The 10th London International Animation Festival (LIAF) is back with a bumper 10th birthday programme showcasing the huge spectrum of creative work that goes on in this field of film making. Even if your knowledge of animation goes no further than Loony Tunes, Danger Mouse or Wallace & Gromit, there'll be something to fire your interest and expand your horizons.
Don't know where to start?
Start with the best. To celebrate 10 years of the festival, three special screenings will share the top 10 comedy, sci-fi and horror (on Halloween, of course) animations from the first decade of the festival. You can also dip into themed sessions: Abstract Showcase, Animated Documentaries, Late Night Bizarre and Music Videos. There are Amazing Animations for little kids (0-6) and Marvellous Animations for slightly bigger ones (7-15).
Or get a ticket for the Opening Gala, which will feature highlights of the festival to come and a special screening of Persistence of Vision, a feature film about the greatest animation never made, by Kevin Schrek (see trailer).
Take pot luck
The International Competition Programme is the backbone of the LIAF. Each year they sort through thousands of submissions and whittle them down to around 200 of the best to share at the festival. There are seven different programmes to pick from and all are being repeated at different venues so there's plenty of opportunity to try one and see what you like. An audience vote will dictate which films make it to the closing night best of the festival event. Have a look at the programme PDF and take your pick.
Local interest
The British Showcase is sure to be popular, especially as many of the animators will be present at the festival. London-set feature, The Pain and the Pity by Phil Molloy, where a serial killer is on the loose beneath the streets, gets its UK premiere.
Want to delve deeper?
The festival puts a spotlight on particular animation studios with a programme of 3D Stereoscopic films from the National Film Board of Canada, a session on Poland's Platige Image Studio's 3D stereoscopic output that includes a Q&A about the future of digital animation and a look at some of the beautiful work to come out of Paris-based Sacrebleu Productions. You can also investigate a retrospective of the varied work of award-winning Estonian, Ülo Pikkov.
PERSISTENCE OF VISION - Trailer from Kevin Schreck on Vimeo.
London International Animation Festival 2013 takes place 25 October to 3 November at Barbican Cinemas, The Horse Hospital, Rio Dalston and Whitechapel Art Gallery. Browse a PDF of the programme here and book events at the venue websites.
