For this year’s ‘Figures in Focus’ programme, we are going on an adventure. The selected films examine the urge to explore the world, to travel, to feel the delight to roam. Hand in hand with this sense of wanderlust is the restlessness felt by some, the need to escape their situation, or to return to places in their memories. Our daring explorers find the courage to take a leap into the unknown and to seek something better.
The artists featured in this programme and who will speak to the theme and their process in the post-screening discussion are Jessica Ashman, Efa Blosse-Mason, and Silvana Roth.
Figures in Focus was devised in 2017 by Abigail Addison in recognition of the under-representation of female and non-binary animators and their stories within the independent animation sector. The programme spotlights some of the incredible work crafted by contemporary animators, both in the UK and internationally.
Content warning: Flashing imagery, strong language, nudity, ableism, mental illness, drug use, racism, misogyny
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Speakers
Abigail Addison
Abigail is a Producer and Programmer. She is a Director of Animate Projects, an arts agency that champions experiments in animation. Abigail recently produced Oscar shortlisted The Debutante with Elizabeth Hobbs, as well as the multi-award winning And Granny Would Dance by Maryam Mohajer. In 2024 she was invited to become a member of the Short Films and Feature Animation branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Jessica Ashman
Jessica Ashman is a multi-disciplinary artist working in animation moving image, music (under the name Spirit Sigh) performance and installation. Ashman combines traditional drawn, collage and multi-plane animation techniques with digital animation and mobile phone footage in her work, creating frenetic, textured and abstract narratives that explore gender, identity and race. She is a BAFTA Scotland award winning animator, and MA Animation graduate from the Royal College of Art. Her work has been supported by Focal Point Gallery, New Art Exchange, Animate Projects, Jerwood Visual Arts Bursary, Arts Council England, UK Film Council and Channel 4’s Random Acts.
Efa Blosse-Mason
Efa Blosse-Mason is a Welsh speaking animator and illustrator. She graduated from Bristol School of Animation and her graduation film ‘Earthly Delights’ won The Royal Television Society Award for best student animation film in 2019. Efa has worked on projects with Winding Snake Productions, a documentary about The Female Voice in Wales, and community-based projects celebrating artists from India and from Wales. She has also collaborated with creatives making music videos, poetry films and animation for theatre productions.
Silvana Roth
Silvana Roth is a German animation director and illustrator based in Edinburgh. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2023 with a BA(Hons) in Animation. She loves creating 2d animation – especially textural and atmospheric hand drawn animation. When Silvana is not hunched over a lightbox you can find her sketching her surroundings or planning her next road trip. Currently she is working on her second short film which explores the relationship of a young woman with her phone.
Childhood Memories – Mary Martins, UK
Combining 16mm colour footage of Lagos, Nigeria from the 70s with stop-motion and 2D hand-drawn animation, this multi-layered, autobiographical animation explores personal memories and the cultural elements of our earliest childhood reminiscences.
2018 4’00 min
In Her Boots – Kathrin Steinbacher, UK
Heidi is experiencing strange things. While her granddaughter is visiting, she suddenly embarks on a hiking journey to the deepest parts of the Alps, revealing the reason for her devoted attachment to her hiking shoes.
2019 6’00 min
Such Miracles Do Happen – Barbara Rupik, Poland
One day all the statues in the town come to life and set off in the same direction. A captivating world in which ugliness is attractive and otherness is mysterious and magical.
2023 13’50 min
This film is not included in our online programme
Waldeinsamkeit – Silvana Roth, UK
An old lady feels alienated from modern city life, but when she embarks on a magical dreamlike journey, she finds wonder and a newfound appreciation for the place she lives in.
2023 4’15 min
Via Dolorosa – Rachel Gutgarts, France
Between drug addiction, first discoveries of sexuality and a permanent state of war, the filmmaker searches for her lost youth by wandering the streets of Jerusalem.
2023 11’00 min
This film is not included in our online programme
Our Bed is Green – Maggie Brennan, USA
A young woman seeks digital refuge from an overwhelming world and a bewildering obsession.
2021 7’00 min
Utopia Portals – Jessica Ashman, UK
An exploration of utopian ideas of belonging and unbelonging, inspired by Ashman’s first visit to her ancestral homeland, Jamaica. The film blends animated loops, mobile phone footage, and soundscapes recorded on the island to craft a series of short filmic “glitches” that peel back layers of reality, uncovering surreal hidden worlds.
2022 4’00 min
Cwch Deilin / Leaf Boat – Efa Blosse-Mason, UK
Learning to love someone can be scary, but it can also lead to the most marvellous adventure. Heledd and Celyn navigate the undiscovered and murky waters of entering a new relationship.
2020 8’00 min
The Illustrated Woman – Isabel Herguera, Spain
In Ahmedabad, Isabel gives an animation workshop to a group of temporary tattoo artists, the Mehndi. She interviews them about their dreams: to fly, a women’s parliament, travel to Switzerland, and claiming independence through rap.
2022 7’55 min
Maybe Elephants – Torill Kove, Norway/Canada
Three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in Nairobi. What could possibly go wrong?
2024 16’45 min
This film is not included in our online programme
Our Funding Partners
With Special Thanks to the Arts Council England
Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Venue
The Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. For more information about The Barbican and how to get there, find out more.
Barbican, Online
