The fifth CARDIFF ANIMATION FESTIVAL (CAF) is back from the 25th to 28th of April in Chapter, Cardiff with online events continuing through to the 12th May. This year, as they say at all the best events, it is bigger and better than ever, but this one really is.
Screenings of 96 short films made in 23 countries around the world, all of them in competition for the CAF Awards (including the Audience Award); plus a short film programme platforming the work of neurodivergent animators, curated by Different Voices.
The theme for CAF24 is ‘treat’; audiences can treat themselves to Q&As, animation workshops, a free lunch and watch screenings in person or wherever suits them, online.
Tickets are now on sale on CAF’s website: HERE.
Announcing the programme, Cardiff Animation Festival Producer Ellys Donovan told us……
“We live and breathe animated films, and the highlight of our year, every year, is sharing our pick of the best new films with audiences in Cardiff and online. We also aim to support our audience’s wellbeing, factoring in points to rest, enjoy meals together and socialise. Inspiring, world-class animation in an exciting, bustling festival – a treat for all audiences.”
The programme will include:
Screenings of 96 short films from 23 different countries…….
‘Presented in nine shorts programmes; Peas in a Pod (films about friendship and relationships), Slice of Life (films that offer glimpses of day-to-day life), Home Grown (films made in Wales or by Welsh filmmakers), Pick ‘n Mix (an eclectic grab-bag of shorts), Love at First Bite (films about love and romance), Eat Your Words (speechless films) and Midnight Feast (films for audiences age 18+), family-friendly shorts and the Cardiff Animation Nights launch party. The full selection of short films can be found HERE.’
Cardiff Animation Festival Producer Ellys Donovan told us….
“We live and breathe animated films, and the highlight of our year, every year, is sharing our pick of the best new films with audiences in Cardiff and online. We also aim to support our audience’s wellbeing, factoring in points to rest, enjoy meals together and socialise. Inspiring, world-class animation in a stimulating, bustling festival – it’s a treat for all audiences.”
Feature film screenings……
Including; anime films BLUE GIANT, based on a Japanese jazz-themed manga series in which a high-school student follows his dream of becoming a saxophonist and Keiichi Hara’s LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR, about a group of schoolchildren who discover a magical portal to a castle on an island;
Spanish-French speechless tragicomedy and Academy Award-nominee ROBOT DREAM, which follows the friendship between a dog and a robot; Chicken for Linda, a French-Italian film about the precarious joys of childhood; and Kensuke’s Kingdom, a UK adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s children’s book of the same name, featuring the voices of Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe, made in part in Wales and funded by Ffilm Cymru Wales. A Q&A with director Neil Boyle, art director Mike Shortenand and head of compositing Neil Martin will follow the screening.
MASTERCLASSES led by the artists behind some of the world’s best loved and most well-known animated films, including; live action puppeteers and makers Eliot Gibbins and Josh Elwell, who worked on theDoctor Who 60th anniversary and Christmas specials, sharing their hybrid approach of collaborating with design, fabrication and VFX teams on the brand new episodes; animator Tina Nawrocki talking all things Cuphead; Jamie Badminton, producer of the global smash hit Peppa Pig, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year; and Welsh sound designer, composer and voice artist Phil Brookes, who will host a live foley session on stage.
Other events will include: workshops by Factory art director Jamie Stockley on prop-making for animation; by filmmaker Mary Martins about scratching onto 16mm film; and a character design workshop by Tina Nawrocki, in which she’ll help participants create their own Cuphead-esque boss. ONE BUM CINEMA CLUB, possibly the smallest cinema in the world, hugely popular with audiences at previous CAFs in Chapter’s foyer; CAF will be collaborating with CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL again to showcase their Best of CTIAF 2023 African Film Selection; INDUSTRY DAY on Thursday 25th April, an industry-focused day of events inc. a panel discussion on entering the animation industry, funding opportunities and a keynote talk from Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe and Lucid Games; a DRAWING & WALKING TOUR OF CARDIFF led by Cardiff-trained animator and illustrator Briar White; an ANIMATION EXHIBITION curated by and held at Cardiff Umbrella; QUICK DRAW, a 48-hour animation challenge where all films created within 48 hours will be shown as part of the festival; plus relaxed and baby-friendly screenings; evening socials inc. karaoke and online events including live filmmaker Q&As hosted by animator and podcast host Terry Ibele.
Every event in the festival will be captioned and BSL interpreted.
For full details go HERE.
CAF24 is funded by Arts Council of Wales, Ymddiried and Ffilm Cymru Wales. It is sponsored by Picl Animation, BumpyBox, Twt Productions and ScreenSkills Animation Skills Fund with contributions from UK animation productions.
