FLAMIN Animations premiere at TNB XPO as applications open for next round
Skwigly
Top left to bottom right: Isabel Barfod, Ruby Stoyle [ADORABAEL], Lamide Olusegun, Laina Deene (Image courtesy of Film London)
Part of FLAMIN (Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network), FLAMIN Animations is a commissioning programme for early-career black-identifying* artist animators living in the UK. The programme comes as part of Film London’s ongoing commitment to diversity and equality.
Isabel Barfod, Laina Deene, Lamide Olusegun and Ruby Stoyle screened their new films after receiving funding, development support and bespoke mentoring during the second round of FLAMIN Animations. Also including work by Toby Cato from the inaugural commissioning year, the animation showcase is part of an ongoing partnership established in 2021 with TNB XPO, an event that celebrates black excellence in the screen industries. It follows on from the success of FLAMIN Animations’ previous commissions which have screened at festivals and events including the B3 Biennial of the Moving Image, Frankfurt and at London International Animation Film Festival.
Applications for the third round of FLAMIN Animations are now open until 22 May 2023. The programme will support selected artist animators with a £3,000 funding award to create a 2–3 minute animation, as well as advice and bespoke mentoring opportunities from the FLAMIN team and a series of workshops led by animation specialists such as artists Osbert Parker, Maybelle Peters and Edwin Rostron; Clive Olamiju, Head of Business Development, Commercials & Gaming at Blinkink; and Director of Animate Projects, Abigail Addison.
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said:
I’m delighted to see FLAMIN Animations continue to champion emerging black-identifying artist animators and support their visionary ideas and approaches to animation. It’s great to see the work of Isabel, Laina, Lamide, Ruby and Toby showcased at this year’s TNB XPO. Their commissioned animations demonstrate the exciting potential of next-generation creative talent in the UK, further emphasising why we must maintain our support for emerging artists creating such innovative work.
We can’t wait to see this cohort of FLAMIN animators continue to find success working with the moving image, and we are thrilled to announce a third round of the programme to reach more new talent. I would like to thank Arts Council England for their invaluable support for the programme.
The artist animators showcasing their work at today’s TNB XPO were selected from a high calibre of applicants. Ranging from claymation and modelling, to hand-drawn and digital animation, these new films use both traditional and non-traditional animation techniques to tell stories that celebrate the expressive possibilities of the medium.
Isabel Barfod’s A Float explores subtle modes of refusal as a Black Queer swimmer in a hostile environment. Set in a Victorian-era public swimming pool, A Float follows our protagonist as they access alternate realities, speculated futures and enact small acts of revenge. Earlier this month, Isabel was announced as the recipient of the 2023 Margaret Tait Commission from LUX Scotland. With this £20,000 funding award, Isabel will build on themes explored through her FLAMIN Animations commission.
Isabel Barfod said:
The FLAMIN Animations program has offered great mentorship both internally as well as externally with guest animator workshops. The visibility of this award has been a catalyst for other opportunities for me. It has also just been excellent to connect and get to know other Black animators throughout this process.
Laina Deene’s FLAMIN Animations commission creates a digitally animated and hand-drawn portrait of the desert-like landscape of Dungeness, on the east coast of Kent. Tender Wasteland uses frame-by-frame animation techniques to capture the area’s natural ecology and industrial past.
Lamide Olusegun’s Cereal Box is a surreal animation of a young boy who dives into the magical world of a cereal box, which comes to life through stop-motion claymation, creative set design and modelling. Lamide produced Cereal Box with the support of the award-winning animation studio Blinkink, with whom he has developed a strong working relationship.
Ruby Stoyle – aka ADORABAEL – has developed her CGI-based practice with the support of FLAMIN Animations to create Mixed Signals. Through a series of evocative images, the film transports us into the interior world of a female protagonist who grapples with her overwhelming feelings and emotions when she receives an ambiguous text from an ex-partner.
*Artists and Creatives of African or Caribbean descent, Black African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and African-American heritage, including those of mixed-Black heritage who identify as such.
To find out more about FLAMIN Animations, the 2022-23 artists and watch clips of the commissioned animations visit https://filmlondon.org.uk/flamin/flamin-animations/flamin-animations-2022-2023