South Africa’s animation industry is gaining global traction, thanks to showcases such as the Cape Town International Animation Festival, writes Kwanele Sosibo .
When Stick Man premiered on BBC1 on Christmas Day in 2015, it was one of the most watched programmes in the United Kingdom, with more than 9.27-million people tuning in – it was animated right here in South Africa.
Stick Man, a character based on a children’s book by much-loved British children’s author Julia Donaldson (of The Gruffalo fame) that was illustrated by Axel Scheffler, tells the story of a branch that goes for a jog and then has a hard time making it back home to his “family tree”.
The 26-minute film was produced by Magic Light Pictures, an award-winning United Kingdom production company, and animated in Cape Town by Triggerfish. Stick Man was directed by London-based Jeroen Jaspaert and co-directed by South African Daniel Snaddon.
The film, enthralling to children and adults as the December viewership figures suggested, typifies the films that the programmers of the Cape Town International Animation Festival are screening at this event, which opens today and lasts until February 21.
Animation South Africa chair Nick Cloete says that with good animation, “the visuals are enough to capture or even reflect your imagination, however young or young-at-heart you are”.
The festival has undergone a major rebranding exercise, making it more a consumer-focused event. “Before, it appealed mostly to people who were already working in animation,” says festival director Dianne Makings. “The talks were quite technical, and quite specific to working in the industry.”
A diverse range of movies can be seen, from the French production Adama (about a West African boy who goes in search of his brother) to Sita Sings the Blues, about the Hindu goddess who is separated from her husband, Rama. This film is an adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana.
The festival’s programme takes place at the River Club in Observatory, where there will be outdoor screenings, as well as at the Labia in the Cape Town city bowl. There will be movies and other activities at the on-site playpark for the children.
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For full article by Kwanele Sosibo see Mail & Guardian
