INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION STARS COME TO DUNDEE

26th January 2008

PROJECTOR, the festival that celebrates the best in the animation world, is back at Dundee Contemporary Arts from 30 January - 2 February 2008. It will be launched on Saturday 26 January with a special screening of Anders Rønnow Klarlunds Strings.

PROJECTOR, which is now in its seventh year, is the only festival in Scotland dedicated to animation. It is renowned for the quality of its speakers, bringing luminaries and specialists together to present a series of screenings, workshops, masterclasses and panels â€" the programme promotes an exchange of information and opportunity with audiences and participants from within the industry, students, and fans of the genre.

As well as Scottish premieres of films including Persepolis and The Three Musketeers, and the UK premiere of Free Jimmy, some of the high-level guests who will participate in PROJECTOR in 2008 include: Sharon Colman, who hails from the shores of Loch Lomond, director of Oscar-nominated Badgered and now with DreamWorks in LA; Ed Hooks, acting coach to Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks; Nicolas Schmerkin, founder of studio Autour de Minuit; Bill Plympton, Oscar-nominated director; Abi Feijó and Regina Pessoa, directors of award-winning films Clandestino and Tragic Story with Happy Ending; Phil Mulloy, multi-award winning director; Francis McKee, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow; and Jayne Pilling, Director of the British Animation Awards.

Originally a one-day event dedicated to professionals, PROJECTOR has now grown to a four-day event encompassing a wide range of events with a broader public appeal. The growing numbers of participants include animation professionals working across television, film and new media and students of these areas, as well as supporting agencies and interested members of the public.

Susie Wilson, director, says:

‘I’ve worked hard over the past year to develop an international event that would combine creativity and networking with a practical understanding of key creative and business issues. It’s unbelievably exciting to have the international guests arriving to deliver expertise to the industry but it’s equally, if not more, exciting that much of the talent is coming from within Scotland’s shores. Many of the delegates are from abroad which just shows how important PROJECTOR has become in the animation calendar. And, like any good visual festival, it’s highly entertaining.’

For the first time this year, there will be a PROJECTOR artist-in-residence. Drawing the Experience is artist Jenny Soepâs interpretation of the time she spends experiencing the festival. Tune in daily to http://jennysoep.blogspot.com.

30 January - 2 February 2008 Dundee Contemporary Arts â"‚ Tickets £5 - £50

To book call 01382 386 961 or email info[AT]projectorfest.com â"‚ www.projectorfest.com

Full programme below.

Saturday 26 January 2008

17.30 Screening: Strings

Wednesday 30 January 2008

13.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 1

15.00 Workshop: Acting for Animators w. Ed Hooks

19.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 2

21.00 Masterclass: Autour de Minuit w. Nicolas Schmerkin



Thursday 31 January 2008

13.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 3

15.00 Screening: Paprika

17.00 Masterclass: Scratching the Surface w. Francis McKee

19.00 Screening: No Strings Attached



Friday 1 February 2008

21.00 Masterclass: Phil Mulloy w. Phil Mulloy

11.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 1

13.00 Masterclass: Japanese Animation in the Digital Age w. Jonathan Clements

15.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 2

17.00 Masterclass: Rocket to LA w. Sharon Colman

19.00 Screening: Text and Type

21.00 Panel: The State of the (Animation) Nation

22.00 Party



Saturday 2 February 2008

11.00 Screening: Hot Shorts 3

13.00 Screening: The Three Musketeers

15.00 Masterclass: Idiots and Angels w. Bill Plympton

15.00 Workshop: The Optical Toybox w. Abi Feijó & Regina Pessoa

17.00 Screening: No Strings Attached

19.00 Screening: Persepolis

21.00 Screening: Free Jimmy

PROJECTOR 2008 PROGRAMME BY EVENT TYPE

Masterclasses:

Wednesday 30 January 2008

21:00 Autour de Minuit

Since Nicolas Schmerkin founded Autour de Minuit in 2001, the production company has developed a portfolio of uncommon quality with artists as singular and uncompromising as Mat&SpoN, Rosto and Chris Shepherd. Diverse as they may be, it's the constant communication with hybridisation that forms the key, fruitful element in AtM's character.

Thursday 31 January 2008

17:00 Scratching the Surface

Francis McKee, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, will explore the tensions and synergies between animation created for the cinema and that created with a gallery space in mind, while investigating the shared spaces, in the work of directors such as David Shrigley, Matt Hulse, William Kentridge and Anthony McCall.

Thursday 31 January 2008

21:00 Phil Mulloy on Phil Mulloy

Phil Mulloy employs his unique insight into the provocative and highly original animation talent that is Phil Mulloy to give us a fascinating study of a fierce, black comic wit at work in an heroic quest against all that is kitsch and sentimental. His blunt, at times brutal style, exquisitely displays the disorder and contradictions of our elaborate human condition.

Friday 1 February 2008

13:00 Japanese Animation in the Digital Age

Jonathan Clements, co-author of 'The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation since 1917', charts the rise of digital animation in Japan. From its early role as a gimmick to its modern position as the industry's standard process, how did digital technology change editing techniques, staffing policies and even storylines?

Friday 1 February 2008

17:00 Rocket to LA

Sharon Colman's 'Badgered' is a short film of a sleepy mustelid and nuclear warheads that won an Oscar nomination last year. Beginning as an illustrator at Glasgow School of Art, she is now a story artist at DreamWorks; here she'll discuss the influences of the former, the reality of the latter, and the connections and tensions between the two.

Saturday 2 February 2008

15:00 Idiots and Angels

Simply put, Bill Plympton is one of the world's most successful independent animators. While touching on an analysis of his techniques, vision and goals, Bill shows world exclusive clips from his brand new feature ‘Idiots and Angels’, and everyone present is gifted with an original work of art.

Industry Panel:

Friday 1 February 2008
21:00 The State of the (Animation) Nation with the Projector All-Stars

All speakers at the Festival will discuss animation creation, production and distribution in their respective countries and experiences. Joining the debate will be Biljana Labovic, producer for Bill Plympton, and Jayne Pilling, director of the British Animation Awards.


Workshops:

Wednesday 30 January 2008

15:00 Acting for Animators

Ed Hooks, acting coach to Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks, returns for a 4 hour workshop focusing on character design through acting by the animator, in particular the connections between thought, emotion and physical movement.

Saturday 2 February 2008

15:00 ˜The Optical Toybox

Abi Feijo and Regina Pessao will use the contents of their Optical Toybox to explore the creation of animation with zoetropes, flipbooks, thaumatropes and folioscopes. They illustrate the workshop with working models using images from their award-winning films ‘Clandestino’ and ‘Tragic Story with Happy Ending’.