Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 13, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The second Pictoplasma Animation Festival will take place this year from November 23 to 25 at Berlin’s Babylon cinema. According to the organizers’ plans, it is intended to attract an international community of artists, producers, critics and fans. The event is divided into the film programme, presentations and a release party for the DVD-book set „Characters In Motion Vol. 2”.
The film section claims that over a period of three days it will show carefully curated programmes in sections such as “Characters in Rhythm”, “Characters in Motion” or “Characters in Narration”. Special programmes on evolution or robotics, special presentations and best-ofs round out the offering.
The Babylon cinema is to become the temporary home of a multitude of moving characters, “far removed from the patterns and clichés of the established animation industry.”
In presentations, stars of the animation scene explain their conceptual and stylistic approach. In-depth retrospectives allow a private, inspiring look at the artistic motivations and methods of outstanding designers. Following a series of famous animation studios and trendsetters from previous years, this year the psychedelic Doudouboy (France), the master of reduction Aaron Stewart (USA), the charming Studio Soi (Germany) and the up-and-coming David O’Reilley (England), among others, take to the Babylon stage.
At the same time, the Animation Festival serves as the release party for “Characters in Motion Vol. 2”, the second DVD-book set of its kind. It documents the latest trends in the world of character animation. In a three-hour animation marathon, this multimedia work presents over 50 pioneering studios and designers; in doing so it promises high entertainment value and informational content. As in Volume 1, the menu of the DVD is organized with a multitude of filter options. The 64-page book provides insight into the creative development processes of the character movies, from the first sketch through to the complex animation. Despite the early release party, however, the DVD/book combination will not appear in selected book and record stores until January 21, 2008.
Advance tickets for the Pictoplasma Animation Festival cost 72 euros. Tickets for the individual film programmes and talks are available, subject to seat availability, at the box office of the Babylon cinema (Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, 10178 Berlin).
Further Links:
- Pictoplasma Animation Festival
