Dispatches #7
Another round up of experimental animation news, links and suchlike…
Recent Collisions
The recent screenings of Collison 2 at Close Up in London went very well. This was the second programme in a new, irregular screening series I’m doing, focusing on experimental and independent animation. There ended up being 2 showings after the first one quickly sold out, and there was a great turn out for the repeat screening too. It seems there’s still a real appetite for seeing this kind of work offline, in a physical cinema with other likeminded folk to share the experience. The films certainly engaged and surprised to full effect thanks to the excellent projection and lovely setting of Close Up. We were thrilled to have Loïc Kreyden in attendance for the first showing, and he gave a really interesting Q&A afterwards. The programme included his beautiful 2022 film Places I’ve Never Left Pt. 1. Here’s his completely different but equally great film HIER from 2018 (and a little making-of here).
All details of the next Collision screening will be posted on this Substack in due course.
Commission: Flamin Animations
FLAMIN Animations have announced their 2025 Open Call, with a deadline of 27th May. This a £3,500 commissioning programme for early-career Black and global majority animators living in England. The scheme is presented in partnership with the award winning London-based animation studio Blinkink, who will be providing focused support to the selected animators throughout the development and production process alongside the FLAMIN team. You can find out more here.
Past participants in the scheme have included Isabel Barfod who currently has a solo exhibition at LUX, and Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume, whose new film Dédé will be showing at Annecy this summer.
Commission: Invitation to Roam
Animate Projects have a new £4000 commission for early career animation artists based in England. Three artists will be supported to make short animated films inspired by campaigning organisation Right to Roam, and their vision of “a future countryside in which people not only enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of nature but serve as its guardians too”. Each artist will undertake a period of research and development, with support from Right to Roam organiser Jon Moses, and will receive production and editorial support from Animate as they develop and produce a short, animated, single-screen film. The films will be shown at a public event, online and on Instagram. More info here!
Tomonari Nishikawa
I was very sad to learn of the passing of the wonderful filmmaker Tomonari Nishikawa. As well as making truly amazing films he also co-founded KLEX: Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film and Video Festival, and Transient Visions: Festival of the Moving Image in New York, and taught at Binghamton University, New York.
I’d only had some brief communications with Tomonari over the years but even those small interactions gave me a sense of him being a very generous and kind person. This has been confirmed by the many posts on social media I’ve seen from throughout the experimental film community. His work has inspired me for many years. Here is his incredible 2005 film Market Street.
"I carefully juxtaposed images on Market Street by single-framing, in order to create certain happenings on the screen. No re-photographing technique is involved. The result may look abstract, yet representative enough to show the characteristics of the street." - Tomonari Nishikawa
Check out more of Tomonari’s visionary work at his website tomonarinishikawa.com
Blu-Ray: Essential Polish Animation
Radiance films have a new Blu-Ray anthology of Polish animation coming out, now available for pre-order. Contains 27 films from the late 1950s to the 1980s, full of outstanding wonders. Looks like an essential purchase to me. All info here.
Book: New York Animation 1966-1999, A City in Motion
New from Palgrave Animation: Robby Gilbert’s book New York Animation 1966-1999, A City in Motion examines the unique styles, movements, personalities and projects that emerged in the city from 1966 to 1999. The book will shine a spotlight on the development of NYC’s independent animation scene, starting with Hubley Studios, and how they paved the way for the era of creator-driven animation.
Porous
I’ll leave you with Cecilia Reeve’s 2023 animation Porous, now online after showing at festivals around the world. Porous is “an experimental, multi-media film that unpicks the subtle nuances of sexual assault and the irregularities of memory”. You can read more about the film here and see more of Cecilia’s work here.