Animate

Now in its eighth year, this weekend see the return of the London International Animation Festival, aiming to prove – though we never doubted it  -that animation is certainly not just for kids.

This year’s event will see a number of specially curated sessions including a focus on cut-out animation techniques, a look at Polish animation, New York Who’s Who, and the British premiere of two animated feature films, Dead But Not Buried and the Polish film, George the Hedgehog.

Alongside LIAF’s eight competitive programmes, The ten-day festival will take in events, tours, screenings and masterclasses, with filmmaker question and answer sessions, retrospectives and gala premieres.

We’re particularly intrigued by the Abstract Showcase, which will screen a collection of recent films focussing entirely on experimental, abstract animation styles.

The New York Who’s Who will draw together independent animators working in New York; while Late Night Bizarre promises ‘insane prison inmates, robust insect loving, an experiment involving a long spike and an ass’.

The focus on cut-outs programme will examine the origins of the technique, which has been a mainstay of many Russian and Eastern European animators such as Yuri Norstein, and will mix a collection of works dating back as far as the 1940s with more recent works submitted for this year’s competition.

London International Animation Festival takes place from 26 August – 4 September at The Barbican, the Horse Hospital, Rio Cinema. for more information see www.liaf.org.uk