Conversations with filmmakers selected to the festival.

COMING SOON! Ryan Braund’s feature film debut isn’t only a cautionary tale of artificial intelligence run amok, it’s also a passion project which Ryan wrote, directed and animated. In this conversation with Festival Director Marina Antunes, Ryan shares his creative process, finding his way through animation, and opens up about the mental struggle to make the film.&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/4e67d190afe510bb6664a1c7b735bd67.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8cd505f57b60cb14a2933e8ee4447d86.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Ryan BraundDirector // Independent(Absolute Denial, Stick Together, Four Thieves and the Not-So Sweet Shop) Ryan has been making films since he was 16, producing short animated films in his bedroom that went on to defy the odds and garner national film festival awards. At 18 he was the youngest ever recipient of the BAFTA 60 Seconds of Fame award for his short, stop motion film Stick Together. Since then he wrote, directed and animated numerous short films that went on to be selected for a host of international film festivals and won multiple awards, including Best Film at Horrorfest for Break-In and a Royal Television Society award for his graduation film Four Thieves and the Not-So Sweet Shop. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Television and Film Design, Ryan spent several years as an editor and director of live news broadcasts for BBC News as well as shooting, directing and editing award-winning music videos such as Soul - The Loose Cut which received Best Music Video at the International Gong Awards. Ryan has just solo-animated his highly ambitious debut feature film 'Absolute Denial'; a behemoth of a project requiring over 30,000 frames of hand drawn animation. The film is based on his acclaimed script EXE - a quarter-finalist screenplay at the Austin Film Festival and semi-finalist of Write LA 2018. <a href="https://scfilmsinternational.com/current-films-animation-titles/absolute-denial/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3642500/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/ryan_braund?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ryan.braund/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanbraund/?originalSubdomain=uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0dc9b7c1968a757f3396f5f4ac305f4c.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8504f3aabd2f5d29ab79cd1ba31a31e8.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Absolute Denial; AI Runs Amok When Computers Come Alive

Moved by what’s happening to the environment, director Simone Giampaolo discusses the genesis of his award-winning film,&nbsp;Only A Child. From a 12-year-old female activist to the environmental themes of Frederick Back’s films, Giampaolo has set out to make a film that he hopes will effect change. Collaborating with twenty Swiss directors, and using just as many varied mediums of animation, Giampaolo has directed an award-winning masterpiece that will not move you but motivate you. It’s a film of our time and a timeless film.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f5b479d231ea586fe5005c28b1481a5f.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/fc3aa22e75b652a0956627eaa4efe0dc.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Simone GiampaoloDirector, Animator, CG Artist // Independent(Only a Child, Obki, Hope?, White + Black = Red, Stonehend) Simone Giampaolo is a Swiss London-based director and animator with an insatiable appetite for storytelling. In 2013 he graduated with Distinction from the BA (Hons) Computer Animation Arts course at the National Centre for Computer Animation in Bournemouth (UK). Between 2014 and 2018 Simone worked as animation director and CG generalist in the commercial department at Blue-Zoo Animation on a multitude of projects for clients such as Cartoon Network, Disney, LEGO, Nickelodeon, Marvel, Lucasfilm and BBC. After finishing crafting a mini-series at Jellyfish Pictures in 2019, he’s been directing several commissioned films at Aardman Animations (which is representing him as short-form director). <a href="http://simone-giampaolo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/SGiampaolo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/giampaolo.simone/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-giampaolo-13743720/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/103da80d8571e14b2f50f4bd1992a3fd.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a088915d1ba30519211589a41ac21d77.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Only a Child – Over 20 Animators Collaborate to Celebrate Environmental Youth Movement

Small moments can have huge impact on our lives. Case in point: Ashton Blyth’s animation debut Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now which captures a two-minute scene that speaks volumes to the director’s life journey. Ashton is joined by director and Festival Jury member Dean Hamer to how animation can be used to challenge and explore ideas of gender in society.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/e1dede66804650b871beee1b4952f540.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/7ed04c2d53400979fac6116d23242a67.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Ashton BlythDirector // Independent(Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now) Ashton Blyth is a UK-based FtM transgender artist whose practice investigates the theme of identity, most recently conveying his themes through animations. With his work, he aims to create artworks that question the rules and restraints society lays out for us in regards to our personal identity - in order to challenge and create new ways to represent the constant evolution of gender in society. Identity is an ideological construct created by society, our identity is formed by what tick boxes we fit that society hands us. When you look at a portrait artist’s work, it’s a fixed and permanent view of somebody’s identity. In the modern world, it’s more fluid and non-binary, and this should be represented not only in society, but in art as well. Society’s viewpoints on gender, sexuality, race, religion etc. are changing, and that needs to be showcased more – which is what Blyth intends to do so with his own work. Throughout the years of his education in the arts, Blyth has developed his skills in a variety of mediums: drawing, etching, printmaking, sculpture, laser-cutting, film and animation. Blyth’s preferred method of creation being to combine several mediums to build an installation that the audience can participate or immerse themselves in. Blyth believes these methods have proven invaluable in improving audience understand of his work and its significance regarding gender and sexuality. Having chosen to explore the contexts of his practice in an assortment of ways, Blyth feels this has enhanced his ability to aid students investigating a multiplicity of mediums and will allow his teaching to cater for a diverse range of interests and abilities, offering direction and support from a place of experience. <a href="https://www.ashtonblyth.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ashtonblyth.art/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ashtonblyth.art" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a41b6443cfd58017ff7227f68b878168.png"> MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ba375d7db24fe7da90e32a28b2912b26.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Dean HamerDirector //&nbsp;Kanaka Pakipika Dean Hamer is an Emmy&nbsp;Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times Book of the Year author whose feature and short films combine live-action with animation to explore pressing social issues through innovative storytelling.&nbsp;His work has screened and won awards at film festivals around the world including Berlin, Tribeca and Toronto, been viewed by millions on PBS, Netflix and international networks, supported by Sundance, Ford and Pacific Islanders in Communications, and received widespread attention for their role in promoting social change. Hamer’s recent animated short film&nbsp;Kapaemahu, which won five Oscar-qualifying awards and was shortlisted at the 93rd Academy Awards, is the basis of an upcoming children’s book and museum exhibition about Hawaii’s long tradition of gender diversity. <a href="http://kapaemahu.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Webiste</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1581205/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="http://facebook.com/kumuhina.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="http://instagram.com/kapaemahu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kumuhina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>

A Life in Snapshots: Ashton Blyth on Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now

A conversation with filmmaker Joanna Quinn and Les Mills.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a724e67b9018576a4ca1ac6f5eca1321.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a9907982865fde30242e0cc7853e91d5.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Joanna QuinnAnimator, Director // Beryl Productions International(Affairs of the Art, Dreams &amp; 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 &amp; Sciences, and sits on the executive committee for short film and animation. Joanna works collaboratively with writer-producer partner, Les Mills, on their new short film, Affairs of the Art, which was released in Jan 2021. <a href="http://www.berylproductions.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0703885/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/32a8fc59304242770e81d90855c410a9.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/69f9d2ee97b52175225adea469629465.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Les MillsWriter, Producer // Beryl Productions International(Affairs of the Art, Dreams &amp; Desires: Family Ties, Wife of Bath, Body Beautiful) Les studied at Cardiff University, Goldsmiths College University of London and at Rutgers University in the US, where he completed a Masters Degree in Fine Art and Art History. His teaching experience is extensive, initially teaching Art &amp; Design but gradually becoming more interested in Filmmaking and Animation. He became course director in Film and Animation Production at the Film School of University of Wales, Newport but left full-time teaching in 2002 to concentrate on directing Beryl Productions International, the animation production company formed with Joanna in 1988. He first collaborated with Joanna on her graduation film Girls Night Out while teaching basic animation on the Graphic Design course at Middlesex University. Since that time the two have worked very closely together. He wrote and produced the next Beryl film Body Beautiful and produced Wife of Bath, one of the Canterbury Tales series, which won a BAFTA, 3 Emmys and received an Oscar nomination. He wrote and produced their last film, Family Ties, which won 45 international awards including a BAFTA nomination and the European Cartoon d’Or 2007. He’s just written and produced the latest Beryl Film, Affairs of the Art. <a href="http://www.berylproductions.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0995104/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/58673f38ae3c0dc22bfc9b28110a132d.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/65459baea107c9440276e39462bd2185.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Sue RoweVFX Supervisor // Scanline VFX(Uncharted, Dune, Hobbs and Shaw, Godzilla King of Monsters) Sue Rowe has been a Visual Effects Supervisor for over 20 years. Sues credits stack up. She has worked an in-house VFX sup and an overall VFX supervisor on Films like The Maze Runner and for TV A Series of Unfortunate Events for Netflix. Sue's 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 animations which is why she loves to be involved with SPARK! <a href="https://www.scanlinevfx.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746610/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>

Life Imitating Art with Joanna Quinn

A conversation with Emmy Award-Winning writer/director Joe Mateo speaks about his career and his new film Blush.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0a789fe531bc68b01b8d788bbd8fc61b.png">SPEAKER Joe MateoDirector(Blush, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Zootopia, Big Hero 6) For almost three decades, Emmy Award winner Joe Mateo (Written and Directed by) has made his career in feature animation. In 2019, Mateo was recruited as a storyboard artist for Skydance Animation and, in 2021, his Short Film Blush will become the studio’s very first release. A proud Filipino-American who immigrated to the United States in 1992, Mateo got his first big break on Pocahontas, and his 25 years at Walt Disney Feature Animation took him from in-between work on beloved classics from Mulan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan—as well as The Emperor’s New Groove and Treasure Planet—to his role as story artist on such hits as Bolt, Tangled, Zootopia and Wreck-It Ralph. In addition to receiving an Emmy for his work as storyboard artist on the Short Prep &amp; Landing, Mateo served as head of story on Disney’s Big Hero 6 and co-wrote the studio’s Meet the Robinsons. The most unexpected highlight of his career was acting as the voice of that animated-adventure’s T. rex. He will forever be linked with the often-quoted phrase: “I have a big head and little arms. I’m just not sure how well this plan was thought through…” Before his move to the States, the filmmaker majored in advertising in fine arts at the oldest university in Asia, the Philippines’ University of Santo Tomas (UST). Mateo lives with daughters Mina and Joey Ann, girlfriend Hazel and their mischievous dog, Coco, in Northridge, California. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1853872/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/9e06096de9db9bfc93995797642d783b.png">MODERATOR ﻿<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f077d5056fda0c6b3ff5d40f963c3c05.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a088915d1ba30519211589a41ac21d77.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Blush: Finding Love in Outer Space

Ewa Smyk’s award-winning film Homebird is a lovely story of a homesick woman who finds solace in her trip home. The film’s personal story is gorgeously brought to life with a painted style of animation that feel wholly traditional but actually mixes a variety of modern techniques to bring it to life. In this conversation, writer and director Ewa discusses the film’s concept and shares some insights into how the project was made.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/2bcd69d7a24c23da47e84b7f1087d2db.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1f110ab462855a4dd89c5c14670791f3.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Ewa SmykDirector // Independent(Homebird, The Deal) Ewa is an animation director with a background in graphic design, book design and illustration, who likes to tell bitter-sweet stories that explore cultural identity and memory, using textured, analogue animation techniques. Her short film, Homebird has been created entirely in a paint-on-cel technique, using thousands of marker pens, paint tubes and sheets of acetate. <a href="https://ewasmyk.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11309056/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/smykenator/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/64f39ab8d9337d1f410387a5c3251d45.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/e05b36f907c1bfc548e4ca2ef3f9748d.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Technology Meets Tradition in Homebird

Bill Plympton is the King of Indie Animation and is the first person to hand draw an entire animated feature film. After a career in editorial cartooning, Plympton produced his first personal film, for which he was nominated for an Oscar® for his animated short&nbsp;Your Face. After producing many shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike &amp; Mike’s Animation Festival, he turned his talent to feature films. Since 1991, Plympton has made nine feature films, all hand-drawn. In 2005, Bill received another Oscar® nomination, this time for his short&nbsp;Guard Dog. His film,&nbsp;Push Comes to Shove&nbsp;won the prestigious Cannes 1991 Palme d'Or; and in 2001, another short film,&nbsp;Eat, won the Grand Prize for Short Films in Cannes Critics' Week. In 2006, Bill received the Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award from The Annie Awards.&nbsp;He also animated 7 opening "couch gags" for FOX-TV's&nbsp;The Simpsons&nbsp;including the monumental one for the 700th episode. In this session, Plympton discusses his squiggly style, those ones that inspire him and his latest film,&nbsp;Demi’s Panic. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ff53bb438bb2a778686be48651edbf1b.png"> SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/29603740c68b3581c65c2c798b7b5b8d.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/19fb6116943e38447bd9c92205b78e66.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Bill PlymptonDirector, Animator // Independent(Cheatin', Idiots and Angels, Guard Dog, Your Face) Bill Plympton is considered the King of Indie Animation and is the first person to hand draw an entire animated feature film. Bill moved to New York City from Portland, Oregon in 1968 and began his career creating cartoons for publications such as New York Times, National Lampoon, Playboy, and Screw. In 1987, he was nominated for an Oscar® for his animated short Your Face. In 2005, Bill received another Oscar® nomination, this time for his short Guard Dog. Push Comes to Shove won the prestigious Cannes 1991 Palme d'Or; and in 2001, another short film, Eat, won the Grand Prize for Short Films in Cannes Critics' Week. After producing many shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike and Mike's, he turned his talent to feature films. Since 1991, he's made eleven feature films. Eight of them, The Tune, Mondo Plympton, I Married A Strange Person, Mutant Aliens, Hair High, Idiots and Angels, Cheatin', and Revengeance are all animated features. Bill Plympton has also collaborated with Madonna, Kanye West and Weird Al Yankovic in a number of music videos and book projects. In 2006, he received the Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award from The Annie Awards.&nbsp;He also animated 7 opening "couch gags" for FOX-TV's The Simpsons and 6 Trump Bites shorts using real audio from Donald Trump, which won a 2019 Webby Award. <a href="https://www.plymptoons.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687739/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Plymptoons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/plymptoons/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/plymptoons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/739c64f8ecde0892715505bebd41aa69.png" style="max-width: 100%;">MODERATOR﻿<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f077d5056fda0c6b3ff5d40f963c3c05.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a088915d1ba30519211589a41ac21d77.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8ce082f5a311782e551a4891f453dd27.png">

Inside the Wild & Hand-Drawn World of Bill Plympton

Desirae Witte’s directorial debut started life as a 5-second project with no intention on growing into anything more but with the help of a talented group of collaborators who believed in the vision, The Fall turned into 3-minutes of joyous fun. Listen in as Desirae shares how a small concept and a wicked sense of humour turned into the award-winning short film.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/38e468dd19ed79abd24803bbea3f4051.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/5dfd7cb995b9285295b7cbda32ef4f48.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Desirae WitteDirector &amp; Story Artist // Independent(The Fall,&nbsp;The Willoughbys,&nbsp;Gabby's Dollhouse,&nbsp;Madagascar: A Little Wild) Desirae Witte is a Vancouver-based storyboard artist, and the writer and director of The Fall. She has created storyboards for a range of projects including The Willoughbys, Madagascar: A Little Wild, Devil May Care, and Gabby’s Dollhouse. Most recently she worked on an unannounced Dreamworks kids series at Doberman Pictures in Vancouver. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Desirae studied animation at Emily Carr University of Art &amp; Design, earning a Bachelor of Media Arts in Animation in 2015. While working as a storyboard revisionist at Titmouse, she submitted a short animatic for the studio’s 5-Second-Day festival, which would lay the groundwork for The Fall. Des hopes to continue honing her skills in the story department &amp; creating more short films, with the goal of one day becoming a full-time director. <a href="https://www.desiraewitte.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/desonpaper/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/desiraewitte/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/fc0e74873e99785abf7db3ad507505db.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/452be5d01aa6a92074ce3d4cd0c71ccc.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Finding Joy in the Darkly Comedic with Desirae Witte

The idea of animators spending years of their life creating a film entirely on their own is nothing new. However, Denver Jackson flips the switch and creates theatrical feature-length animations in the span of a year entirely by himself. Denver discusses why he chooses to be in control of all aspects of animation production from storyboarding to animating, to post. He breaks down his incredible work schedule and animation process using a hybrid model of 3D and classical animation. Secrets are revealed. Whiskey is consumed. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/911b86817fee3a27ab9180f8812d6911.png"> SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a894d3b2fe787c38a0705d451c946102.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ee490bacc763dd8b6bba941f3c0e136e.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Denver JacksonAnimator, Writer, Director // Cloudrise Pictures(Esluna: The Crown of Babylon, Esluna: The First Monolith, The Wishing Jar, Cloudrise) South African-born filmmaker, Denver Jackson, has been a visual effects artist and animator for ten years living in Canada. He is internationally recognized for his work in digital and visual effects, animation and design, and has contributed to many award-winning films. He works on both live-action and animated films, blending the conventions of both mediums to create his own unique style. Denver is known to often write, direct, film, edit and animate his projects almost entirely on his own. In 2016-2017, Denver completed two short animated films that he wrote, directed and animated; The Wishing Jar (2016) which has screened around the world, including at three Academy-qualifying festivals, winning ‘best-animated film’ at San Diego Comic-Con IIFF and Heartland Film Festival. Most recently, he produced both a web series, Esluna: The First Monolith, and a feature, Esluna: The Crown of Babylon, with animation production being handled entirely by himself. Denver’s work leans heavily on the fantastical, while still being grounded by real-world characters and situations. <a href="http://www.cloudrisepictures.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3364672/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cloudrisepictures" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cloudrisepictures/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/cloudriseltd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/denver-jackson-a199335a/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/739c64f8ecde0892715505bebd41aa69.png">MODERATOR<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a894d3b2fe787c38a0705d451c946102.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8e39add1759ec7c4d9b797c918235795.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Jeff Chiba StearnsAnimation Director, Producer // Meditating Bunny Studio(The Treebees, Mixed Match, One Big Hapa Family, Yellow Sticky Notes) Jeff Chiba Stearns is an Emmy®-nominated and Webby award-winning animation and documentary filmmaker, as well as an acclaimed author and illustrator. After graduating from Emily Carr University with a degree in Film Animation, he founded a Vancouver-based boutique animation studio and publishing company Meditating Bunny Studio Inc. in 2001. Jeff’s short and feature-length films, including What Are You Anyways? (2005), Yellow Sticky Notes (2007), One Big Hapa Family (2010), Ode to a Post-it Note (2010), Yellow Sticky Notes | Canadian Anijam (2013) and Mixed Match (2016), have been broadcast around the world, screened in hundreds of international film festivals and garnered dozens of awards. Having mixed Japanese and European roots, Jeff’s work often deals with themes of multiethnic identity. He coined the term Hapanimation to describe his style of blending anime and manga with a North American cartoon aesthetic. He has lectured and presented his films at over one hundred universities including Harvard, Cornell and Yale.&nbsp; In 2018, Jeff wrote and illustrated his first picture book, Mixed Critters, an ABC book. Jeff’s second children’s book, Nori &amp; His Delicious Dreams (2020), features a Japanese Canadian boy named Nori who dreams of sleeping in foods from around the world. In 2021, Jeff completed his first graphic novel, On Being Yukiko, a collaborative graphic novel created with Sansei artist, Lillian Michiko Blakey. It features an intergenerational story addressing both themes of Japanese Canadian history and mixed identity. Jeff is also the creative director for the upcoming animated children’s music series The Treebees. <a href="https://www.meditatingbunny.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2098506/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chibastearns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meditatingbunny" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.twitter.com/meditatingbunny" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jeffchibastearns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3e425457ece7ff805180dfc37d4c26fe.png">

Denver Jackson: Animation’s One-Man Band

Making commercial content isn't always easy but when it came to working on Katy Perry's "Harleys in Hawai’i," directors Hoku Uchiyama and Adam Bolt really felt like they were living the dream. We spoke with the creative team about working for hire, the creative process, and the challenges of making a music video that was fun, beautiful, and culturally sensitive. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0823733076fef87731c6a7da90ad2b2b.png"> SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/aef528d16a954ee8bbb340202c6ce409.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/47b613dba87127245580ad48920e1e86.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Hoku UchiyamaDirector, Writer Cannes Young Director Award winner Hoku Uchiyama is a lover of fantasy films, horror and animation. His directing work has garnered tens of millions of online views and has been screened in festivals in the US, Europe and Asia. The work has also been featured at the LA County Museum of Art and in a series produced by the Modern Art museum Centre Pompidou of Paris. Hoku broke ground with his award-winning music video for Jason Webley and Amanda Palmer’s “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?”&nbsp;He and his sometimes directing partner, Adam Bolt, have made a name crafting high energy, fun, technical commercials under the moniker “Hoku &amp; Adam.”&nbsp;Their clients include Starbucks, Google, Lenovo and FedEx.&nbsp;They’ve also created award-winning spots for National Geographic, Wilkinson Sword (by animating facial hair), and YouTube (using 18 styles of animation in one film). Their 2020 music video for Katy Perry’s “Harleys in Hawai’i” won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Music Video. Hoku also directed the 2014 documentary Upaj: Improvise which was broadcast nationally in the US on PBS World. Currently, he’s developing Third Floor; a horror series, The Good Sister; a horror-fantasy feature, and Vicarious; a sci-fi feature. <a href="https://www.hokuuchiyama.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/HokuStuff" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="http://instagram.com/hoku_chan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/48638c5231da2b9eec139e0a9e09fe9d.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/dacc2f3f559b1dd97173111e9f8808a8.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Adam BoltDirector, Writer dam Bolt discovered as a little kid that drawing a sequence of images in a notepad made magical moving pictures. Around the same time, he probably caught a monster movie on TV that he shouldn’t have, and was never the same. Now he splits his time between making huggable animated content seen by millions (for clients as varied as National Geographic, Starbucks, and Google), and heinous horrible horror films that have been featured at festivals across the globe. He often collaborates with Hoku Uchiyama as part of the team called “Hoku &amp; Adam” under Partizan. He’s currently developing a number of feature projects with Vanishing Angle, including A Place in the Dark (a haunted house horror/thriller), and Hivemind (a near-future sci-fi/horror). <a href="https://www.adambolt.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0a07b5789da97b0fcd8c3e085795f8c7.png">MODERATOR<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/78597e04e436efbacdc41c7b5ce1511b.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/2e2c1221df17cc993bffdd16290b8f7b.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premier animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, a bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/019a00b1c9e722919b5e022e4362b224.png">

The Dream Job with Hoku Uchiyama & Adam Bolt

Watching the news we ask ourselves, “War, what is good for? Lives are destroyed, upended and changed forever, and 50% of those impacted are children. Imagine the effect it has on these innocent ones?” Ten years ago animator Cinzia Angelini reached out to the worldwide community of animators and brought together 350 volunteers to help address these issues. Her highly personal story&nbsp;Mila&nbsp;is one of resilience and perseverance in the midst of destruction. Listen in as Cinzia recounts her own mother’s wartime experience, the challenges in making this global film and the hope that it inspires.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/37209cc311367ffa9cd51ae34ef8866d.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ab4991de8d27455d6e92eb5f0c815631.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Cinzia AngeliniDirector // Independent Cinzia Angelini, a story artist, and director who has collaborated with Imageworks, Walt Disney, Warner Bros, Dreamworks, and Illumination Ent. After writing and directing Mila, a high-quality CG short film produced by the largest independent, world-wide, virtual studio ever created, she joined Cinesite to direct the animated feature film Hitpig. <a href="http://www.milafilm.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/02a70f0ef1c2aa740f19414a2adc8d59.png"> MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1ba577221ee1c779f7dcae12ba2ce215.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Making an Impact with Mila's Creator, Cinzia Angelini

India Barnardo’s journey with Cat and Moth started with some doodles and an idea to make a movie but that idea really came into focus when she decided that she had to make the movie. The journey wasn’t intended to take five years but when you’re making a film with the help of friends, things tend to take a little longer. In this discussion, India shares some insights into working on your passion project, inspiration, and lessons learned along the way.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/92f3a94335865a8bb299ebfbbc032672.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ff9cccff1debcf0d4ec8cc50a56d9ef0.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">India BarnardoDirector // Independent(Cat and Moth) India Barnardo grew up in a small English countryside town with her two cats. She studied Digital Character Animation and graduated from Teesside University, UK in 2009 and has since worked at a vast array of companies within the animation industry including Studio AKA, Framestore, L’Atelier Animation, MPC, Bron Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks. During these 10+ years she has animated on international TV Commercials, Short Films and CG Feature films (Ballerina, The Willoughby’s). She has always had a passion for writing and directing and that brings us Cat and Moth as her directorial debut. India’s past experience has given her the knowledge and skills to build an extraordinary 90+ crew from around the world to bring Cat and Moth to life! In her spare time she loves to hike around the mountains of British Columbia with her Fiancé Martyn, hang out with their cat Walter, and paint as much as possible! <a href="https://www.catandmoth.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4416311/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://facebook.com/catandmoth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/catandmoth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://instagram.com/catandmoth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1181f1aabb9c44d7151f5261666444be.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0895d575fdd48fc98a4d08f18b011252.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

The Five Year Journey of Cat and Moth

From leading the complex 3D animation on Hank the Octopus in&nbsp;Finding Nemo&nbsp;to the simple beauty of&nbsp;The Dam Keeper’s Poems,&nbsp;to 2020’s Academy Award-nominated&nbsp;Opera,&nbsp;Erick Oh continues to surprise and delight us. And now with&nbsp;Namoo,&nbsp;Erick ventures not only into a deeply personal story, but he does it in the immersive technology of VR. Articulate, enthusiastic and engaging, Erick Oh shares with us his love of family, art, and why Baobab Studios was the perfect choice for making the film. With Baobab producer Kane Lee.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d12ea9da4d7fbdfbae3e18a43afc1fa5.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/449ba0c82917aefde3483b2117ddc278.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Erick OhDirector // Baobab Studios &amp; Tonko House Erick Oh is an Oscar®-nominated Korean filmmaker and artist based in California, USA. His films have been presented at numerous film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Zagreb Film Festival, SIGGRAPH, Anima Mundi, SXSW and more. With his background in fine art from Seoul National University and film from UCLA, Erick worked as an animator at Pixar Animation Studios from 2010 to 2016. He then joined his fellow former Pixar artists at Tonko House to direct PIG: The Dam Keeper Poems which won the Cristal Award at the Annecy Animation Festival in 2018. He followed that by directing the animated short installation project, Opera, for which he received an Oscar® nomination for Best Animated Short in 2021. Opera continues to tour the festival circuit and will debut as an installation exhibit later this year in Paris and Seoul, among other key cities. Erick is currently working on a variety of projects with his partners in film and animation, the VR/AR industry, and also, the contemporary art scene in the US and South Korea.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f30cae976dae4f4131f98fd5f07a51c9.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/e9ee90c6ca2976ef3fb0be49d2a09ef6.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Kane LeeHead of Content // Baobab Studios &amp; Tonko House Multi-Emmy Award-winning producer, Kane Lee, heads content for Baobab Studios.&nbsp;Lee has always led at the intersection of technology and media. He masterminded the first-ever adaptation of VR IP (Invasion!) into a traditional feature film. With new technology mediums, IP is usually adapted the opposite way, from Hollywood to new medium, but Roth Kirschenbaum Films signed on to partner with Baobab to bring Invasion! to the silver screen. Lee is lead producer of 20th Century Fox’s feature film based on the Academy Award-nominated short, The Dam Keeper, and is on producing teams for projects ranging from The School for Good and Evil at Universal Pictures to Frozen writer/director Jennifer Lee’s The Way Between to the international award-winning children’s series Spooksville. Previously Lee was Vice President of Development and Production for Jane Startz Productions and worked on Horton Hears A Who!, Ice Age: The Meltdown, and Robots for Blue Sky Studios. He is an advisor in interactive media for the National Academy of Television Arts &amp; Sciences.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3567144ac2aabf2f1a96ee4f681c58e3.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d255486e58b560121d03173f52111c61.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/652cd99a830f8b51525365fb104e7d92.png" style="max-width: 100%;">

The Visual Poetry of Erick Oh's Namoo

Refugee stories are rarely as colorful and uplifting as Footsteps on the Wind. The project had been ruminating for years with director Maya Sanbar and producer Gillian Gordon before they met the Dirty Work team and began production on the film in 2020; just as the world was going into lock-down. In this conversation, Maya and Gillian are joined by co-director Faga Melo to discuss where this story started, how Sting became involved and how this international production came together over a lot of conference calls and with a lot of faith.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1658f40f2e2f93acd02e44af17b7ac2e.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/54c7258ca8b540d1918149254866b794.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Maya SanbarArtist, Director // Independent Maya Sanbar is an Artist and Filmmaker. Her work in both moving image and installation is centered on the art of storytelling. Footsteps on the Wind is her directorial debut in the narrative and animation world. Her experience is varied, her artworks being often collaborative and enabling of others adding their voices to a central theme. In relation to this film, aside from her own family refugee history, she sought out the depth of emotional truth within refugee stories via therapy workshops, ensuring that this is a film about refugees, told by refugees, for refugees and the general public young and old. As a multimedia artist, her work has been exhibited internationally, notably installations at Shoreditch Town Hall in London “Waiting” 2015, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City “Alex in Wonderland” scented experience (2016), and at the Berlin Wall on the 30th anniversary of its fall “Chasing the Light” (2019), "Words on the Hill" at the Coronet Theatre in London (2020). Her film production credits include 360 immersion visits to artist studios and documentaries. Sanbar is fluent in 6 languages and passionate about crossing cultural boundaries using words with images to bring about a fresh point of view. <a href="https://www.agenciafreak.com/en/peliculas/footsteps-on-the-wind/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2272794/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mayasanbar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/2e6b250543e048dda4638efc54228fab.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/dca5e611ccd01954eeb02bb9e291f506.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Gillian GordonExecutive Producer // Visionaire Media An award-winning film/television producer, executive and educator who has worked in Los Angeles, London and Asia. Experienced in every aspect of production Gordon has worked in Hollywood film development as well as hands-on responsibility for ground-breaking films, television, commercials and music videos. She has an extensive knowledge of the global film market as well as film festivals and funding platforms. She regularly conducts screenwriting workshops and consults to film financiers and producers. Having spent thirty years in London, she has recently moved back to the USA where she was the inaugural Executive Director of the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center. She has produced successful TV series for the BBC, and ITV, worked as a development executive at Film &amp; General Productions, Make Waves Media and ITV. She was a Senior Lecturer and Chair of the MA Producing program at Royal Holloway University of London for 12 years and spent 3 years in Singapore with Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. She is currently Executive Producer at Visionaire Media and recently produced the animation short, Footsteps on the Wind with song by Sting about child refugee migration. <a href="http://www.visionairemedia.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/9aadea51ac2a53dadb60fd90e19ea0f4.png">Faga MeloDirector, Artist // Dirty Work Filmmaker and motion graphics artist, born in São Gonçalo - Rio de Janeiro, studied Cinema in São Paulo and Los Angeles, has worked between the production of advertising films, content for Cinema, TV, and stages such as Rod Stewart World Tour and Paralympic Games. <a href="https://dwrk.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dwrk.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/27669add21112c6d4e570392d9637d7d.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0fddff6826cb7dc0999dffcf80c003f8.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

The Lasting Impact of Footsteps on the Wind

When you think of a grandmother, what comes to mind? Wrestlemania? Masked Luchadores? In Louis Gonzales’ Pixar short&nbsp;Nona,&nbsp;he takes a sweet look at the relationship between a wrestling-loving grandmother and her precocious 5-year-old granddaughter. In this interview, story artist (and now director) Louis Gonzales and producer Courtney Kent discuss his own memories with his grandmother, the challenges of working remotely and directing for the very first time.&nbsp; SPEAKERS Louis GonzalesDirector // Pixar Animation Studios(Nona, Incredibles 2, Brave, Monsters, Inc., The Iron Giant)Coming soon. <a href="https://www.pixar.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327530/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> Courtney KentProducer // Pixar Animation Studios(Nona, Onward, Coco, Finding Dory, Inside Out, Brave, Up)Coming soon. <a href="https://www.pixar.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1788241/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> MODERATOR Colin GilesHead of Animation // Vancouver Film SchoolComing soon. <a href="https://vfs.edu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Nona's Smash Down Challenge with Louis Gonzales

Save Ralph is&nbsp;a ‘day in the life’ film of a cosmetics animal tester that incites a journey of devastating revelation. Rarely does a stop-motion PSA motivate us to action like&nbsp;Save Ralph&nbsp;does. Conceived, written and directed by Spencer Susser and voiced by such actors as Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais and Zac Efron,&nbsp;Save Ralph&nbsp;demonstrates how the medium of animation can effect change. Powerfully presented, Spencer tackles the cruelty of animal testing in an original and unexpected way—using the story of one bunny to shine a light on the plight of countless rabbits and other animals in laboratories worldwide.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/bf5717bcfeed5038d33a8dae7f4993dc.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8e80a09b634fa6936e2d714b61fd3951.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Spencer SusserDirector // Blue-Tongue Films(Hesher, I Love Sarah Jane, The Captain) Spencer Susser is an award-winning director, screenwriter, and editor whose career spans feature films, short films, commercials and music videos. He made his feature film directorial debut at Sundance in 2010 with Hesher, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson &amp; Natalie Portman, which Spencer co-wrote, produced, edited &amp; directed. Susser’s short film projects include I love Sarah Jane starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland), The Captain starring Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). Spencer recently directed 2nd Unit and edited the Oscar-nominated The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya. Spencer has also directed music videos, including the breakthrough video for Lana Del Rey “Summertime Sadness”. His work as an editor in music videos includes artists such as Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, and many more. <a href="https://bluetonguefilms.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1127632/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/9b0a6546930a9066ea1f559da3d379d6.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/af105703834a350d86839a699b568d6f.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Lovable Ralph Shines a Light on Animal Testing

Women in Animation Vancouver’s ACE (Animation Career EXCELerator) Program is designed to advance the careers of women in the animation industry by giving them a key credit in the creation of their very own short film, TV proof of concept or web series pilot, and providing mentorship and training along the way, to ensure they are set-up for success. Meet the 2021 program participants and hear them discuss their experience on the making of their film Pivot. SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b65c46be1599ff9fcccaebc3121fab3b.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Ana GussonDirector // WIA Vancouver ACE Program(Pivot,&nbsp;TrollsTopia,&nbsp;Archibald's Next Big Thing,&nbsp;My Little Pony: The Movie)Born and raised in Brazil, Ana Gusson is a Director and 2d Animator. She has a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and was a Production Designer and Assistant Art Director in film and advertising in South Brazil. Looking for new opportunities, she came to Canada to attend the Classical Animation Program at Vancouver Film School, where she found, not only a new storytelling tool, but also a long, lost creative voice. At VFS, Ana successfully directed two short films -&nbsp;Serio&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mushrooming.&nbsp;Serio&nbsp;participated in over a dozen festivals around the world, including Fantoche in Switzerland. Since then, she has worked as an animator in productions like&nbsp;My Little Pony: The Movie, the second season of&nbsp;Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs&nbsp;and Netflix’s&nbsp;Archibald’s Next Big Thing. Ana is currently part of the senior animation team at Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver, BC. Aside from her work as an animator, Ana dedicates time to creating her own animation projects and collaborates with other artists in projects that envision long-term social impact. <a href="http://anagusson.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5789797/?ref_=tt_ov_dr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/anagusson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/anacgusson/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anagusson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/4f13234bc62deabd2b7ceaf03019a26b.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/fc6e0a7c63f82dd00e5c18739b4f6f46.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Cindey ChiangDesigner, Art Director // Kickstart Entertainment(Pivot,&nbsp;The Angry Birds,&nbsp;Brown and Friends) Cindey Chiang is a Taiwanese Canadian Artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Character Animation from CalArts. Her journey in the animation industry so far has allowed her to contribute to a variety of projects- from animating on the Beatles Covers ad for Apple to working on both of&nbsp;The Angry Birds&nbsp;movies as a Visual Development Artist. She was most recently a Senior Designer at Skybound Entertainment on Robert Kirkman’s&nbsp;Invincible&nbsp;animated series for Amazon and is currently a Designer and Art Director (1 episode) of the upcoming Netflix&nbsp;Brown and Friends&nbsp;series at Kickstart Entertainment. Apart from drawing, Cindey enjoys arts and crafts, drinking coffee, and eating ice cream. She also likes animals and all things cute! <a href="https://www.cindeychiang.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6138796/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cindeycindey/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/cindeychiang" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindey-chiang-49412b24/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/e39585bd027e07c928541e1c407ee2fa.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/00f145e0b0b2ded20da422b13839afa8.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Erica MilesAnimation Director // WIA Vancouver ACE Program(Pivot,&nbsp;Trolls: Trollstopia,&nbsp;101 Dalmatian Street,&nbsp;Hilda) Erica Miles has been drawn to the world of animation from a young age, and after seeing&nbsp;The Lion King&nbsp;on the big screen at the age of 6, knew she wanted to become an animator and help to bring stories to life. She has worked on a number of productions both in 2D and 3D across a wide range of animation styles. Most recently she animated on the award-winning&nbsp;Hilda&nbsp;for Netflix and&nbsp;101 Dalmatian Street&nbsp;for Disney, and is currently a Lead Animator on&nbsp;Trolls: TrollsTopia&nbsp;for Dreamworks Television at Atomic Cartoons. Upon learning that she was on the autism spectrum as an adult, Erica has spent the last few years learning about the unique ways that her brain works and about how important diverse minds and perspectives are in media. Erica was selected as the Animation Director of the 2020/2021 ACE Program through WIA, and the short film&nbsp;Pivot&nbsp;that they created through the program will be premiering at Spark this year. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6685951/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ericaanim/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/EricaMiles1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-miles-2474504/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a500cbfcaae1e022e8d7857fd1b98d47.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/9bde2d452b74d379d9c2f8f8cd907321.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Eva PekárováComposer // Independent&nbsp;(Zeb's Spider,&nbsp;Dear Tilly) Eva Pekárová is a Vancouver-based music composer, filmmaker, and artist. She originates from Piešťany, Slovakia and her art is often informed by her heritage. As a young immigrant, writing music became her universal language. In grade 11 she won the Youth Composers Showcase and flew to New York to perform her original piano piece at the Lincoln Centre of Performing Arts. Eva holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from Emily Carr University with a concentration on film and media. This gives her the unique insight of being a composer with practical and academic film experience. When she is not scoring or working on her own artistic endeavors Eva works as a book cover illustrator, fabricator for stop-motion films, as well as working and training dogs. <a href="https://vimeo.com/user66329105" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EvaPekarova.art" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/troubledalchemy/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/evapekarova/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/7fc8228dc826d435df331ed12f0a86da.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/421d637dabede1e5c3a4f9fd5a3df335.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Robyn CampbellScreenwriter // Mainframe Studios, Independent&nbsp;(Pivot) Robyn Campbell is a Canadian writer residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. As a bisexual, female, millennial, Robyn creates characters and stories that are inclusive, diverse and encourage youth to be themselves, even when it’s difficult. Her first feature film script,&nbsp;The Best, was selected for Oaxaca International FilmFest, the commercials she has written have accumulated millions of views, and her short-animated film,&nbsp;Pivot, was produced with a female-lead team for Women in Animation's ACE program. All of these works contain strong female leads and themes of acceptance of one's self, body, and orientation.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/robyn_campbell1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyBayshore" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://sparkanimation.eventive.org/films/www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-campbell123" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ecd3c899b9e16a62d89591d3d384a88c.png" style="max-width: 100%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/864302c0dec40e574919fdf5e292ed1b.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Tini WiderAnimation Line Producer // Atomic Cartoons After graduation from film school in Vienna, Austria Tini worked as a Location and Production Manager on various projects. Starting off with short films, then gaining more experience with TV Movies and Commercials, she then moved to Canada where she discovered the world of animation. She worked in the production department on CG and 2D, 2D Harmony with CG integration, TV shows and a 2D Harmony feature film. Currently she is working as an Animation Line Producer at Atomic Cartoons.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3510809/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tini.wider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tinianimates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/TiniWider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiniwider/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/ac7b561ec03a45294dbdd059242f1958.png" style="max-width: 100%;"> MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/7e6a71f167b4c0731ecec9f7c7edbe95.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Shabnam RezaeiCo-Founder &amp; President // Big Bad Boo Studios &amp; Oznoz Shabnam started Big Bad Boo to make quality cartoons. Shows include&nbsp;16 Hudson,&nbsp;The Bravest Knight,&nbsp;Mixed Nutz,&nbsp;Lili &amp; Lola, and&nbsp;1001 Nights, which airs in 80 countries. Based in NYC and Vancouver, the company has an SVOD channel Oznoz that airs cartoons in various languages. With a BS in Computer Science, a BA in German Literature from UPenn, and an MBA from NYU, Shabnam started her career on Wall Street. She was born in Iran, grew up in Austria, and is raising her girls trilingual. <a href="https://www.bigbadboo.com/index.php/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1885073/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/ShabnamRezaei" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shabnamrezaei/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shabnamrezaei/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Women Behind the Scenes: Meet the Pivot Team

Director Michael Mankowski knew he wanted to tell the inspiring story of how his community of Fort McMurray came together after the devastating fire of 2016. With a passion for animation, no experience but with a willingness to learn, he sold everything and enrolled in animation school with the goal of making Back Home Again. Discover how Michael’s 10-minute concept turned in a 30-minute short film and how, an international community of people affected by devastating fires came together to make the project a reality.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/9f90563445e7c85f472d31e653b17e91.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b31e0fde5ffefba78b1a20fd1f7ef753.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Michael MankowskiDirector, Owner // Alien Kow Michael Mankowski was born and raised in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. Owner and operator of Alien Kow formerly known as Wood Buffalo Productions, an Alberta, Canada-based award-winning production house. A graduate of University of Lethbridge Bachelor of Management and Vancouver Film School 3D &amp; Animation Program.In 2017 Michael won an award for Excellence in The Arts by the RMWB and Arts Council Wood Buffalo. In 2016 WBP won a Leadership Award from RMWB and YYM Magazine.&nbsp;Satisfied clients include: Vice Media, Stuart Olson, Shell Canada, Bell Let’s Talk, Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, Nexen, United Way, Canadian Red Cross, CMHA and Paul Davis Restoration. WBP created a series of videos for United Way Fort McMurray that helped raise 7 million dollars for local non-profits. In 2014 winning recognition as the most profitable United Way Campaign in North America per capita. Michael has also produced passion projects on the side, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, was the winner of the Best Short Film award at the Alberta Film and Television Awards in 2016 and most recently winner of the Best Animated Short Film at the 2021 Edmonton International Film Festival. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4217706/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alienkow/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mankowski-1b4bab172/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d2e06adc5b8c6e9570410eef9dab9510.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c010fa60ee8cd798d3b738056dc4724d.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

The Healing Power of Animation with Michael Mankowski

If you like your film history, then you’re going to love Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat, a beautiful homage to our cinematic past of the1920’s. In this interview with Academy Award-winning director/writer William Joyce, we discuss what motivates his storytelling and how he’s able to resurrect a feel and a tone we haven’t seen for a century. From title cards, to a varsity choir, to bowler hats and surrealism, he reveals it all. “Gee whiz! It’s the cat’s meow.”<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b7498046f1255d2648c1dbac9e532733.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c2d6ce928223eed57dbdabfafb72a405.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">William JoyceWriter, Director // Howdybot Studios(Epic, Rise of the Guardians, Meet the Robinsons, Rolie Polie Olie) Academy Award-winning illustrator, William Joyce, is the multi-talented writer and genius behind the concepts and art design of some of our favourite films,&nbsp;Toy Story,&nbsp;A Bug’s Life, as well as&nbsp;Epic,&nbsp;Rise of the Guardians,&nbsp;Robots&nbsp;and&nbsp;Meet the Robinsons. His television series include the groundbreaking&nbsp;Rolie Polie Olie, for which he was the creator and show-runner. In 2009, he founded Moonbot Studios, a multimedia storytelling company producing books, apps, films and video games. Along the way, Joyce has won 6 Emmys, 3 Annies and an Academy Award for his short film&nbsp;The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. His 50 bestselling children’s books and novels, all written and illustrated by himself, have been translated into over 40 languages.&nbsp; With Joyce having achieved worldwide recognition as an author, illustrator and pioneer in the digital and animation industry, the only thing left for him is to serve one day as the first "Secretary of Cheerful Endeavours" for the United Nations. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0431622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Author/William-Joyce-2419138248312370/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/heybilljoyce/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/heybilljoyce" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/2322d2325c1fdcd0475cdb76d908e1d1.png" style="max-width: 100%;">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/7ade751918fb34182e96a7c0d1d814e1.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Keith BlackmoreSr Lecturer // Vancouver Film School As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national. Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it. <a href="https://vfs.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

The 1920's Cinematic World of William Joyce

Asked to direct a short film, Pixar story artist Aphton Corbin seriously wondered, “Can I do this? Am I a fraud?” But anyone who has viewed&nbsp;Twenty Something&nbsp;knows, Aphton’s the real deal. In this interview with Aphton Corbin and Producer Eric Langley, they talk about tapping into those insecurities, the challenges of working in 2D in a 3D studio and getting ‘er done.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0dac75f477cd972d9db0ba0b14751fe0.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c463be5f6e3d60408c016e6001d1c5ec.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Aphton CorbinDirector, Story Artist // Pixar Animation Studios&nbsp;(Soul, Twenty Something) Aphton Corbin began at Pixar Animation Studios in 2016 as a story artist on the Academy Award®-winning feature Toy Story 4. She also worked as a story artist for Pixar’s feature film Soul, which is now streaming on Disney+. Corbin most recently made her directorial debut on her SparkShorts film Twenty Something, which will debut on Disney+ this Fall.&nbsp; As a story artist, Corbin helps the Director visualize their film in storyboard form. The artists provide the first representation of the movie to determine if the story elements are working well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Raised in Richmond and Sacramento, CA, Corbin attended Pleasant Grove High School and graduated from California Institute of the Arts. She currently resides in Albany, CA.&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3b1caad8398885c79a472ba6901cd1ae.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b1cc76a8408e2f15a4dc34b065e38bd7.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Erik LangleyProducer // Pixar Animation Studios(Toy Story 4, Finding Dory, Cars 2, Twenty Something) Erik Langley joined Pixar Animation Studios in February 2004, and started as a production office assistant on Cars. He has worked on several projects including the Academy Award®-winning features Up, Toy Story 3, Inside Out, and Toy Story 4. Langley was also the technical manager for the Nemo &amp; Friends SeaRider ride at Tokyo DisneySea theme park in Japan. He most recently was the layout manager on Disney and Pixar’s upcoming feature film Luca. Langley also made his producing debut on the upcoming SparkShort film Twenty Something, which is scheduled to release on Disney+ in the Fall of 2021. As a layout manager, Langley’s role consists of partnering with the director of photography to build and run the team of layout artists. Their department scouts locations for the film and ultimately builds the shots, stages the cameras and blocks the characters that act as the foundation for which all downstream departments build off. Langley also runs director reviews to ensure that notes and fixes get disseminated accurately to the layout artists. As a producer on “Twenty Something,” Langley’s role was to strategically plan, bid and execute the project. He partnered with director Aphton Corbin to build and run the team to ensure that her creative vision was realized. Langley designed and managed the production’s schedule and staffing, and helped oversee the workflow and pipeline. Langley grew up in Burlington, MA. He attended both Merrimack College and the University of Virginia. Langley currently resides in Emeryville, CA.&nbsp;<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/df2f3be1f1d8b8e6b4ce6e9ae5ddba17.png">MODERATOR Colin GilesComing Soon.

Coming of Age in Aphton Corbin's Twenty Something

Directors Wendy Spinks and Clea Mallinson were immediately taken with Chuma Somdaka, the disabled, lesbian, isiXhosa woman at the centre of their mixed-media short film I Am Chuma and while they knew they wanted to tell Chuma’s story, the resulting films is not exactly the project that they started out with. In this conversation with the filmmakers, discover their journey and the difficulties they experienced making a film with a subject who wasn’t always willing or able to actively participate in the telling of her own story.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/bba15adfe9b3a2f719065386df912cdc.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/6ad74b4f590e0b78e8e5be932487faef.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Wendy SpinksCreative Producer &amp; Director // Zero Point 528(I Am Chuma, Mumue) Wendy Spinks is a creator, writer and director. As the founder of Zeropoint Studios since 2010, Wendy acts in her role as a development executive /creative producer and content strategist, for the TV, digital and animation film industry in the entertainment sector. A true polymath, with a background in human behaviour, advertising, fine arts and fashion, Wendy creates and develops content for global IP and sustainable brands aimed at multi-platforms including linear and nonlinear broadcast, VR, digital, online and social media. Wendy is responsible for creating, writing or finding and developing ideas, concepts and stories that will make successful TV Series, short films or transmedia campaigns to include games, VR and web. Part of her primary role is to find new talent and cultivate creative relationships with many people in the global industry and attend international animation industry-related Markets and Festivals. Wendy is currently developing two VR projects as well as a feature-length animated hybrid documentary to co-write and co-direct as part of Zeropoint 528's impact projects. Wendy is the author and co-scriptwriter and co-director on Zeropoint528's global transmedia campaign project; Mumue, having been a winner at DISCOP 17 and Finalist in Annecy/ MifaPitches 2018. <a href="https://www.zeropoint528.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/wendyspinks?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zeropoint528/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-spinks-70b57915" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b3a9af5a4ea88ed083c6716f35853abd.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/1256a0533d071fac974242013017399f.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Clea MallinsonStory Editor // Sunrise Productions(I Am Chuma, Jungle Beat: The Movie, Boxed Warriors, Normal is Over: The Movie 1.1) Clea Mallinson is a writer, director and editor who loves to explore themes of self-expression, connection and environmental consciousness. She has over ten years editing experience and has worked in reality TV, documentary, fiction and animation. She graduated from UCT with an Honours in Film and Media studies and has an MA in Screenwriting from the University of Ireland, Galway. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2259917/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/cleapopcorn?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleamallinson/?originalSubdomain=za" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/60ed7de8291ebc94a3d4aeef18370a2d.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/e26e2353ba8923b21cfb379c6d905411.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Can Art Save a Life? A Conversation with Wendy Spinks & Clea Mallinson

Artur Hanaj’s Three Jumps to Happiness is a darkly humorous fable about the inner lives of animals, told entirely in gorgeously hand-crafted claymation. In this conversation, Artur discusses the concept for the film, expanding his storytelling ability, and the possibility of more tales from the inner lives of these characters.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c13256db0da799991adf9c6d0834ad1f.png">SPEAKER <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0a0e36f2ebfe87aee9765e310cca269d.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Artur HanajDirector // Independent(Three Jumps to Happiness, Leaven) Artur Hanaj is a reator of animated films. He is a graduate of the Film School in Łódź, specializing in animated film and special effects. He graduated from the Józef Chełmoński Secondary School of Fine Arts in Nałęczów with a toy design profile. Apart from making animated films he is currently interested in good stories, good cuisine and tailoring. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9168602/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a> // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/arthanaj/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pieccino/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://vimeo.com/piecci" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vimeo</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/b29ae8f0b7123ed9edf702e10c90f188.png"> MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/bda2d5d5f1d1e5ce69f3d6363c341d7a.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Finding Humour in the Mundane with Artur Hanaj

When directors Sebastian Kellermann and Robin Pfister saw the image of an elephant hanging from a crane, they were captivated and while at first they didn’t intend to make a film about it, they kept coming back to that image. In this conversation, the directors talk about the inspiration for film and the importance of animated documentaries.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a1848153e4c44f1ab7af6a3675a0471d.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/a6ea107e77a09e5a86e2287f185d8799.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Sebastian KellermannDirector(Circus in Town) Sebastian Kellermann came into contact with 3D animation during an internship in 2009 at the age of 14. Since that day, animation became his passion. He pursued it as a hobby and later completed an apprenticeship as a media designer with a focus on 3D animation and postproduction after graduating from high school. During this time, he became increasingly aware of his fascination for animation in movies. So he started studying at ifs internationale filmschule köln and worked on an animated feature film as an animation intern for the first time in 2019. During his studies, he started to work part-time in an animation studio, which he then continued full-time after graduating from filmschool in 2021. <a href="https://3dler.artstation.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sebastian_3danimation/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-kellermann-480b23b6/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0d1dcabd5ea09406a8293760686fb1b7.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f630fa4071aa4374134b4a4318a99bbb.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Robin PfisterDirector(Circus in Town) Robin Pfister grew up in Balingen, a small town in southern Germany. After finishing school in 2016, he travelled across Vietnam to get to know a different culture. Always accompanied by a sketchbook and a guitar, his fascination with audiovisual media ultimately led him to the ifs internationale filmschule köln to study vfx&amp;animation. During his studies he worked on various animation short films to explore the diverse possibilities of animation and was fascinated by the combination of art and technology. After receiving his degree in 2021, he started to work for LAVAlabs Moving Images to work on animated feature films. <a href="https://www.robinpfister.de/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/zeit_kapsel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // <a href="https://www.instagram.com/niborobin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> // <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-pfister-251b1a166/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/5fd3a7244cb0a8734267f25428624f45.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/13f60c055a0aec72397c7a405150bb81.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Dean HamerDirector //&nbsp;Kanaka Pakipika Dean Hamer is an Emmy&nbsp;Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times Book of the Year author whose feature and short films combine live-action with animation to explore pressing social issues through innovative storytelling.&nbsp;His work has screened and won awards at film festivals around the world including Berlin, Tribeca and Toronto, been viewed by millions on PBS, Netflix and international networks, supported by Sundance, Ford and Pacific Islanders in Communications, and received widespread attention for their role in promoting social change. Hamer’s recent animated short film&nbsp;Kapaemahu, which won five Oscar-qualifying awards and was shortlisted at the 93rd Academy Awards, is the basis of an upcoming children’s book and museum exhibition about Hawaii’s long tradition of gender diversity. <a href="http://kapaemahu.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Webiste</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1581205/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="http://facebook.com/kumuhina.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="http://instagram.com/kapaemahu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kumuhina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>

Exploring the Power of an Image with Sebastian Kellermann and Robin Pfister

Rafael Jimenez and Alejandro Álvarez came to HeadNoise through a recommendation and though they knew when they accepted the project that it would be a challenge, nothing could have prepared them for the job itself. In this conversation, the directors talk about the special challenges of making the film, the growth of their studio to accommodate their largest production ever and share some of the insights they took away from making the film.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c273687e233ced9cec08018c2f446d0c.png">SPEAKERS <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/bbd349ce5c296e6c349fd75e55ff556f.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Rafael JimenezAnimation Director // EPIX Studios Rafael Jiménez Mesa is a Character Animator, Animation Supervisor and Director with a degree in Graphic Design and also an Animation Mentor alumni. He worked initially in the motion graphics field but soon started mixing this with character animation, working for different studios in Colombia and also for foreign studios from the UK, United States, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Argentina among others. His work in film started as Senior Character Animator on the Argentinian film Metegol (Underdogs), an animated movie by Oscar-winning director Juan Campanella, and continued on feature films such as Savva (Russia), Pixi Post (Colombia/Spain) and Condorito (Peru). He works as animation director for Epix Studios and director at Vamp Studio. Currently, he also works as animation supervisor for different studios, such as Gizmo (Argentina). A highlight of this collaboration is the short film Heart of a Lio (Gatorade) which won the YouTube Ad of The Year Award 2018 and on this project Rafael worked as Animation Supervisor. <a href="https://epix-studios.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/f7c172fdf3c5d1f718b61a9d9f932f67.png"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d3fa2b1ee537b2bf3efc85679f003cf1.png" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Alejandro ÁlvarezCharacter Director // EPIX Studios Alejandro is a 3D Character Artist passionate for cartoons and good stories. He has a degree in Industrial Design and also in FX Animation (Barcelona - 2009).&nbsp;He has worked in feature films like Pixi Post y los Genios de la Navidad (Colombia/Spain), in TV series like Tin &amp; Tan and SpongeBob Squarepants. Some of his characters have been recognized in digital magazines like 3D Total and his work has recently been published in the front page of the Spanish 3D specialized magazine Renderout. During his career, he has worked with studios in the UK, Spain, US, Colombia, Argentina and Sweden. Currently, Alejandro is the Character Director for EPIX Studios and works as a Senior Character Modeler for Stiller Studios (Sweden). <a href="https://epix-studios.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8ad65de2d04e4446ac32f59e8abef119.png">MODERATOR <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/0fddff6826cb7dc0999dffcf80c003f8.png" style="max-width: 100%; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marina AntunesFestival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction. Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival. <a href="https://sparkcg.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/themarina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/themarina2/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-antunes-57a279a1/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Challenge Accepted: Rafael Jimenez & Alejandro Álvarez on Making HeadNoise

Meet the Filmmakers

Virtual Admission

Donate Today!

Donate

Gift Cards

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}}{{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

All-Access Pass 

Conference Pass

Festival Pass 

None available

The best way to experience this year's SPARK ANIMATION 2023 is with a full access pass! Fore more details click on the Festival Site link. You can purchase individual program tickets below.

Celebrate 15 years of the world's best animation SPARK ANIMATION! British Columbia's only Oscar®-accredited festival packs world-class films and talks into one grass-roots, volunteer run festival which is now available world-wide! We know animation. Share our passion with us!

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. All live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.