I was a little nervous when I got out of the cab. The facade of 543 Union Street did not exactly scream “gallery.” I wondered for a moment if this was some sort of practical joke. Or maybe, it was like a page out of “Harry Potter” and I had to knock on the brick wall in a certain way to find the entrance. To my relief, two other guests soon arrived for this same event and were also puzzled as to how to get in. Following the suggestion of a stranger and a note on the door, we turned the corner, went up an alley-way and there we found Observatory.

We were greeted by the kind smile of Joanna Ebenstein – a key figure in the creation of Observatory. As we waited for the presentation to begin, we made our introductions and looked around the space. The entrance area was thoughtfully covered with artwork of varying mediums. Among some of the most memorable pieces was a long orange knitted scarf hung across the ceiling and extending down into a bundle on the floor, with pictures of its’ many contributing knitters in a glass case to the right of the heap.

After some chatting with John Dilworth and by my second helping of wine, the presentation began. Dilworth talked us through “The Dirdy Birdy,” “Chicken from Outer Space,” “Hector the Get Over Cat,” “The Mousochist,” “Life in Transition,” and “Rinky Dink.” On the theme at hand (Animators as God) Dilworth vividly expressed his opinions to us in a manner so fluid, so stream-of-consciousness, that no summary would do it justice. Simply put, show up to his next presentation and it will not disappoint; you have to experience Dilworth’s presence to understand. The event also provided the opportunity to see (and buy) some hand-drawn frames of “Courage the Cowardly Dog” with all the original notes written in the margins!

Following the presentation, we all voyaged to Canal, a local bar with a great backyard and get this – unlimited free popcorn! While there, I had the great opportunity to speak further with Ebenstein and another key figure at Observatory: animator and illustrator G.F. Newland. The two have planned many more interesting events for this summer at Observatory. For more on Observatory, check out: www.observatoryroom.org. It is a promising new gallery space as part of the Proteus Gowanus art complex and located in a safe, beautiful and somewhat quaint part of Brooklyn.

Without it being imposed on us, the theme of “Animators as God” lingered in the air through-out the group discussion. Newland expressed his interest in sequential art as Robert Lyons discussed his recent findings on the subject of monsters. Emmet Goodman discussed his revived love of playing bass guitar and Pilar Newton reminisced about her impromptu harmonica performance. In response to me wishing I was half-robot (a result of my recurrent and painful battle with knee dislocation) Dilworth reminded me that the sensation of “raindrops on bare skin” far outweighs any temporary pain we as humans experience. If you accept the notion that God is the ultimate designer, we were all mini-Gods that night – whether it be through the creation of an animated film, or the creation of a gallery space to honor art, or the creation of music, or of thought provoking conversation and advice.

The night ended with the ironic and pleasant twist of most of us being walking distance from home (as opposed to the usual hour and a half trip from the city that we Brooklynites so often endure.) If for nothing else than the close proximity, put Observatory on your list of places to check out this summer. Reasonably priced and visually compelling, this intelligent collective of artists will certainly stimulate your minds. Both Ebenstein and Newland expressed interest in hosting more animation presentations; submissions and ideas for events are welcomed!

On Friday, May 28, Rooftop Films presented  a series of short films with the theme “Dark Toons“.    This intriguing mix of films ranged from the chaotic train ride that is Cordell Barker’s Runaway to a short treatise on big, juicy, tasty hot dogs appropriately titled Sam’s Hot Dogs by David Lopez Retamero.  New York’s own Jake Armstrong’s, The Terrible Thing of Alpha 9, was also featured.  His wonderfully ugly yet adorable monster got a lot of laughs.  About a dozen animated films were presented, and although not all were my cup of tea, the majority were really interesting takes on a dark or disturbing subject.   I had not seen the majority of them and it was a very international mix.  The event took place at an amazing venue at the Open Road Rooftop above New Design High School in the Lower East Side.  The space is huge and covered in graffiti murals all painted by the students who attend that high school.  Those same students were cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, the proceeds of the sale of which was going directly to the school to fund activities.  The students are quite the artists and I really enjoyed looking at all the murals and watching films in such a colorful space.  The films were preceded by a performance from a fun Canadian band called Braids.

Rooftop Films presents around 45 films all summer along, on rooftops throughout the five boroughs.  Director Dan Nuxoll has generously offered ASIFA members a discount on tickets for the following shows.   Look for this code in our next email newsletter blast!  If you did not receive this code, please contact me and I will send it to you.  (Select Events Blogger.)

On June 26, a screening of Brent Green’s Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then, with a live score performed by musicians, including members of Fugazi: http://rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/20-gravity-was-everywhere-back-then

On Thursday, July 29, a program called Capucine and Other Filmmaking Renegades which includes a film by animation renegade Nieto: http://rooftopfilms.com/2010/schedule/31-capucine-filmmaking-monkeys-and-other-renegades

These are not the only shows featuring animation so I suggest you check out the site to see the entire festival schedule!

Next show:  Saturday, June 5th
FEARS AND FANTASIES (short films)

Article by Caresse Singh.

Displayed above, Rob Yulfo’s “Devil and Mouse Boy”  was one of the few real gems at Amnesia’s “Pop-Up Art” Exhibition on Friday, May 7th. This piece along with his two others on display, were created using scraps of cardboard, canvas and acrylic paint.

Seen below, “Donny No Skins” is a recurring character for Yulfo, who started the series in 2006 about a boy who was born without skin. (For more information, check out: http://donnynoskins.blogspot.com/)

The other pieces on display at the exhibit were far less innovative. Among them, scantily clad women with whips and full body metallic paint danced around provocatively as some sort of robotic, dominatrix-esque performance piece. At one point, a dancer knocked over a display of inked drawings which were placed hap hazardously on display in the middle of the awkwardly structured gallery area. Another eye-roller, was a badly drawn depiction of the Twin Towers with Osama Bin Laden’s head randomly floating in the sky next to it.

There was no real sense of theme connecting the pieces in the exhibit other than that all of the pieces were 3D in some sense. Ultimately, it was a lesson in why cliches fail to arouse anything other than irritation. The dancers and the 9/11 piece all tried way too hard to elicit an all-too-easy emotional response. Yulfo’s work, on the other hand, displayed thought channeled into a concise message and peppered with humor.

Let’s see it move, now, Yulfo!

Our guests are David Levy (President of ASIFA-East and author of “Animation Development: From Pitch to Production”) and NYTVF alum Elliot Cowan (award winner creator of “Boxhead and Roundhead”). The session will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of creating serialized animation as opposed to a stand-alone short. 
NYTVF staff will be on hand afterwards to answer any questions about the 2010 Independent Pilot Competition
. Admission: Free! 
RSVP HERE : http://www.eventbrite.com/event/643399425 .

April 21 – ASIFA-East Presents – Winning Selections from the 1st Annual Animazing Spotlight Festival.
The first annual AniMazing Spotlight animated shorts festival was presented November 7-8 at the legendary Egyptian theater in Hollywood. ASIFA International has made special arrangement with AniMazing Spotlight to make its program of 14 award winning films available to ASIFA members in all international chapters.  ASIFA-East is delighted to present this program to its members.
Our thanks to ASIFA International and festival organizer Tee Bosustow for this special program.

still from Hedgehog in the Fog

Article written by Dayna Gonzalez.

Acclaimed Russian animator, Yuri Norstein stopped by the SVA theatre last night, to show his films and have a Q & A with the audience. The animation community here heavily anticipated the evening, and the house was packed. It had been 10 years since Yuri’s last visit. Many well-known NY animators turned out to hear him speak, and it was very inspirational to be listening to such an amazing artist.

Yuri spoke candidly with the audience about his meticulous approach to animation. Yuri’s film’s are painstakingly made, and are much more intricate to make than ordinary cut-out animation. It involves the use of multiple glass planes that are moved in any direction away and toward the camera, allowing Yuri to achieve a unique 3D look to his animation. His films are very autobiographical, and his life experiences have greatly influenced his storytelling and characters. He is very much interested in the psychology of the situations rather than in depicting gags. He laughed and readily admitted no producer would possibly tolerate him. It can be hard to communicate your ideas as a director and he finds it quicker and more efficient to do all the animation and camera work himself. He works with a very small team, consisting of his wife, his cinematographer, and a few others. When asked if he had an apprentice, he spoke of his teaching days and enjoying spreading his knowledge to others. He harbors no secrets.

Yuri screened The Crane and the Heron, The Hedgehog in the Fog, a short film based on a Japanese poem which I missed the name of, and about 10 minutes of The Overcoat. These wonderful, whimsical films are often funny and endearing. Yuri has been working on his latest film, The Overcoat, for well over a decade. I believe most of his films are based on fairy-tales he told his children, and other short stories. They are mostly black and white, which for Yuri, holds a strength and energy that is unique. He is more concerned with the dramatization of the characters, rather than the materials used. It was very interesting to note that all the pieces used in the makeup of the characters were completely unattached to each other. He moves them all separately based on what he needs for the scene. It was also cool to note that the entire film is shot without editing on what is probably an Oxberry fitted for multi-plane use. Very little modern technology is used. A fun quote: “There is a short string from the heart to the hand. You can’t possibly put those feelings into the computer.”

Yuri is very outspoken and fun to listen to. The actual translation of his words proved to be very challenging but I think for the most part, his point came across. When screening The Crane and the Heron, Yuri amusingly yelled “Stop, stop!” It was quite the little commotion, but the film was in the wrong aspect ratio, and it was important that it be correct. I really enjoyed learning more Yuri and his films, and I look forward to seeing The Overcoat in its entirety one day soon.

Article by Katie Cropper.

Pardon this review if you’ve already read the thoroughly well written review by Charles Kenny, I’ll try to take another perspective on this one. On Wednesday night, The Children’s International Film Festival hosted a screening night at the Soho House in Hell’s Kitchen. The screening room was small and I happened to be 15 minutes late and missed out on what ended up being the most comfortable leather seats I have ever sat in (for the credits, that is). I digress, sitting on the floor did not hamper the mystical experience that is The Secret of Kells.

I have to say it has been an incredible year for smaller budget and independent animated features. The main reason for this small screening was to get some buzz built up for the upcoming award season. The Secret of Kells really is a unique film because the quality on a whole is so high. Often films have to sacrifice in places where they just couldn’t make up the money. The design, sound, performance, compositing, and writing were on par with work big name studios with bigger budgets and much larger staff have produced. Now onto the film; The Secret of Kells is a story about a young orphan boy named Brendan living in a walled in town named Kells. Brendan is being raised by his stern and protective uncle who also happens to be the abbot, Cellach. One day Brother Aidan shows up in Kells after his own town, Iona, after it had been destroyed by the norsemen (Vikings). Brother Aidan feeds the wild and bright imagination of Brendan and takes him on as an apprentice to learn illuminated calligraphy. Much to the disapproval of the abbot whose main concern is to prepare for the impending attack of the norsemen on Kells.

Throughout the story, our young protagonist ventures into the forest on missions for Brother Aidan where our magical mystery tour takes off. It is in the forestry scenes where the art direction of the film really comes to life. The stylization is really prominent from the first frame of the whole film, especially in the forest and interaction with our nymph friend named Aisling. Though there is a clear flat style to the layouts and patterns throughout the film (inspired by the book of Kells itself), often the screen is broken in sections, and the movement of the characters through the shot define the space or imply mystical vastness or passage of time. No part of the screen was ignored and each layout seems so incredibly planned. I fell in love with the dense shots just as much as the more minimal.

The design of the film may have been distracting upon the first look, but by the end of the film it was all just so cohesive. The character animators were definitely taking on a modern sense of weight and smoothness of action. The costume design and hair movement added to the whimsical performances. I could have used some more subtlety in some of the performances.

The music and sound design of Kells were perfectly paired. The only possible low point I could find was with the song Aisling sings to cast a spell over Brendan’s pet cat Pangur. It just felt strangely long or out of place somehow. The Secret of Kells also leaves the book that is the main focus of the film, to be somewhat mysterious though it has clearly holy and powerful meaning to Brendan. Considering the film was about the protection of the Christian gospels, there wasn’t an overwhelming presence of religion in the film. It played more to the allegory of good versus evil, or dark versus light. The look of the norsemen in comparison to the innocent villagers is a stunning contrast. I left the film wanting more a little. The conclusion of the film felt a bit rushed whereas the beginning and the forest scenes were well paced.

I applaud Cartoon Saloon for putting together a feast for the eyes, as well as a warming experience of the human will through times of hardship and invasion. It isn’t often we see animated films showing the experiences of refugees living in fear and finding light in dark times. A triumph for Ireland’s film community.  A great film.