Hello and welcome back to Popped, a newsletter about cinema history and culture.

I’m off on holiday this week! I’ll be taking the rest of July off to sit around and, let’s face it, watch films. Until then folks, enjoy this one!

Animation is often taken for granted. Its presence is everywhere.

It advertises to us, it entertains and educates our children, it brings our games alive, but we generally remember it for making us sit in the cinema for a couple of hours and making us (me) cry. I think that’s why the recent Cardiff Animation Festival was an eye opener for me. Crowds of likeminded artists working tirelessly for the privilege of being taken for granted.

Since the festival I have had the pleasure of learning a little more about the U.K animation industry and speaking to the people who are not only labouring over the animations, but investing countless hours in raising the funds and awareness needed to get their creations going. Here are two stories that give some insight into the process from sketch book to the screen.

Lleucu Non - Painkiller

You will never be too far away from an animation festival in the U.K. and there are animation nights held up and down the country on a monthly basis, showcasing local talent and works in development.

The Cardiff Animation Festival is for those locals, as well as artists from the rest of the UK, France, India, America and Canada. What struck me about this festival though was its emphasis on cultural identity, and the support there is for newcomers into the industry in Wales.

One of the film makers was Lleucu Non, an animation graduate at ECA. She entered a university piece into the festival called Painkiller, a visceral animation in response to her own experience with chronic migraines using rotoscope techniques and real flowers.

“I’m very lucky to have an audience that supports me here in Wales. The Welsh animation scene is diverse and inspiring, and I have managed to find my own voice in the crowd”

Lleucu won the Audience Award for Painkiller at the festival and her film was part of a collection of “home grown” animated shorts, highlighting Welsh work.

The festival is a celebration of global animation that plays work from world acclaimed artists alongside local artists like Lleucu. Some works were hilarious, some more personal stories. Lleucu’s work really stood out.

It’s well worth hunting out an animation festival or showcase night in your nearest city.

Kino Bino - Of All The Things

During the festival, it struck me how many of the artists attending were in the middle of a fight to get their projects made. Many of them talking about the struggle, in the current climate, to get past the development stage.

“As our first time crowdfunding, it’s been a very steep learning curve,” explains Steff, the Creative Director of Kino Bino. “[We were] partially funding the project, but after a year and a half of working on the film alongside client projects, a downturn in the animation industry and the cost of living crisis forced us to explore crowdfunding to complete it”.

Of All the Things is a passion project for Steff, who started working on the film in 2019. It’s a short that delves into the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship amidst the challenges of hoarding disorder. It’s a film that’s aiming to raise awareness around a condition that’s often misunderstood.

Over the past few weeks, Steff and her producer, Bella Tomlinson have been racing all over social media, making BBC TV and radio appearances, as well as hosting a Hoarding Awareness Week event in Leicester to not only raise awareness around the condition, but hopefully secure valuable funding to make the film.

“We’ve raised £10k and are at 40% of our goal, with new associate and executive producers on board this week. We’ve been blown away by the support…especially from the hoarding community and professionals who see the film’s potential to gently open up discussions.”

Watching from the sidelines, it’s been a staggering effort. To go from an artist to a fundraiser, spending hours on spreadsheets and press packs is a testament to their passion. The crowdfunding is still going until 7th July, so head here if you’d like to learn more and donate.

You would be forgiven for not thinking too deeply about where your animation is coming from, how much work goes into it, and how long it has taken to get from A to B.

To think that it can take five to seven years to even get an animation project off the ground is bonkers to those of us who watch that film in ten minutes once it’s been created.

With that in mind, why don’t you start with The Cardiff Animation website to watch some previous entries? Perhaps then you can have a look for local animators, local showcase nights, or you can support artists like Steff who work tirelessly to get their projects moving. Animated short films are a fantastic way to explore lots of different artists, so get out there and find something!

Gareth

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