Iain Gardner

Last updated
Iain Gardner
Born (1970-04-19) April 19, 1970 (age 54)
Glasgow
CitizenshipBritish
OccupationFilm director
Known for A Bear Named Wojtek

Iain Alexander Gardner is a Scottish animator and director based in Edinburgh, Scotland. [1] His notable works include the 2023 Scottish-Polish animated short film A Bear Named Wojtek (2023). [2]

Contents

Career

Gardner graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor's in Illustration from the Glasgow School of Art. During his undergraduate degree, he took a year out to work at the Richard Williams Studio on The Thief and The Cobbler . [3] In 1996, he obtained a Master's degree in Animation from the Royal College of Art. [4]

After graduating, Gardner worked at the John Coates TVCartoons [4] studio and at Channel 4, as part of their MOMI Animation residency. [5] [6] Between 2001 and 2002, he lived in Canada and worked in the Aniamtion and Illustration departments at Bruce Alcock’s Global Mechanic on The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (2003) directed by Ann Marie Fleming. [7]

Between 2009 and 2019, Gardner worked as Animation Programmer at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, overseeing the McLaren Award for Best British Animation [8] and curating retrospectives about renowned animators, including Don Hertzfeldt, Richard Williams, Lizzie Hobbs, Barry Purves, and Scottish filmmaking duo Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson. [9]

In 2013, Gardner founded the production company Animation Garden, which developed the series Mustard & Ketchup (later renamed as Badger Beats) and produced projects such as A Bear Named Wojtek (2023). [8]

In 2014 , Gardner was the Artistic Director of McLaren2014 , a project in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada that celebrated the Centenary of animator Norman McLaren. [10]

Filmography

Film

TV Series

Other

Recognition

Gardner's films have received several awards from international film festivals, including a Scottish BAFTA nomination for his film The Tannery (2010), [16] as well as the 2024 British Animation Award for Best Long Form Film and the 2024 Venice TV Award for Best Animation with A Bear Named Wojtek (2023). [3] The film was also a recipient of the BFI's YACF Production Award. [17]

Gardner's work is mentioned in two books: Maureen Furniss’s The Animation Bible (2008) and the 2nd edition of Paul Wells and Samantha Moore’s The Fundamentals of Animation (2016). [18]

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References

  1. ↑ Lambrou, Andrea; Blackburn, Jonathan (December 22, 2024). "Cambuslang animator's magical film shortlisted for Oscars". Glasgow Live.
  2. ↑ Zahed, Ramin (June 11, 2024). "'A Bear Named Wojtek' Director Iain Gardner Discusses His Lovingly Crafted Annecy-Selected Project". animationmagazine.net.
  3. 1 2 "Iain Gardiner – The World Animation Summit" . Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  4. 1 2 "Cambuslang animator's magical film shortlisted for Oscars". Yahoo News. 2024-12-22. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  5. ↑ "Animate Projects - Interview with Iain Gardner on Navigations". animateprojectsarchive.org. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  6. ↑ "Iain Gardner". British Animation Awards. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  7. ↑ Canada, National Film Board of. "The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  8. 1 2 Cowley, Laura-Beth (2022-03-09). "BAA Regional Focus – Scotland". Skwigly Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  9. ↑ "Scottish short filmmakers - Edinburgh International Film Festival". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  10. 1 2 "TNC Archive 2018: Looper: Farfisa Song". The New Current. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  11. ↑ Lyons, Kevin (2024-06-18). "Flight of the Dodo (1996)". EOFFTV - The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  12. ↑ "British Council Film: Akbar's Cheetah". film-directory.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  13. ↑ "Full record for 'LOCH NESS KELPIE, the' (7502) - Moving Image Archive catalogue". movingimage.nls.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  14. ↑ "Mary and The Miners". The MY HERO Project. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  15. ↑ Munday, Rob (2015-04-20). "How the Story of an Explosive Fox Stole Led Iain Gardner to Create Animated Short Film 'The Tannery'". Directors Notes. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  16. ↑ "Animate Projects - Iain Gardner". animateprojectsarchive.org. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  17. ↑ "Iain Gardner". Manchester Animation Festival. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  18. ↑ "Directors UK". directors.uk.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
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