The first of the six Untold Tales films.
Hold Tight explores the importance of Carnival across the UK and how its celebrations provide an important lifeline to heritage and identity for younger generations of the Black Caribbean diaspora in Britain. It is a journey into the feeling of belonging, through the rituals of Carnival attendance and the power of bass.
https://www.instagram.com/jessiola
You can watch the film here:
Hold Tight – https://vimeo.com/297039237
Seven renowned animators have been selected to create a series of micro-shorts, commissioned by Animate Projects and Anim18, as part of the Anim18 programme – a UK-wide celebration of British animation taking place until December 2018.
Working in collaboration with other creative talents and a range of subjects, the animators reflect on the collective and individual experiences of people living in the UK today. They are playful, joyful, and eye-catching gems, designed to be discovered in the viewer’s Instagram feed, that they will want to share, repost, like, and comment on.
Together the films present an exciting and vibrant collection of stories exploring cultural heritage, historic curiosities, devoted communities, and ways individuals navigate modern life: Leo Crane’s film offers a platform to an adopted child to share his fantastical and hopeful dreams; Ian Gouldstone takes inspiration from the inhabitants of the tower block he resides in; and Osbert Parker and Laurie Hill consider the curious tale of a wasp brought into Victorian society and cultured, and how her treatment reflects on contemporary life today.
Several of the films center on the cultural communities that the animators belong to: Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara reflects on the motivations of visitors to a Buddhist Monastery that she frequents; Kate Sullivan invites us into a meeting of the 3D enthusiasts club she takes part in; and Jessica Ashman’s film celebrates the importance of participating in Carnival culture for herself and her peers.
Abigail Addison at Animate Projects explains: “The animators were approached to pitch ideas for this project, and we were delighted with the range of ideas and techniques that were proposed. These diminutive films attest to the considerable talent and craft of the makers; they are so innovative, lively, thought provoking, and entertaining. It is a joy to be able to work with such great animation talent.”
The films will be launched on Instagram and Vimeo throughout November, beginning with Hold Tight by Jessica Ashman on Tuesday 6 November.
You can find the films on their release date at the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/anim18uk
https://www.instagram.com/animateprojectsuk
https://vimeo.com/animateprojects
Irish Folk Furniture [clip] (2012) from Alan Eddie on Vimeo.
We must have been busy with all sorts of of other things here at the blog (we have! – more soon) as it’s taken us a few months to catch up with this short which won the Short Film Jury Prize for Animation at Sundance this spring.
It has screened at many festivals, including Sheffield Doc/Fest this June, who described it thus:
“A strikingly beautiful stop motion animation exploring a local craftsman’s restoration of rural furniture in a small Irish community. Experimenting with the vivid expression of folklore storytelling, artifacts of bygone days are transformed from decaying neglect and brought to life, with playful vivacity.”
An interview with director Tony here:
http://irishamerica.com/2013/03/irish-folk-furniture-an-interview-with-tony-donoghue/
And various news reports here:
And here:
http://www.thejournal.ie/sundance-irish-folk-furniture-763455-Jan2013/
The film was funded by the Irish Film Board’s Frameworks scheme:
http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/funding_programmes/Frameworks/65
ANIMATEDDOCUMENTARY.COM 