It’s been a while! Team LIAF has been undercover for a few weeks now (as well as under film reels, digi beta tapes, spreadsheets, voting forms and all sorts of festival-related pieces of paper). We’ve just briefly surfaced from beneath a sea of freight boxes to let you know that the annual LIAF aftermath tidy-up is coming along a treat. Morale is high and we’re all incredibly cheery, flitting between mop-up mode and 2012 planning mode.
The bar is well and truly raised this year as LIAF 2011 has been, without a doubt, the biggest and best LIAF… ever! That’s not to say that LIAF is over for the year, not a chance. “LIAF is a year-round celebration of animation” (something we’ll never tire of saying!) and we’ve already got our next set of events planned with lots more in the pipeline. While we’re on the subject of planning, one event we’re particularly proud of is the soon-to-be revealed 23 simultaneous Children’s Screenings at PictureHouse cinemas across the whole of London. We’ll be posting details very soon.
Reading through the hundreds and hundreds of audience voting and feedback forms has as ever, given us that valuable insight into how you think we’re doing. We’re bearing big, beaming smiles at your positive comments and the fact that so many of you felt strongly enough to share them only adds to the glee. And that, right there, is the first of many ‘thank you’s’ that we owe – LIAF would not, could not happen if you didn’t want it to. So thank you LIAF audience… And while we’re on the subject of ‘thank you’s’…
Thank you to…
BFI/Film London
Shooting People
Imagine magazine
Electric Sheep magazine
The Film and Video Workshop, especially Simon Oatley and Kevin Griffiths for helping us with our Children’s Animation drop in workshop at the Barbican.
A special ‘thank you’ to the Barbican (It was a LIAF-changing experience to be able to bring to you our Festival from such a prestigious and accommodating venue). Robert Rider, Emma Watkins and the wonderful Susie Evans made the LIAF team feel incredibly welcome and ensured that we had absolutely everything to hand. We’d also like to thank Barbican projectionists –Jonathan Greer and Ida Akesson; ‘the host with the most’ Jason Eden and all the Barbican’s box-office staff and ushers. Not to forget our satellite venues: The Horse Hospital’s Roger Burton and Tai as well as All at the Rio Cinema.
And thank you to: the Quebec Government Office, London; Polish Cultural Institute and the Austrian Cultural Forum, for bringing our international guests into London.
Adobe and Celaction for providing prizes to filmmakers.
Skillset’s St.John Walker and The School of Sound’s Larry Walker as well as all the panelists who joined us for our first ever Industry Event.
Bianca Ansems and Daniela Negrin Ochoa, the talented NFTS students who made our 2011 trailers.
Our amazing guests – Theodore Ushev, Wojtek Wawszczyk, Dietmar Schwarzler, Tai Murayama, Patrick Doyon, Phil Mulloy and all the filmmakers who took part in our many Q & A’s and Masterclasses. Thank you to each and every filmmaker who allowed us to screen their films. Quite simply, your films ARE the London International Animation Festival.
Our judges – Joseph Pierce, Abigail Addison, Dietmar Schwarzler, Wojtek Wawszczyk, Anna Blaszczyk and Andy Blazdell.
And last but by no means least, the LIAF minions – the volunteers that work behind the scenes. They grabbed the WD40 when the LIAF engine room made strange noises, crawled out of bed at stupid o’clock when self-preservation would tell anyone else to crawl straight back in again with a bowl of corn flakes and a comic book, they lifted, transported, made tea, sold things, bought things, filmed things, pressed things, projected things… little tasks and big tasks… they did them all and WE SALUTE THEM! Dan Jones, Lindsay Watson, Jessica Davies, Catherine Pritchard and Claude Trollope-Curson… thank you!
If we have missed anyone, do please let us know! We’re diving back in now to recommence our clean-up and will be resurfacing very, very soon…
