The festival
Based in Wolverhampton, the festival began in 2004 [1] and features a range of events from educational workshops for young people to experimental animation for grown ups; from industry led panels to feature film screenings and from international showcases and retrospectives of short films to spotlights on animation studios. FLIP is organised and hosted by Light House Media Centre in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton's School of Art and Design and School of Computing & IT, Wolverhampton Art Gallery. It is part funded by UK Film Council (National Lottery) through Screen West Midlands; Wolverhampton City Council; University of Wolverhampton; Business Link West Midlands and Animation Forum West Midlands. [2]
Exhibitions
The exhibitions curated for FLIP tend to communicate the animation message through different media/outlets. They have a continuing partnership with Wolverhampton Art Gallery who programme specific works on site as part of the Festival. FLIP 2007 saw an exhibition of original puppets used in films such as The Corpse Bride, Mars Attacks! and Andy Pandy, and the puppet designer Nick Roberson answered questions from the audience. During FLIP 2008, the Light House building was home to large, moving, kinetic sculptures, by London-based artist Steve Hutton. As well as this, there was a screening of animated Doctor Who episodes from the 1960s followed by a talk on Doctor Who animation led by industry experts. 2009 saw a studio spotlight on the Glasgow-based Axis Animation who showcased some of their work and then answered questions from the audience. The other studio spotlight that year was from ArthurCox studios who also presented some of their work and then held a discussion with the audience. 2010's festival hosted a presentation from the creators of the LittleBigPlanet games, Media Molecule, as well as a display from Light House Media Centre's own animator is residence, Drew Roper, including his set for his award-winning film 'A History of Denim'.
In 2011, FLIP's exhibitions consisted of works by Barry JC Purves which included a book signing and display of the Tchaikovsky puppet, the Birmingham leg of GLI.TC/H festivals' submissions, as well as sketchbooks and artworks by Tori Davis and work from the 2011 feature film Rio , and maquettes from UK puppet makers Mackinnon & Saunders. [3]
Recurring themes or programmes
FLIP offers visitors a chance to engage in ‘Big Screen Gaming’ in the smaller of the two cinemas. In 2009 Flip held a competition for participants to experience the Xbox 360 and one of its core games, Halo 3. This has then led to it becoming a regular feature at Light House with games such as the Fifa World Cup 2010 game and a Street Fighter game. 'Big Screen Gaming' returned for FLIP 2010 with one of the year's most hotly anticipated releases, Halo: Reach.
Another feature of FLIP Festival is the curated programme hosted by a guest curator from within the animation world. Previous years have been curated by Professor Paul Wells (Director of Animation, Loughborough University) and The Brothers McLeod [4] whereas 2010 was curated by Clare Kitson, who is a former programmer at the National Film Theatre and between 1989 and 1999, commissioned Channel 4's animation. [5]
The awards
The festival is a competition between animated films created using various techniques (stop motion, animated drawings, cut out paper, modelling clay, etc.) classified in to various award categories. These have included the following:
- Best of Festival
- Best UK Film
- Best International Film
- Best Newcomer
- Best Experimental Film [6]
FLIP also runs competitions for student films, created by current university/college students and, starting in 2010, for animators under the age of 18 years as well. [6]
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first awarded in 2002 for films made in 2001.
Joanna Lisa Quinn is an English film director and animator.
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.
Animation Block Party is an annual animation film festival in New York City, usually held over three days in late July.
Zlín Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth is an annual festival of children's film in Zlín in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1961 in the former Czechoslovakia, the festival gradually gained international attention. The audience consists mainly of children and youth from the Zlín region, but also university students and adult visitors who come to late-night screenings with appropriate dramaturgy, as well as film professionals from around the world.
Paul Harrod is an American animation director, production designer, and art director with a special emphasis on stop motion.
The London Russian Film Festival is an annual film festival, launched by Academia Rossica in 2007. The festival is aimed to present cinema in Russian language to an English speaking audience. All films are shown in original language, with English subtitles. The film programme includes feature films as well documentaries and animated films. Apart from the film screenings, the festival encompasses Q&A sessions with actors, directors and producers presenting the films, discussion events about contemporary Russian films and culture, and film showings specially for children.
Deaffest, is the UK's only Deaf-led film and television festival, which celebrates the talents of Deaf filmmakers and media artists from all over the world. Hosted by Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton, Deaffest provides access to both deaf and hearing audiences with all festival goers being able to experience screenings, workshops, panel discussions and performances.
Light House Media Centre, often simply referred to as Light House, is a cinema, gallery and media hub for Wolverhampton and the surrounding area. Light House is located within the historic former Chubb Locks Factory in the city centre. They describe themselves as:
Branchage is a film festival held in the Channel Island of Jersey. The festival was founded in 2008 by filmmaker Xanthe Hamilton to bring film and arts to the island. It is a mix of site-specific film screenings held across the island in churches, castles, barns, and bunkers alongside more conventional arts spaces and cinemas, alongside film and art commissions, live soundtracks to film, short film programmes, industry networking and spectacular themed parties mixing live performance, name DJs and cabaret.
New Media Film Festival is an event held annually that celebrates "the interactivity of new technologies and formats for Media and Cinema with global consciousness". According to the organizers, the festival honors "Stories Worth Telling that are created by people of All Ages-All Cultures-All Media". It showcases 3D and animated shorts, web series, mobile media, apps, and music videos, awarding over $45,000 in prizes and offering distribution to non-traditional and web-based filmmakers of the digital era.
The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival (WSFF), founded by Brenda Sherwood in 1994, was an annual film festival held over several days in Toronto, Ontario in June, at The Annex-Yorkville area venues; including the Bloor Cinema, the University of Toronto, and the Isabel Bader Theatre, among others. As well as film screenings, the festival hosted parties and the CFC's annual picnic.
Animaze - Montreal International Animation Film Festival is an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada dedicated to the celebration of animation in all forms. Now going into its 8th edition, the next edition will take place August 2020 ANIMAZE presents animated film of all genres from around the world which may have limited theatrical releases.
The Singapore Short Film Awards is an annual event which promotes and recognises excellence in short films in Singapore. It began in 2010 and was jointly organised by The Substation and Objectifs, presented by The Substation's Moving Images. Created by filmmaker Chai Yee Wei, former Programme Manager of The Substation's Moving Images Low Beng Kheng and current Co-Founder of Objectifs Yuni Hadi, the Singapore Short Film Awards highlights quality work done annually in the short film genre in Singapore - by seeking out new talent, reflecting current standards of the short film genre and to bring together both the veterans and the young talents as a community to create a space for networking and sharing.
Katerina Athanasopoulou is a Greek film maker and animation artist.
The Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held since 2009 in Burbank, California, United States. It was founded by Val Tonione, and awards are distributed to filmmakers that have focused on social and environmental issues.
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, England, at the beginning of November. Founded in 2011, it is a celebration of independent film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking. With over 400 films screenings and 100 industry events, ASFF is one of the UK's key film festivals.
Le Building is a 2005 French animated short film directed by a team of final year students at Gobelins, l'École de l'image. The story depicts a series of slapstick accidents that cause destruction to a three-story apartment complex. Le Building's team of five directors is composed of Pierre Perifel and Olivier Staphylas, both of whom went on to become Annie Award-recognized animators at DreamWorks, Xavier Ramonède and Annie award-nominated Marco Nguyen, who have continued their careers with animation credits on various high-profile French productions, and Rémi Zaarour, who has since become a comic book artist, published under the pseudonym Pozla.
Norwich Film Festival is an international film festival focusing on short films. It is based in Norwich, England, and was established in 2009. The twelfth edition will be held in November 2022.
The Animation Showcase is a travelling film screening collection, showcasing animated short films. The showcase started in 2016, with the support of the private members club Soho House, with the intention of spotting upcoming creative talents in the animation industry and to promote animation in the creative industry. The Animation Showcase screening proposes a yearly "Best of the Year" selection, spotting films that become shortlisted and eventual nominees for the Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film category.
