Animator, father, devoted husband and partner, historian, writer, and friend, Howard Beckerman touched the lives of so many for so long that no words can encapsulate the love felt for him as news of his passing travels throughout the animation community and the world. Howard Beckerman may not be a household name, but without exaggeration…
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by Keltie Duncan This article about ASIFA-East member Amy Kravitz is reprinted with permission from the ASIFA International website. “Many films are ‘about’ a topic, and have a message to deliver, or a story to tell. My films don’t embrace that approach. My intention is to create a non-verbal, visceral experience – an experience that…
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By Ray Kosarin This past year, ASIFA–East lost a beloved leader and friend. On October 9, Dick Rauh, oursecond and longest-serving president, died at the age of 98.Our ASIFA–East Animation Festival would not exist without him; Dick loved the festival and, forover two decades, his was the face that presided over this event. Dick was…
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Check’em out!
by Robby Gilbert Jacob Kafka is one of the ‘quiet ones’ to keep an eye on. His work is thoughtful and sweet, and he embodies the spirit if the quintessential inventor/animator. Based in Brooklyn, Kafka has achieved uncommon success with the development and growing distribution of a piece of software, Rough Animator, which now counts…
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A conversation with Doug Vitarelli Surrounded by the tobacco fields that for decades produced Topstones, one of the world’s greatest cigars, is Dean Lennert’s animation studio which for decades has been producing another quality product, the animated film “Dear Anna Olson.” Dean began his career as an animator while a student at NYU at Broadcast…
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by Robby Gilbert President’s Note:I’ve had the pleasure to teach animation to hundreds of students at some world class art schools for over 20 years. Many have gone on to have long and successful careers, pretty sure there’s an Oscar winner and a feature film director in that group. But none of them have the…
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by Robby Gilbert High-energy and exuberant in all the best ways, Pilar Newton-Katz exudes excitement, positivity, and passion for her work and the world of animation. A cartoonist, painter, illustrator, and animator, Newton-Katz coordinates the design programs at the City College of New York. Her screen credits include the animated series’, Daria for MTV and…
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The film community has lost a talented documentary filmmaker, animator, and interactive media creatoras we announce the passing of Eli Noyes at age 81 from cancer in San Francisco, surrounded by hisfamily. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia on October 18, 1942. The son of Modernist architect Eliot Noyes and Mary “Molly” (Weed) Noyes, Eli…
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by Robby Gilbert John Morena is the quintessential New York independent animator. Born and raised in the Bronx and currently working out of Brooklyn, he finds inspiration in the everyday goings on of the city and synthesizes the quotidian into picture and sound. “New York City is full of surprises,” notes John. “It’s brash. It’s…
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