Conversations with some of the animation industry's most celebrated independent creators.
In an age where animation is dominated by slick computer-generated imagery, British animators Joanna Quinn and Candy Guard’s films stand out because they are so obviously hand-drawn. Whether it’s Guard’s simple pencil and sparse colour on white paper, or Quinn’s constantly shifting lines expressing the huge vitality of her characters, these two friends and animators have produced some of the funniest observational humour made by women, about women.
With a keen eye for detailed observation and a sharp comedic sense, both Quinn and Guard’s films pay particular attention to the frustrations encountered by ordinary women in their daily lives. Their films and television series have captivated audiences and won major awards all around the world.
In this fun and funny session, three old friends, Joanna Quinn, Candy Guard and moderator Sue Rowe, have an engaging conversation about their artwork, men, their films from the last twenty-five years, men, and their sources for inspiration (not men). Not to be missed.
SPEAKERS
Joanna Quinn
Animator, Director // Independent
(Affairs of the Art, Dreams & Desires: Family Ties, Wife of Bath, Britannia)
Joanna studied Graphic Design at Middlesex University, and it was here that Joanna first discovered the magic of animation, quickly adapting her unique drawing abilities to produce beautifully fluid and dynamic animated passages. Her first film, Girl’s Night Out (1986), won 3 prizes at the Annecy Animation Festival in 1987 and thrust her into the international animation scene.
Joanna's drawing skills, humour and wonderful characterizations have made her a highly-acclaimed figure in world animation. She has won many international awards, including Emmys, Baftas and Jury prizes at all the major animation festivals. Two of her films, Famous Fred (1996) and The Wife of Bath (1998) have received Oscar© nominations.
Joanna continues to be a committed educator and is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London and University of Wales Newport and Honorary Doctor at the University of Wolverhampton and Middlesex University. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and sits on the executive committee for short film and animation.
Joanna works collaboratively with writer/producer partner, Les Mills, and their new short film Affairs of the Art was released in January 2021.
Website // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn
Candy Guard
Animator, Writer, Cartoonist // Independent
(Alternative Fringe, Fatty Issues, Fantastic Person, Pond Life)
Candy Guard was born in Hammersmith in West London. After studying Fine Art at Newcastle Polytechnic and Film & Video at Saint Martin’s School of Art, Candy quickly established her reputation for comic observation and witty dialogue with 13 animated shorts for Channel 4, the BBC and MTV, including the award-winning Alternative Fringe about an unfortunate trip to the hairdressers, and Fatty Issues about a 1-day diet. Her films always concern funny, complex female characters struggling with everyday life. She drew a long-running strip cartoon in The Observer magazine and then created the hit Channel 4 animated situation comedy, Pond Life.
The unusual fact of a female lead in an adult animation show and the juxtaposition of deceptively simple drawing with sophisticated scripts surprised and delighted audiences around the world and it won both critical and popular acclaim. It is the only animated show to be nominated in the Best Situation Comedy category at The Writers Guild Awards. Its grumpy, charming star, Dolly Pond, became a feminist hero! Candy has also created advertising campaigns for Clear Blue Pregnancy Tester and Ski yogurt and is a published novelist, (her first novel Just a Little Disco on an Open-Top Bus, was published by Penguin in 2006), a children’s book author, cartoonist and script-writer. She teaches script writing to animation students at colleges around the UK and abroad.
YouTube // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn
MODERATOR
Sue Rowe
VFX Supervisor // Scanline VFX
(The Meg, The Maze Runner, John Carter, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory)
Sue Rowe has been a Visual Effects Supervisor for over 20 years. Sues credits stack up. She has worked as an in-house VFX supervisor and an overall VFX supervisor on films like The Maze Runner and for TV A Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix. Sues most recent credit will be on the forthcoming The Eternals for Marvel. Sue is currently working in Virtual Production at Scanline, shooting real-time VFX on LED screens. However, Sue's first love will always be Animation, which is why she loves to be involved with SPARK!
Conversations with some of the animation industry's most celebrated independent creators.
In an age where animation is dominated by slick computer-generated imagery, British animators Joanna Quinn and Candy Guard’s films stand out because they are so obviously hand-drawn. Whether it’s Guard’s simple pencil and sparse colour on white paper, or Quinn’s constantly shifting lines expressing the huge vitality of her characters, these two friends and animators have produced some of the funniest observational humour made by women, about women.
With a keen eye for detailed observation and a sharp comedic sense, both Quinn and Guard’s films pay particular attention to the frustrations encountered by ordinary women in their daily lives. Their films and television series have captivated audiences and won major awards all around the world.
In this fun and funny session, three old friends, Joanna Quinn, Candy Guard and moderator Sue Rowe, have an engaging conversation about their artwork, men, their films from the last twenty-five years, men, and their sources for inspiration (not men). Not to be missed.
SPEAKERS
Joanna Quinn
Animator, Director // Independent
(Affairs of the Art, Dreams & Desires: Family Ties, Wife of Bath, Britannia)
Joanna studied Graphic Design at Middlesex University, and it was here that Joanna first discovered the magic of animation, quickly adapting her unique drawing abilities to produce beautifully fluid and dynamic animated passages. Her first film, Girl’s Night Out (1986), won 3 prizes at the Annecy Animation Festival in 1987 and thrust her into the international animation scene.
Joanna's drawing skills, humour and wonderful characterizations have made her a highly-acclaimed figure in world animation. She has won many international awards, including Emmys, Baftas and Jury prizes at all the major animation festivals. Two of her films, Famous Fred (1996) and The Wife of Bath (1998) have received Oscar© nominations.
Joanna continues to be a committed educator and is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London and University of Wales Newport and Honorary Doctor at the University of Wolverhampton and Middlesex University. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and sits on the executive committee for short film and animation.
Joanna works collaboratively with writer/producer partner, Les Mills, and their new short film Affairs of the Art was released in January 2021.
Website // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn
Candy Guard
Animator, Writer, Cartoonist // Independent
(Alternative Fringe, Fatty Issues, Fantastic Person, Pond Life)
Candy Guard was born in Hammersmith in West London. After studying Fine Art at Newcastle Polytechnic and Film & Video at Saint Martin’s School of Art, Candy quickly established her reputation for comic observation and witty dialogue with 13 animated shorts for Channel 4, the BBC and MTV, including the award-winning Alternative Fringe about an unfortunate trip to the hairdressers, and Fatty Issues about a 1-day diet. Her films always concern funny, complex female characters struggling with everyday life. She drew a long-running strip cartoon in The Observer magazine and then created the hit Channel 4 animated situation comedy, Pond Life.
The unusual fact of a female lead in an adult animation show and the juxtaposition of deceptively simple drawing with sophisticated scripts surprised and delighted audiences around the world and it won both critical and popular acclaim. It is the only animated show to be nominated in the Best Situation Comedy category at The Writers Guild Awards. Its grumpy, charming star, Dolly Pond, became a feminist hero! Candy has also created advertising campaigns for Clear Blue Pregnancy Tester and Ski yogurt and is a published novelist, (her first novel Just a Little Disco on an Open-Top Bus, was published by Penguin in 2006), a children’s book author, cartoonist and script-writer. She teaches script writing to animation students at colleges around the UK and abroad.
YouTube // IMDb // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn
MODERATOR
Sue Rowe
VFX Supervisor // Scanline VFX
(The Meg, The Maze Runner, John Carter, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory)
Sue Rowe has been a Visual Effects Supervisor for over 20 years. Sues credits stack up. She has worked as an in-house VFX supervisor and an overall VFX supervisor on films like The Maze Runner and for TV A Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix. Sues most recent credit will be on the forthcoming The Eternals for Marvel. Sue is currently working in Virtual Production at Scanline, shooting real-time VFX on LED screens. However, Sue's first love will always be Animation, which is why she loves to be involved with SPARK!
