Animation Block Party
| Animation Block Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | New York, NY |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Language | International |
| http://www.animationblock.com/ | |
Animation Block Party is an annual animation film festival in New York City, usually held over three days in late July.
Contents |
[edit] History
The festival was founded and is organized by Casey Safron[1]
On September 9, 2004, Safron curated the first official Animation Block Party. It was held in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and was rated by New York magazine as one of the top five smaller film festivals.[2] The following year, Animation Block Party opened for international submissions, acquired corporate sponsorship and expanded to become an annual festival with juried awards and prizes for participating animators.[3] In 2006, the Animation Block Party film festival expanded to its current multi-day format and quickly established itself as the premier animation festival of the East Coast,[4] drawing an average of over 2,500 attendees per summer.[5]
ABP is based out of Brooklyn. It showcases animation from filmmakers across the United States and all over the world, ranging from Israel to Japan to France, Canada, Brazil and Greece.[6] It screens all genres and styles of animated shorts, including: professional studio works, top student shorts, independent films, experimental content, computer animation and cartoons for kids. Animation Block Party received 654 film submissions in 2011 and screened 97 of them at their 8th annual festival.[7]
The New York Press called ABP "an alternative to computer generated critters and rotoscoped drug addicts,"[8] while Time Out New York called it "the grown-up version of a Saturday morning cartoon blitz."[9] The L Magazine wrote that Animation Block has "deep ties to the city's local filmmaking community."[10]
The 9th annual Animation Block Party will take place July 27-29, 2012, in Brooklyn at Rooftop Films and BAMcinématek.
[edit] Production
Animation Block Party also has a production division called Animation Block, which has turned several pieces from the festival into series.[11]
In 2008, Animation Block produced the series "Perfectland" for MTV, which premiered on April 22, 2008.[12]
In 2009, Animation Block produced the series "Breakfast" for the Sundance Channel,[13] as well as a 28 episode web series for My Damn Channel.[14]
[edit] Festival Winners
[edit] 2005 (Spring)
- Best in Show: Willis Sillim's Tall Tale - Steffen Vala
- Music Video: Easy - Fin Film
- Original Design: Tuesday Kissing - Melissa MacAlpin
- Student Film: Lovers Supplant - Norma V. Toraya
- Computer Animation: Love Me, Love Me, Love Me - Marina Gioti, Dimitris Ladopoulos
- One-Minute Movie: In The Loins of Spring - Avid Cyclist Crew
[edit] 2005 (Fall)
- Best in Show: The Backbrace - Andy and Carolyn London
- Music Video: IROC-Z Song - Nylon Motion
- Original Design: Body Splash - Greg Condon
- Student Film: Marvelous, Keen Loony Bin - Lizzi Akana
- One-Minute Movie: The Hour - Kyle Baker
- Audience Award: Binge and Purge – Ben Meinhardt
[edit] 2006
- Best in Show: The Wraith of Cobble Hill - Adam Parrish King
- Music Video: Don't Fuck with Love - Rachel McIntosh and Jim Starace
- Original Design: Coburn - Anton Bogaty
- Student Film: Reflection Of Self - Becki Halloway
- One-Minute Movie: Fowl Play - Tyler Schroeder
- Experimental: Colour Bars - Timothy Moore
- Computer Animation: Moongirl - Henry Selick
- Narrative Short: Guide Dog - Bill Plympton
- Documentary: McLaren’s Negatives - Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
- Audience Award: Unfair - Ian Jones-Quartey
[edit] 2007
- Best in Show: Lost in Snow - Vladimir Lesciov
- Music Video: Me-I - Mixtape Club and Daniel Garcia
- Original Design: Zoologic - Nicole Mitchell
- Student Film: Hedgehug - Dan Pinto
- One-Minute Movie: Legend of Cranky Verne by Laika
- Experimental: Phantom Canyon - Stacey Steers
- Computer Animation: A Faery’s Tale - Sylvia Apostol
- Narrative Short: How She Slept at Night - Lilli Carre
- Documentary: When I Grow Up - Michelle Meeker
- Audience Award: Snake - Becky James
[edit] 2008
- Best In Show: Pearce Sisters by Luis Cook
- Original Design: Muto by Blu
- Computer Animation: Operation Fish by Jeff Riley
- Experimental Film: Trepan Hole by Andy Cahill
- Music Video: Last Time In Clerkenwell by Alex Budovsky
- Narrative Short: Einsteins Riddle by Gina Kamentsky
- Student Film: In The Beginning by Choom
- Minute Movie: Flower Sound Cartoon by Phil Dubrovsky and Dale Hayward
- Documentary Short: ECT — The Story of Two Women by Laura Piraino
- Audience Award: I Live In The Woods by Max Winston
[edit] 2009
- Best In Show: Ergo by Geza M. Toth
- Original Design: Parasol by Webster Crowell
- Computer Animation: Tin Can Heart by Rod March
- Experimental Film: Singles by Rebecca Sugar
- Music Video: The Dragon's Claw by Robert Bruce
- Narrative Short: I Am So Proud of You by Don Hertzfeldt
- Student Film: Topi by Arjun Rihan
- Minute Movie: Notebook Babies by Tony Dusko
- Documentary Short: Southern Exposure by Susan Chien
- Audience Award: Chicken Cowboy by Stephen Neary
[edit] 2010
- Best In Show: Old Fangs - Adrien Merigeau / Ireland
- Original Design: Paper Daydream - Jun Iwakawa / United Kingdom
- Computer Animation: Urs - Moritz Mayerhofer / Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Experimental Film: Pink Spray Paint - Carly White / ENSAD, France
- Music Video: Spacious Thoughts - Fluorescent Hill / Montreal, Canada
- Narrative Short: Bygone Behemoth - Harry Chaskin / California
- Student Film: Always Only Ever - Barbara Benas / Columbus College of Art and Design
- Minute Movie: How to Lose Weight in 60 Seconds - Dave Carter / Australia
- Documentary Short: Perista - Kim Weiner / RISD
- Audience Award: Death Buy Lemonade - Kyu-bum Lee / Sheridan
[edit] 2011
- Best In Show: The Eagleman Stag - Mikey Please / United Kingdom
- Original Design: The Wonder Hospital - Beomsik Shimbe Shim / Los Angeles
- Computer Animation: Meu Medo - Murilo Hauser / Brazil
- Experimental Film: Terra Firma - Ted Wiggin / RISD
- Music Video: Reloaded - Marieke Verbiesen / Norway
- Narrative Short: The Quiet Life - Timothy Hittle / San Francisco
- Student Film: Metro - Jake Wyatt / BYU
- Minute Movie: Bleu - Mike Bentz / Sarah Lawrence
- Animation for Kids: Bridge - Ting Chian Tey / Academy of Art
- Audience Award: Craft - Mari Jaye Blanchard / Brooklyn
[edit] References
- ^ McCarton Ackerman, "Animation Block Party Arrives in Williamsburg," Greenpoint Gazette, July 28, 2011.
- ^ "Top Five Smaller Film Festivals," New York, May 21, 2005.
- ^ Sarah Baisley, "NYC Animation Block Party Screening," Animation World Network, December 1, 2005.
- ^ Chermelle D. Edwards, "Get Animated About This Film Festival," offManhattan, July 24, 2009.
- ^ McCarton Ackerman, "Animation Block Party Arrives in Williamsburg," Greenpoint Gazette, July 28, 2011.
- ^ Angela Ashman, "Cartoon Central," The Village Voice, July 27, 2010.
- ^ Chris Arrant, "Animation Block Party 2011 Announces Juried Award Winners," Cartoonbrew.com, August 3, 2011.
- ^ "Animation on the Block," New York Press, July 2006.
- ^ "This week in New York," Time Out New York, July 21, 2009.
- ^ Mark Asch, "Northside Film Spotlight: Brooklyn Shorts and NYC Animation," The L Magazine, June 23, 2010.
- ^ "Animation Block Party," New York Times, July 25, 2008.
- ^ "Animation Block Party Sets Record, Lou Reed Visits Film Forum, and Lincoln Center Celebrates," indieWire, July 31, 2008.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ "Animation Block Proves the Internet Can Be Better Than TV," Clicker.com, March 21, 2011.
