BAF Final Guests Include Lee Hardcastle & Channel 4’s ‘Random Acts’ Artists
The last chance for delegates to take advantage of the early bird discount for the 20th Anniversary edition of the Bradford Animation Festival and BAF Game 2013 is this Friday, 18th October. To coincide with the deadline, festival organisers are delighted to make the following final exciting programme announcements this week.
Local animation hero Lee Hardcastle, a former student of Leeds Met’s Northern Film School, will attend BAF 2013 to present a masterclass offering insight into the life of a truly independent film maker, including a screening of his soon to be completed short film Ghost Burger. This year, BAF pays tribute to Bob Godfrey (Roobard, Henry’s Cat), with Guardian Cartoonist Steve Bell taking part in a panel discussing the career of the late, world renowned animator. ArtistsSean Vicary, Elizabeth Hobbs and Mandy McIntosh will also be attending BAF to take part in a Q&A following a showcase of their work, as featured in 15 animated films produced by Animate Projects for Channel 4’s Random Acts.
BAF 2013 once again welcomes Bradford College as Principal Sponsor.
Leeds Met Alumni Lee Hardcastle, originally from Lofthouse, specialises in stop motion videos using clay models, including internet sensations Pingu’s The Thing, Claycat’s The Raid as well as a series of Done in 60 seconds movie parodies. Lee recently won a competition to direct a segment of the film The ABCs of Death, which screened in this year’s Bradford International Film Festival. The ABCs of Death, a gruesome assault on the senses, brings together an impressive roster of horror directors from across the globe, all of whom were given a letter of the alphabet, a $5000 budget and carte blanche to create their own vision inspired by death in one of its myriad forms.
For many, the work of the late Bob Godfrey remains a key influence on their life. For children of the seventies and eighties, it was iconic characters Roobarb and then Henry’s Cat that brightened up television. But Bob was much more than these and we take this opportunity to discover some of the unknown aspects of his career with a special screening of rarely seen films, including part of his great unfinished animated feature Jumbo (voiced by Frankie Howerd); and a special panel with Oscar nominated animator Kevin Baldwin, Guardian Cartoonist Steve Bell and animator John Challis sharing their experiences of working with the legendary Bob Godfrey. BAF will also pay tribute to Ray Harryhausen with a screening of Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan and to John Coates with screenings of both The Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog.
BAF will showcase 15 animated films produced produced by Animate Projects for Channel 4’s Random Acts, introduced by Abigail Addison, Animate Projects’ Associate Director. The films collectively demonstrate the broad range of animation techniques that artists from across the globe are using today to tell stories about our world. Random Acts artists Sean Vicary, Elizabeth Hobbs and Mandy McIntosh will be attending the event to take part in a post screening Q & A.
The main strand of the Bradford Animation Festival will open on the evening of Wednesday 13th November with a 20th birthday gala drinks reception at the National Media Museum, followed by a special anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s acclaimed The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG). Guests already announced for BAF 2013 include; Oscar winning filmmaker Adam Elliot, (Harvie Krumpet, Mary & Max), comedian, writer and actor Adam Buxton (presenting an exclusive BAF edition of BUG); world renowned artist & filmmaker Dave McKean, Lifetime Achievement Award winners Mackinnon & Saunders, leading contemporary female animator Michaela Pavlatova, (Repete, Words, Words, Words).
Deb Singleton, director of Bradford Animation Festival at the National Media Museum, said: ‘’With just under a month to go, we can’t wait to welcome our guests, delegates and filmmakers from all around the world to this very special jam packed 20th anniversary edition of BAF. The world of animation has transformed since the first festival took place in 1994. As well as looking ahead by delving into cutting edge animation techniques and watching the latest films, we’ll also be paying tribute to those legends of animation who are sadly no longer with us, including John Coates, Bob Godfrey and Ray Harryhausen.’’
The Bradford Animation Festival (12th – 16th November) takes place each November at the National Media Museum in Bradford. The UK’s longest running animation festival features screentalks, retrospectives, workshops and a competition strand which recognises the very best in new animation from around the world. Bradford College return as Principal Sponsor for the eighth year.
The final guests to be announced for BAF Game 2013 (12th – 13th November) include Martin Binfield, Animation Lead at Mode 7 Games, the company behind Frozen Synapse. Martin will attend the festival for an in depth talk on the development of their follow up project entitled ‘Frozen Endzone: Creating an Animation System from Scratch’. BAF Game, organised each year in partnership with Game Republic and the University of Bradford, attracts some of the most revered legends and radical developers from the world of gaming. The festival, which has earned itself a reputation as one of the UK’s premiere games events, takes place as part of the Bradford Animation Festival at the National Media Museum on 12th November and the University of Bradford on 13th November.
Tickets and passes for BAF & BAF Game 2013 are on sale on 17th September from the National Media Museum (call 0844 856 3797 or visit www.baf.org.uk ). Prices for full BAF Game passes start from £40 with BAF Animation passes from £50, and day passes for either event from £30. Tickets for individual screenings are priced from £3.
The BAF 2013 ident and animated sting has been created by OSCAR nominated and BAFTA award winning British animator Joanna Quinn.
For full BAF and BAF Game listings and prices visit www.baf.org.uk
