Get ready for the return of the 18th London International Animation Festival. The UK’s longest-running, largest and most eclectic animation festival is back and screening in-cinema and online all across the UK for 10 days from November 26th.
We can’t wait to return to live in-cinema screenings and this year as well as our regular venues the Barbican, the Horse Hospital and Close-Up Cinema we will also be screening at the Hackney Picturehouse and the Puppet Theatre Barge for the first time.
Tickets and passes will be going on sale in a few weeks time.
For those unable to venture out to London we’ll be repeating most of the screenings online on our trusted streaming platform.
Be prepared to feast your eyes on a sumptuous banquet of the world’s best, wildest and most awe-inspiring animated films. Over the next few weeks we’ll be drip-feeding information to you hungry folks.
We have watched almost 2,400 entries this year and after much soul-searching here’s a taste of what you can look forward to: 94 of the world’s best animated shorts screening from 31 different countries screening in 9 official competition programmes including the British Showcase and the Abstract Showcase. 91 other shorts in several other competitive programmes including our much-loved and returning programmes: Music Videos, Late Night Bizarre, Best of the Next (student films) and Children’s films. And special programmes, guest speakers and retrospectives:
Japan Now!
A three-programme focus on the booming indie animation scene in Japan including a full-blown retrospective of the absurdist and minimalist films of Atsushi Wada, the UK premiere of the sci-fi stop-motion masterpiece feature-film Junk Head and a look back at some of the most mind-blowing independent shorts made in the last decade.
The Wondrous Realities of Andrew & Eden Kotting
Andrew and Eden live and work between Hastings and the French Pyrenees. Eden is Andrew’s daughter and was born in 1988 with Jouberts Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. She grew up in London and developed a keen interest in drawing and painting and her visual impairment influences the way she sees the world. She has been working alongside Andrew all her life and the fantastical body of work they have created together voyages us to all kinds of wondrously observed and vividly imagined realities. Andrew and Eden will be live and onstage to talk about and present their remarkable short films.
Joseph Wallace
One of the UK’s most extraordinary animation and stop-motion directors will be live at LIAF to present a selection of his short films and music videos. Over a 15 year career Joseph has built up an astounding collection of work including his most ambitious film to date ‘Salvation Has No Name’ (just finished and hitting the festival circuit in 2022) and his recent stop-motion segments in ‘The Sparks Brothers’ musical documentary. You can take a look at his showreel below.
Figures in Focus (previously called Female Figures) – Up Yours!
A celebration of radical animators making politically charged work. At a time in the UK when our right to protest is being challenged, this programme reflects on the power of animation to spread a message. Works by daring animators, including Martha Colburn, Chloé Mazlo, Lorelei Pepi and OV, demonstrate how animators are presenting an alternate viewpoint to the status quo through their experimental and artistic work.
Edge of Frame – Fvoom! The Animated Films of Robert Breer
It is 10 years since the artist and animator Robert Breer died, and his impact on experimental animation practice is greater than ever. Two programmes exploring Breer’s substantial legacy including a range of work by contemporary animators who have built on Breer’s myriad conceptual innovations, taking his lead into unexpected new directions.
Once again, many of the filmmakers from all around the world will join us live and online for post-screening talks and introductions. And we will have several industry panels and discussions from the UK and the worlds’ leading practitioners giving insider access to the hottest topics of the year.
