Full Programme, Venues & Tickets for LIAF 2019 Announced
Skwigly
The London International Animation Festival returns for its 16th year with a mammoth 10-day celebratory feast of forums, screentalks and over 250 of the best recent, historical and retrospective animated shorts and features from around the world.
This year’s uncompromising programme promises to inspire, delight and challenge the notion that animation is merely for the 3D CGI blockbuster genre or cute cartoons for kids. Independent animation is an art form that continues to thrive and develop as a breathtaking medley of styles, materials, techniques and production – from hand drawn, paint on glass, collage, sculpture, cut outs, puppets, abstract, sand/salt, to some of the more interesting developments in CGI – all of which can be seen at this year’s LIAF.
International and local guests this year include the multi award-winning stop-motion filmmaker Niki Lindroth von Bahr, from Sweden, who will present a fascinating retrospective of her films, Flora Anna Buda from Hungary, who’s remarkable film Entropia has been scooping awards wherever it screens, two Austrian filmmakers Eni Brandner and Susi Jirkuff alongside Elizabeth Hobbs and Samantha Moore (both UK) who will all take part in a panel discussion after the Happiness Machine programme at the Barbican. Several other local and international animators will take part in screentalks and panel discussions at the festival, present workshops or simply introduce their films and take questions.
A staggering 2627 films were entered into the festival this year and the best 85 have been selected to screen across several competitive categories in 8 International Competition Programmes such as From Absurd to Zany (humorous shorts),
Into The Dark (scary shorts), From Absurd to Zany, Animated Documentaries and the Abstract Showcase. This is a snapshot of the international indie-animation universe.
LIAF is first and foremost a British festival and dedicated to showcasing the work of our best animators – industry veterans screen alongside the most promising filmschool graduates and first-time filmmakers. Nobody in the world screens more British animation than LIAF and the British showcase programme paints a vibrant picture of a spirited and imaginative animation nation. Before the screening there is a chance to meet many of the animators, hear them talk about their films and ask them questions about their work.
Female Figures ‘To Boldly Go…
This years’ opening night gala at LIAF celebrates women in animation with the Female Figures ‘To Boldly Go…’ programme focusing on women making science-fiction inspired, animated shorts. With this remarkable film programme, these animators imagine brave new worlds whilst placing women at the heart of their speculative stories. The filmmakers, from across the planet, choose to take their protagonist on interstellar travel, imagine the impact of an alien presence on our world or merge parallel universes, as a way in which to reflect on the way in which we navigate our own world. The screening will be followed by a post-screening conversation with featured animators Katerina Athanasopoulou, Flóra Anna Buda, and Chiara Sgatti, plus experimental animation academic Lilly Husbands.
Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Niki Lindroth von Bahr, from Sweden, has been on our radar as a LIAF guest ever since she scooped the best of LIAF award in 2017 for her astonishingly, moving 14-minute stop-motion film The Burden. Since its premiere in 2017 The Burden has won 78 awards, including the Cristal for Best Short Film in Annecy and the Best International Short Film in Toronto. Niki is a master craftswoman and artist who loves making puppets and sets by hand. Her films have been described as Terry Gilliam meets Ingmar Bergman inspired by Busby Berkeley, which is no mean feat!
Happiness Machine
Another special panel discussion and screening is Happiness Machine – an entertaining and innovative Pan European project that connects women animators and composers with ten short animated films that explore themes of consumption, greed, solidarity, equality, responsibility, and revolt. Ranging from the abstract and experimental, to fairy tales, documentary approaches, and the satirising of society, this collection brings together an incredible variety of voices and techniques. The screening will be followed by a Q&A led by Producer Abigail Addison with Austrian animators Eni Brandner and Susi Jirkuff, and British animators Elizabeth Hobbs and Samantha Moore about the collaborative process and the themes of the films.
LIAF Programmes & Venues
LIAF 2019 PROGRAMMES AT THE BARBICAN NIGHTLY FROM FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29 TO TUESDAY DECEMBER 3 AND SUNDAY DECEMBER 8
Two animated feature films that have been scooping awards on the festival circuit will make their British and European premieres at LIAF at the Rio Cinema in Dalston on the 4th and 5th December. On-Gaku: Our Sound is a wildly original, trailblazing anime by Japanese Director Kenji Iwaisawa. It tells a story of three outsider high school students who haven’t touched an instrument in their lives but decide to form a band to express their teenage angst and impress girls. This is a rock ‘n’ roll spectacle for the ears and the eyes.
The second feature – Away by Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia) is a tour-de-force of independent animation. An incredible labour of love, Gints worked on the film for four years, handling all aspects of production including writing, designing, animating, post-production and composing the musical score. This film has been compared to the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) and Terrence Malick in it’s use of breathtaking scenery to highlight the power of natural wonders and the sway they hold over a young man trapped on a mystical island. With a brilliant score accompanying the high stakes of the journey, no words are necessary to connect you to the boy’s thoughts as he takes risks and pushes himself to his limits.
LIAF 2019: AWAY (FEATURE) SCREENS AT THE RIO CINEMA, DALSTON ON TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER
LIAF 2019: ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND (FEATURE) SCREENS AT THE RIO CINEMA, DALSTON ON WEDNESDAY 5 DECEMBER
Other LIAF 2019 special programmes screen at the Horse Hospital and include The Best of the Next (the best student work from around the world), the best Music Videos programme and Late Night Bizarre – the craziest films submitted to LIAF in 2019.
The Best of the Next programmes have been selected from 60 graduate showreels, featuring the best 28 student films from all around the world – the first step on the animation ladder for these talented filmmakers, and the first time their wild and wonderful imaginations have been unleashed.
LIAF will also present a screening of the most innovative music videos from all over the world. Animation is an integral element in many of the best music videos. Here are several of the world’s best music videos produced in the last 12 months, providing a visual mash-up of styles, techniques and genres.
Late Night Bizarre is LIAF’s annual walk on the wild side featuring the most twisted films to emerge this year. This ever-popular Late Night Bizarre programme is a bunch of anti-classics guaranteed to be as far away from Disney as it’s possible to get. A dirty fistful of 12 of the weirdest, wildest, most demented films hand-picked from the 2,600 entered.
LIAF 2019: PROGRAMMES AT THE HORSE HOSPITAL ON FRIDAY 6 AND SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER
For the fourth year running Edge of Frame have put together 4 programmes of extraordinary experimental animation for LIAF. Two short film programmes –Brushwork and Surface Memory feature work from some of the most exciting and original artists engaging with processes of animation, mixing brand new and recent films with classic and historical work, from the UK and around the world.
Alongside these are two highly-anticipated new features – Memento Stella (directed by Makino Takashi, Japan) and Potamkin (directed by Stephen Broomer, Canada).
Memento Stella is a dazzling journey into immersive abstraction, the film made up of hundreds of layers of footage, blending into dense fields of imagery.
Additionally we are proud to present the UK premiere of Potamkin, an astonishing experimental feature – a remarkable film-biography of film critic and poet Harry Alan Potamkin made out of fragments of films that Potamkin reviewed, then were distressed by Director Stephen Broomer using various photochemical processes.
LIAF 2019: EDGE OF FRAME PROGRAMMES AT CLOSE-UP CINEMA ON SATURDAY 7 AND SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER
For 2019 we have resurrected the UK Industry Panel at the University of East London (UEL), an all day series of talks and screenings with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the animation industry. Four panels of experts giving insider access to some of the hot topics of the year plus a screening of the LIAF British showcase.
Animation doesn’t stand still; and debates and discussions with animators and creative experts are the best way to get in touch with what’s happening, whether it’s how Virtual Reality will impact on animation, or why the gender and diversity of the animation industry is rapidly changing, or why kids animation has a new lease of life.
We’ve gathered together some of the most passionate, honest and insightful experts from a wide range of different areas and backgrounds who are ready to cover all manner of vital topics to give you much food for thought.
For anyone currently working in the film and animation industry, thinking of working in the industry or just plain curious, these four talks are indispensable.
LIAF 2019: ALL-DAY INDUSTRY EVENT AT UEL ON SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER
Back at the Barbican LIAF will also present two programmes of animation specifically for children – Amazing Animations for 0-7 year-olds and Marvellous Animations for 8-15 year-olds. There’ll be talking animals, seriously fun adventures and tales that spark all those little imaginations.
The festival ends with the Best of the Festival at the Barbican on Sunday December 8 featuring the best films of LIAF 2019 as chosen by our panel of industry judges and audience votes. On this glittering occasion filmmakers will take to the stage to accept prizes and awards handed out by our sponsors.
LIAF 2019: FAMILY PROGRAMMES AT THE BARBICAN ON SAT 30 NOVEMBER AND SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER
LIAF 2019: THE BEST OF THE FEST AT THE BARBICAN ON SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER
The full programme is now available online at www.liaf.org.uk
Tickets now on sale from:
- For Barbican screenings via Barbican website and box office:
barbican.org.uk/film
Box office: 0845 120 7527 - For Close-up cinema screenings:
www.closeupfilmcentre.com - For Horse Hospital, UEL and Rio Cinema events:
www.liaf.org.uk