Cardiff Animation Festival Features 'Moominvalley', 'Bob's Burgers', 'His Dark Materials' And More
Brian Fisher and Eliot Gibbins, head of Creature effects on the BBC/HBO TV series His Dark Materials will give attendees a look behind the scenes and reveal how the many creatures of Phillip Pullman's fantasy epic were brought to life. Using a mix of traditional puppetry and cutting-edge award-winning VFX, the team created the many daemons and armoured bears the series required. The first season (which was produced in Cardiff) attracted 7.2 million viewers in the UK alone, making it the most-watched new British show for five years.
Welsh animator Simon Chong will join the festival via video-link-up live from LA, where he works as a director on the hit US comedy Bob's Burgers. Recruited by series creator Loren Bouchard after his fan-made Bob's Burgers and Archer cross-over animation went viral, he's living the dream of many independent animators. He'll give CAF attendees insight into his unconventional career path and what it's like to work on your favourite show.
There will be a rare chance to see episodes of Moominvalley, the new adaptation of Tove Jansson's classic stories, on the big screen. Episode director Avgousta Zoureldi will be on hand for a Q&A. Also attending will be Ed Foster, creator of the CITV series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, produced by Cardiff based Cloth Cat Animation. Foster will talk about his 16-year journey from a student film-maker to directing his own series for one of the UK's biggest broadcasters.
Animation art-director and illustrator Tanya J Scott will chair a discussion on inclusion and diversity in the UK's animation and VFX industries. A panel of animation and VFX creatives will discuss how we can work towards a fairer and more diverse workplace.
The festival will also include feature film screenings, networking events and educational events, with more information to be revealed when the full program is revealed in Match. The Festival will take place at Chapter from April 2-5, and will include a special edition of the regular screening event Cardiff Animation Nights.
UPDATE: Early Bird passes are now sold out, but regular passes are coming soon. Tickets for individual events will be on sale next month.
