-FUPI: Swahili, adjective; meaning: “SHORT“
The African Animation Network (AAN) has partnered with Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau to debut an African animation short film festival called FupiToons Festival which will run parallel to DISCOP Johannesburg 2017.
Lola Gallant, Head of Alternative Content, Ster-Kinekor Theatres, said: “We’re excited about partnering with AAN for the FupiToons Festival. Cinema Nouveau is constantly looking for new and exciting alternative content for our viewers. We’re hoping that this is the start of a prosperous partnership, a celebration of African animation excellence, and a festival which can be expanded across our footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
VENUE:ROSEBANK NOUVEAU
26 October, 8pm (Industry Premiere)
27 October, 8pm
28 October, 2:30pm & 8pm
29 October, 2:30pm
AAN Recruitments:
To manage the festival and calls for content, AAN has recruited a team of highly talented and experienced individuals. According to Nick Wilson, AAN Project Manager; “Our mandate at AAN is to promote excellence in African animation, not only in terms of the content we screen atFupiToons Festival but, also the talent that we recruit to our team. Thus, we are incredibly proud to be able to announce that Comfort Arthur, Clea Mallinson and Wendy Spinks will be joining our content and festival team”.
Call For Content:
FupiToons Festival is looking for the best African animated content aimed at audiences 2 to 12 years to be part of a 2 hour screening.
Closing date for submissions: 2 October, 2017.
Wendy Spinks, AAN Head of Content & Festival Director, said; “FupiToons Festival is an African first. Owing to financial constraints, themajority of animation in Africa is short form. This format of animation has never had a platform to engage audience in Africa and that makesFupiToons Festival both relevant and necessary. This is something I proudly stand behind!”
Meet The Festival Team:
| Comfort Arthur (Ghana): Content Curator and Assistant Festival Director |
|
In 2015 her short animated film “The Peculiar Life of a Spider” was nominated in the animation category at the Ghana Movie Awards and The Africa Movie Academy Awards. In addition, her short animation film “Imagine” won best Animation 2016 at the Golden Movie Awards. Her latest film “Black Barbie” has screened at over 22 international film festivals, won best spoken piece film at the Real Times Film Festival 2016 and Best Animation at the Ghana Movie Awards 2016. Comfort Arthur has recently won Best Female director at the BlackStar International Film Festival for her film Black Barbie.
| Clea Mallinson (South Africa): Content Curator, Assistant Festival Director and Festival Editor |
 |
Clea Mallinson graduated from UCT in Film Honours in 2004 and won a student short film competition with “Addicted to Popcorn”. Soon after, she jetted off to Cannes having won a French Embassy short animation competition. In 2010 she graduated with an MA in screenwriting from the Huston School of Film & Digital media, Ireland, and received a scholarship to study a screenwriting summer course at UCLA.
Clea’s animated short film script, “Fairy Wheels”, received development funding from the NFVF in 2015, won the Animation Du Monde pitching forum at Annecy/MIFA in 2016 and was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Muse Award that same year. Clea has recently completed a residency at Ciclic Animation in France to continue to bring “Fairy Wheels” to the screen.
| Wendy Spinks (South Africa): Head of Content Curation and Festival Director |
 |
Co-Founder, Head of Development and Creative Producer of Zeropoint Studios; Wendy creates, develops, produces and promotes content for global brands aimed at multi-platforms in the TV, digital and animation industries including online, social media and transmedia properties. She is Executive Producer on all Zeropoint Studio’s properties at international TV, animation markets and festivals including; MIPCOM, MIPJunior, MIPTV, Annecy & Kidscreen- having attended over 30 markets & festivals worldwide since 2008.
Her IP “Hatch” was runner-up in the Turner Kids’ Animation Pitching Competition at DISCOP Johannesburg 2016. Whilst her adaptation of “Squeers”, for TV & transmedia, was a Top 3 Finalist (out of 522 projects) at DISCOP Johannesburg 2016 in the Digital Lab Africa Transmedia Category, screened at ASIFA International World Animation Day 2017 in Atlanta and at Cinemafrika Festival 2017 in Stockholm.
About African Animation Network
Through the African Animation Network events and content channels; the social enterprise provides an open network platform for animation professionals and national associations from across the African continent to communicate ideas, forge connections, foster collaboration, build pipelines, generate capacity and in so doing propel the African animation industry forward.
About Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau
Cinema Nouveau is a division of Ster-Kinekor Theatres (South Africa’s largest cinema exhibitor) and operates 26 digital cinema houses with just under 3000 seats. The four theatre sites are spread across Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. Cinema Nouveau holds the prestige of being one of the world’s only dedicated “art cinema” chains, screening independent, alternative and art cinema content from cultures across the globe. It promises a unique and inspiring cinema experience – a destination for film lovers with a passion for and appreciation of the beauty and artistry of film.
For more information, visit: www.cinemanouveau.co.za.
