Animation: African animation on global stage at Cape Town International Animation Festival 2021

Animation: African animation on a global stage at the hybrid Cape Town International Animation Festival 2021

The Cape Town International Animation Festival [CTIAF] is an annual event but unfortunately had to be cancelled in 2020, because of Covid and lockdown. The exciting news is that CTIAF 2021 is happening as a hybrid event. There is an awesome programme which is taking place, in person, at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, with South African and international speakers.  As per lockdown regulations, Covid safety protocols apply and there will be limited seating. The workshops will not be streamed online so to attend those you have to have the Professional Pass, at R900 (in person attendance). The General Pass at R600 and Student Pass at R350 are for in person attendance only – for the talks and films. The Virtual Pass at R750 – is online – and provides access to everything – except the workshops – but provides access to all talks, films and meetings. The festival is not geo-locked/blocked and may be accessed online from anywhere in the world which makes the R750 Virtual Pass, an excellent deal for a global audience. This is much core to the festival – igniting conversations around animation on the African continent and globally – and the Virtual Passes make the festival accessible, beyond Cape Town. Info as supplied:

Celebrating the art of African animation on a global stage at Cape Town International Animation Festival

Proudly presented by Animation SA, the ninth Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) takes place from 1 to 3 October online and in-person at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.

CTIAF is the largest dedicated African animation festival on the continent.  With an exciting hybrid programme of talks, workshop, screenings, producer meetings, business-to-business sessions and more, CTIAF provides an opportunity to engage with global industry leaders, shine a spotlight on African talent and create a platform for connections and sharing of knowledge between local animators and their international counterparts.

This year CTIAF will also be presented with the Comic Con Cape Town Pop-up event, in partnership with the City of Cape Town. On Saturday 2 October, enjoy activities such as Cosplay competitions, the popular Comic Art Drink & Draw & Sketch-off competitions and Pop Culture Quiz Sessions. 

CTIAF and the Comic Con Cape Town Pop-up will be compliant with all government and Covid-19 regulations as the health and safety of fans and participants remain of paramount importance.

“We’ve searched the globe to bring you the best of the animation industry and are proud to present the best of Africa to the world,” says CTIAF Festival Director Dianne Makings. “We were unable to host our annual event last year, but the South African industry has continued to thrive on the international stage.

“CTIAF showcases Africa’s animation talent under one roof and understands the challenges, needs and opportunities of the African animation industry. We also want to help explore how we bring undiscovered African stories alive through colourful narratives.

“We can’t wait to gather, online and in person, our stellar line up of international and South African delegates to share their knowledge, engage in workshops, provide opportunities to have your portfolio reviewed, and so much more.”

Visitors can also enjoy the unique chance to watch screenings such as the Annency award winner Petit Vampire, directed by Joann Sfar, a story of friendship between a 10-year old never aging vampire and an orphan schoolboy, and look out for a selection of short films and the Best of Annecy. Screenings will take place at GoDrivein and tickets can be purchased at Webtickets. A full, three-day Professional CTIAF pass will also get you in!

The mouthwatering speaker line-up includes Anna Berthold from United Talent Agents and Aoife Lennon Ritchie, owner of Lennon-Ritchie Agency (LRA) & co-owner of Torchwood, a literary agency representing screenwriters, directors, and producers worldwide. Join them to find out more about the global animation industry when they will host an in-depth Q&A session on representation, studios and how to stand out in the crowd.

Berthold also oversees the Animation department at UTA, with a client list that includes Brad Bird, Chris Nee, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, Andrew Stanton, Rich Moore and The Jim Henson Company, among others. Lennon-Ritchie provides scouting services for the BBC in-house animation team and LRA is a literary agency representing a select group of international writers and selling International and film rights for publishing houses.

Producer and Founder of Reel Stories, Esther Pearl and Yasaman Ford will discuss why representation matters both behind the scenes and on the screen. Pearl spent the majority of her film career at Pixar Animation Studios where her feature film credits include Academy Award winning films The Incredibles, Wall-e, and Monsters, Inc. She is committed to closing the gender gap in the film and media industry and Reel Stories is the first filmmaking and training program for young women and female identified people led by industry professionals. Yasaman Ford is a Program Coordinator and Instructor at Reel Stories and works with guest teachers from the film industry to translate their knowledge into curriculum for Reel Stories’s Master Classes.

Ford will be also presenting a session on Script-writing and Story Structure – How to take an idea from ideation to screenplay.

Nathan Stanton presents Tales from the Story Trenches. A presentation on Story Structure, Storyboarding, Staging and Composition and Visual Storytelling. Stanton began his career at Pixar in June 1996 as a story artist for Pixar’s second feature film, A Bug’s Life.  He has worked on many of the studio’s successes and Academy Award winning films since then.  Most recently, Stanton has moved on from Pixar and is currently running a 12 week Story Lab program for local talent in Africa for Triggerfish Animation and Netflix in Cape Town.

Esther Pearl will take part in a second event about the Ins and outs of starting a studio with South African cultural activist and writer, director and producer at Na Aap Productions, Deidre Jantijies as well as Emmy Award-winner Kia Simon.  Na Aap Productions is an integrated, broad based production company, screening untold stories of Southern Africa. In 2020, the company partnered with an Indian storyteller and produced Love Thy Neighbour, an animation short film that won international awards.

Kia Simon is the founder of Sneaky Little Sister, a motion graphics company that works on independent films, documentaries, and videos for clients such as T-Mobile, LinkedIn and eBay.  She has won multiple Emmys for her editorial and mograph work on the YouTube series Deep Look.

Mary Glasser interviews Mounia Aram about upcoming distribution opportunities for African animation on the continent and across the world. Aram is theFounder and President of Mounia Aram Company,  which specialises in presenting African animation.

Another incredible opportunity is to hear Ariane Suveg of WARNERMEDIA share her experience on the Cartoon Network Creative Lab, the next steps and the ambitions they have for African animation. Suveg is Kids Content Director for WARNERMEDIA and manages kids content for Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Boing in France, Africa and Israel.

Annemarie March, Loyiso Kwize, Mohale Mashigo and Clyde Beech are The Kwezi Team and were the winners of CTIAF’s Road to Annecy Pitching Competition.  They talk about their experiences in bringing SA’s most loved comic to screen.

In The Path to A Series Greenlight, South Africans Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal join Emmy Award-winner Kent Osborne to talk about the career journeys that have led to the series production for their new Disney Channel show, Kiff. Osborne has worked for animated shows such as SpongeBob Square Pants, Camp Lazlo, Phineas and Ferb, The Amazing World of Gumball and Summer Camp Island, among others.

Brian Nitzkin is Senior Vice President, Business Affairs for Myriad Pictures and Photon Films.  Myriad is a leading independent entertainment company with recent credits that include the Academy Award nominated Margin Call, Never Too Late, Iron Sky – The Coming Race, Fatima and Deadly Cuts.  Nitzkin will be giving a workshop How to package your idea.  What a sales agent needs to see.

Nitzkin will also be joining Pete O’Donoghue, Nick Cloete and Rob van Vuuren, to talk about Electric Juju: the start of making a one man stageplay an animated feature film.

Cape Town International Animation Festival’s Women Transforming Animation Programme is a series of lectures, discussions, masterclasses, and networking events all aimed at helping women connect and create new networks with industry veterans and leaders. WTA throws a spotlight on women changing the landscape of the animation industry. In partnership with Reel Stories/ BAVC Media, WTA provides training and up-skilling resources and opportunities during the Festival and throughout the year. 

A few of the other highlights include IFAS sharing training opportunities in France for South African animators; The Making of Troll Girl with director Kay Carmichael. Troll Girl will also be screened as part of CTIAF’s programme) and a workshop with Triggerfish Academy’s CEO, Colin Payne to learn about remote working best practices.

The CTIAF is proudly presented by Animation SA and is made possible thanks to generous support from sponsors the Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Cape Town, Wacom, Wesgro, Film Cape Town, the French Institute of South Africa, Cardiff Animation Festival, Modena Media and Entertainment, the Gauteng Film Commission, Autodesk, Lenovo , The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH and Tshimologong. 

Visit www.ctiaf.com for the full programme details. The Cape Town International Animation Festival takes place from 1 to 3 October online and in-person at Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town 7915.  Parking is available at the College opposite the Old Biscuit Mill.

Comments from sponsors:

‘IFAS is very excited to be back at CTIAF. We have invested in so many great training programs in the last few years, and we want to make sure that every animator and student knows about these opportunities to upskill their game.’ French Institute in South Africa.

‘Reel Stories is thrilled to be included in the Cape Town International Animation Festival. Only 20% creatives in animation are women, and Reel Stories aims to change the representation behind the scenes in the animation industry. Partnerships with amazing festivals like CTIAF are vital for us to move the needle towards a more equitable film industry.’ Esther Pearl, Producer and Founder of Reel Stories.

‘At Lenovo, we are thrilled to be a sponsor for this year’s Cape Town International Animation Festival. We know that the past few years have not been easy for the creative industry throughout our country and around the world. Sponsoring an event like this, which has the potential to unlock countless opportunities for creatives from all corners of South Africa, strongly lives up to our brand promise of not only providing Smarter Technology for all, but also – driving real meaningful impact through collaboration, networking and creativity. We hope that all attendees will enjoy the rich, in-depth insight and expertise provided by the fantastic lineup of speakers, as well as the preview of how Lenovo’s products can aid them in their creative ambitions.’Thibault Dousson, General Manager at Lenovo South Africa.

About CTIAF

Now in its ninth year, the CTIAF has enjoyed great successes in its goal of creating a platform for the art and business of South African animation. The most recent successes have included:

·       A special screening of CTIAF curated short films representing South African animation were screened at Annecy International  Animated Film Festival 2020

·       Post 2019’s event and as a result of discussions at the Festival,  both Peter Ramsey and Aron Warner are working with South African studios

 ANIMATION SA

Animation South Africa is a non profit industry association which represents the interests of animation professionals by:

▪ Creating new business opportunities by identifying and coordinating export missions to key markets
▪ Conducting and participating in global market research.
▪ Creating knowledge-sharing opportunities to upskill our animation professionals
▪ Consulting with government in an effort to inform a regulatory environment in which the animation industry can thrive.

❇ Sponsored content. Images supplied. Featured image: Joann Sfar’s Little Vampire (Petit Vampire), “a story of friendship between a 10-year old never aging vampire and an orphan schoolboy.”The acclaimed comic book author, illustrator, novelist and a director has adapted the film from his first volume of his cult comic book, featuring the little vampire character.