Lorenzo Mattotti > Richard McGuire > Romain Slocombe > Jerry Kramsky > Michel Pirus > Etienne Robial
Highlights from the Visual Music Marathon, presented by Jean Detheux
Visual Music is a distinct form of abstract animation in which the music and moving images are inextricably intertwined, the music often coming first and inspiring the visual action. Oskar
Fischinger, Harry Smith and Jules Engel are just some of the most famous practitioners but the contemporary VM scene is extremely vibrant. One of the most significant events to showcase
this work was the Visual Music Marathon held in Boston last year. MIAF invited special guest Jean Detheux, Canadian based VM creator extraordinaire to curate a highlights collection
from the VMM and this program is the beguiling result.
Competition Programs
The back-bone of the MIAF program – the very best of more than 2,000 entries created imsent from all over the world carefully assembled into nine different programs. The ultimate showcase for this stunning artform.
Digital Panorama
From the leading edge of international computer generated animation and digital design.
Puppet Animation Panorama
MIAF08 Technique Focus – Puppet Animation: This most hands-on of techniques produces some of the most enthralling & fascinating animated films which date back to the very beginnings of cinema. Breathing a kind of life into inanimate puppets is a very special form of magic and these two programs showcase the continuing vibrancy of this technique.
Icons Of Puppet Animation
Since the dawn of cinema, Puppet Animation has provided some of the most mesmerising films ever made and puppet animators have been among the most revered. This program brings together an iconic collection of highlights from a century of puppet animation.
Abstract Panorama
The program that shines the spotlight on artists using animation to take filmmaking beyond narrative.
Australian Panorama
Australian animators play the homeground advantage as MIAF brings a wealth of Australian animating talent to the big screen before sending this program off to tour nationally and internationally.
Australian Forum
Immediately after the Australian Panorama screening, join the filmmakers in the festival Club to talk about animating in Australia. The atmosphere is informal and relaxed. The aim is to get as
many perspectives as possible on the local animation scene as it stands right now – the challenges, the opportunities, the path ahead. A Forum Panel will get things underway. The panel will be made up of animators, producers and managers who are finding ways of taking their animating skills out into the ‘real world’ through such means as creating animated clips for viral marketing campaigns, commissioning & producing idents for a local TV channel and making one-off ads – all done without sacrificing the creative core of their artform. But discussion will likely range much wider than that and everybody will have a chance to have their say about what they saw in the Australian Panorama and how they think animation is travelling in Australia in 2008.
MIAF 2008 Country Of Focus – Switzerland
Switzerland is home to a small but incredibly skilled creative animation community. Strong, surprisingly eccentric ideas and a delight in utilising every imaginable technique are hallmarks
of the Swiss animation scene. The program was selected after a visit to the Swiss animation festival Fantoche in 2007.
The Siggraph Highlights Collection
Big screen gems from America’s huge annual pilgrimage for the international digerati. MIAF continues its focus on Siggraph, one of the largest and most important digital animation events in the world. This collection was chosen after a visit to Siggraph 07 in San Diego and MIAF is definitely looking forward to being involved with Siggraph Asia later this year.
Asiawatch: The Beijing Film Academy
Founded in 1950, the BFA annually attracts more than 100,000 applicants for the 500 available positions. The films produced by top BFA graduates often lead with a surreal or whimsical edge and fuse a surprising range of influences together. This program shines a light on the output of one of Asia’s most important and prestigious film schools.
San Francisco Bay Area Historical
San Francisco has long been a hotbed of wide-open, full-speed, uber-inspired originality and creative outpourings. Whether it be psychodelia, revelling in the founding moments of computing or crash testing the insanist ideas on an open minded audience, there are a lot of films out there that could have only been made in SF. This program comes straight out of the private collection of one of MIAF’s best friends and SF animation legend, Karl Cohen. This show will be a wild, wild ride.
Studio Showcase: Animose Studio, Russia
We are delighted to throw our annual studio spotlight on Animose this year – a studio which has produced a collection of absolutely beautiful films reminding us that classic Russian styled animation is well and truly still alive and even thriving after the challenges of recent years. This program will warm the hearts of anybody who ever loved the films of Norstein,
Khitruk and Bardin. And for those enjoying our focus on Puppet Animation, this program contains some films you will definitely want to see.
Best of the Next: International Graduate Animation Festival, presented by Crumpler
Make a night of it! ONE iddy biddy ticket gets you into every screening …so join the marathon madness & pay ONLY $14!!
This is your snapshot of the next generation of creative animators. These screenings are made up of the best graduate films from more than 60 schools in 20 countries. Spirited, break-all-the-rules films packed with raw energy & vibrant ideas. Between sessions, check out the Animated Music Video Collection a few metres across the foyer in the Festival Club. Competition Winners will be announced later in the evening in the Festival Club and there will be some damn funky door prizes provided by the good folk at Crumpler.
Teen Programs
These ain’t kids films – this is your opportunity to see two different programs of the best films
taken right out of the main festival line-up.
Animation For Kids
Priced to be family friendly and chosen to engage & challenge our youngest audience.
Tickets
Bookings: ACMI Box Office 03 8663 2583
Opening Night Sneak Peek Premier Screening: $25.00 Full $20.00 Conc
Festival Pass: $80.00 Full $65.00 Conc
Mini Pass (6 sessions): $48.00 Full $36.00 Conc
Single Sessions: $14.00 Full $11.00 Conc
Best of the Next: $14.00
International Graduate Festival (cost covers all 4 sessions on Thu 19 in ACMI Screen Pit)
Australian Graduate Panorama: $5.00
Animation 101s (#1 – #3: all ages, #4: 18+): $5.00
Kids’ & Teen Programs (all ages): $5.00
Careers in Animation Forum (all ages): Free (ticket required)
For full details check out www.miaf.net or contact info@miaf.net
[release by Go2Girl]