Animator Bill Plympton has been confirmed as the ‘special guest animator’ at this year’s Dublin Animation Film Festival, which takes place on the 17 and 18 October 2014 at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) and the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire.
Heralded as the ‘King of Indie Animation’, it is also of note that Plympton is the first person to hand-draw an entire animated feature film with his 1992 film ‘The Tune’. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1987 for his animated short ‘Your Face’ and again in 2005 for his short ‘Guard Dog’.
Since 1991, Plympton has made 7 animated features including ‘The Tune’, ‘Mondo Plympton’, ‘I Married A Strange Person’, ‘Mutant Aliens’, ‘Hair High’, ‘Idiots and Angels’, and ‘Cheatin', with the latter having its Irish premiere at the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire on the 18 October as part of the festival followed by a Q & A session with Plympton. The animator will also be giving a master class on 17th October at National Film School (NFS) on the IADT Campus as part of the National Film Series.
‘This will be my first trip to Ireland and I am delighted that ‘Cheatin’, which has been a labour of love for myself and the team at Plymptoons, will have its Irish premiere at the Dublin Animation Film Festival’, said Bill Plympton ahead of this year’s festival. ‘I have met a number of talented Irish animators, including Tomm Moore from Cartoon Saloon, at Annecy and other international festivals. I am looking forward to meeting the students at IADT and the animators at the screening of 'Cheatin'. I will be particularly interested to see the selection of films that have been shortlisted for the awards.’
Speaking about Plympton’s masterclass at the National Film School (NFS), Donald Taylor Black, Head of Department Film and Media at IADT and Creative Director of the NFS said, ‘We’re absolutely delighted that Bill Plympton is joining the distinguished list of world-class animators that have featured in the NFS Lecture series over the last decade. Students, graduates, staff and our friends from industry benefit hugely from such privileged access’.
Aside from Bill Plympton, the festival also features talks and demonstrations with Sandrine Flament (illustrator and animator at Plymptoons Studios) Will Becher (Aardman Studios), Aaron Wood (Slurpy Studios) and Student Academy Award winner, Kristina Yee.
Speaking about the festival, Dr Annie Doona, President of IADT said: ‘IADT is delighted to act as a sponsor of the new Dublin Animation Film Festival. It is an exciting festival that is designed to showcase the work of talented Irish and international animators. We look forward to hosting Bill Plympton at The National Film School and our other guest speakers on the 17th October.’
Tickets are on sale at the Pavilion Theatre at €6.50 each for the screening of ‘Cheatin’ (Club Classification) and the following Q & A with Mr Plympton which takes place on Saturday 18th October 2014. Everyone attending the screening will receive a complimentary sketch from Bill Plympton. There is no ticket charge for the screening of the shortlisted films or the awards ceremony on 18th October, but pre-booking at the Pavilion Box Office is essential.
Dublin Animation Film Festival is sponsored by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, The National Film School, IADT, Diep at Home, RTÉ Supporting the Arts, and Blackrock Cellar.
Festival updates will be available on
www.dublinanimationfilmfestival.com and on Twitter @dublinanimation.
