AniNation brings the best animated films to J’lem
AniNation is a lively celebration of Israeli and international animation at the Jerusalem Cinematheque that will run from October 24-27. It will showcase a rich and varied program of new films, both feature films and shorts for viewers of all ages, and will include workshops for children, teens and adults as well as master classes with distinguished guests from Israel and around the world on topics that include gaming animation and Virtual Reality.
If you’ve been missing the world’s most famous turtles – Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo – you can catch the international premiere of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show by the Nickelodeon channel, called The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Mamoru Hosoda’s animated feature film, Mirai, will be on the program. It tells the story of a young boy who discovers a magical garden which enables him to travel through time and meet his relatives from different eras, with guidance by his younger sister from the future.
The first three episodes of the series The Planetiums will be shown. The series is about a planet in space composed of four worlds, where a different creature lives in each. Every world and creature is completely different from the others, but since they are members of the planet, they have a lot in common.
Other films for children include the a preview screening of Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, the Jerusalem premiere of Smallfoot, and screenings of Peter and the Wolf and The Magic Piano.
The Oscar-winning director of Loving Vincent, Hugh Welchman, will talk about his short films and his unique work process for Loving Vincent, which he co-directed with Dorota Kobiela. Loving Vincent will be screened in his presence.
If you missed Wes Anderson’s latest movie, Isle of Dogs, a weird, comic animated story about dogs in Japan that are exiled to an island, you can see it here. It features the voices of Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Bryan Cranston.
Harvest – the Best of Movies of 2018 is a gala screening of the best animated films made in the Israel in the past year in a variety of categories: independent films, children’s films, music videos and student films.
Nina Paley’s Seder-Masochism loosely follows a traditional Passover Seder as the story is retold by Moses, Aharon, the Angel of Death, Jesus, and the director’s own father.
Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow’s Another Day in the Life tells how journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski set out on a suicide mission in the fields of war when violence broke out in Angola. It will be screened in the presence of Artur Zicz, producer from Platige Image studio, the creator of the film.
Go & Play 2018 – Best Indie Games in Israel is an event that will feature some of the best web and mobile indie games developers. They will give a rare inside look into the creative process and development of original games. At the end of the event, the audience is welcome to try out these games.
The Minimarket event is a panel discussion with graduates of the first AniMarket pitching event who will discuss their experiences in co-production over the past year.
Bestzalel features a selection of the best films from the 2018 crop of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design’s Screen-based Arts department. Bezalel is one of the most prestigious art schools in Israel and its filmmakers have produced work that is visually stunning and inventive.
Festival guest Mauro Carraro, who is considered one of the world leaders in 3D animation, will present a Sensible 3D master class, where he will showcase his work and describe his creative process, as well as present another screening of a selection of his films.
Among the other master classes will be one by Mysh (Michael Rozanov), a veteran illustrator and director, who balances artistic work with more commercial projects.
Tzahi Liberman will speak on the topic, Politics – Virtual Insanity, about how computer games bring us cultural and political representations and shape our opinions.
A pitching event called Longing in 90 Seconds is open to creators of short animated works that take inspiration from the reality of Israeli culture and society. The selected projects will be presented to an international and Israeli committee.
Creating Movement is an event honoring the women of the industry, with a panel discussion. An award will be given to a promising female filmmaker in the field of animation.
Some of these events are free and many require advance registration. To find out more about the festival, go to the website at www.jer-cin.org.il/en/lobby/anination-2018