AIAF2006

An AIAF highlight!! Time for Australian animation to claim the home ground advantage. Not that it needs it. In the previous 12 months, AIAF has presented programs of Australian animation (including many of these films) to enthusiastic receptions at festivals in places at far apart as Istanbul, Seoul and Rome. Australian animation is on a roll.... And here"s the reason why!

Your big picture view of the international animation scene through an eclectic collection of recently released short animated works.

CSU Animation and Visual Effects lecturer Andrew Hagan will be conducting a free seminar for anyone interested in the exciting field of 3D animation. He'll be taking you on the journey from concept to screen and offer tips, tricks and secrets of the trade. Aside from exploring the fundamentals, popularity, artistry, and opportunities in this emerging field, Andrew will also offer candid advice on education, careers and industry trends. The one-hour seminar will conclude with a Q&A session with the opportunity to meet fellow animators.

Your big picture view of the international animation scene through an eclectic collection of recently released short animated works.

Comic book art and animation often work the same side of the street. Both use drawings to capture and portray motion. Both often make very inventive uses of the "frame" their images are contained within. And both are seriously misunderstood by the wider public. Some of these films pick up the classic comic book visual style. Others are made by animators who are also accomplished comic book artists. And others are animated adaptations of comics or graphic novels. But the bottom line is to showcase the wild, vibrant, sometimes violent - but enormously fun & entertaining - crossroads at which these two amazing artforms meet.

A big screen review of this stunning, 90's cult favourite that single handily created a genre of animation and a style of movement since mimicked over and over. Uber cool, savagely stylish and with a visual inventiveness that dares the mind to try and take it all in, Aeon Flux's astonishing mix of hard edge comic style drawing, B&D/Sci Fi settings and mind-altering storylines crashed through perceptions of what TV animation could even contemplate - let alone get away with - screening. There was no sense of continuity between episodes. Aeon Flux died in every one of the shorts, sometimes as a result of her own ill-conceived actions. Fetishism, domination and aggressive female sexuality often unashamedly took front stage.
The title character is a tall, willowy assassin, secret agent and part-time model for a foot fetish magazine. As a clandestine soldier for the nation of 'Monica', she must infiltrate the defences of neighbouring 'Bregna'. This brings her into constant and deadly conflict with Bregna's leader, Trevor Goodchild - her sworn enemy and lover. Graphic violence, often crackling with the frightening sexual tension existing between heroine and nemesis, are depicted with a startling gracefulness and a hyper powered choreography that didn't just smoulder and burn on TV screens but also made incredible use of the unique properties of animation.
This big screen collection of classic Aeon Flux shorts & episodes was selected by the creator, Peter Chung, especially for AIAF.

Stop-motion animator John Lewis, the man behind the "The Birdhouse" and "The Boy Who Wanted to Touch the Moon", will offer audiences an exclusive insight behind the extraordinary and painstaking art of traditional frame-by-frame animation.

Late last year AIAF was lucky enough to have been invited to sit on the jury of Indie AniFest, a festival of exclusively Korean animation which runs in Seoul. This week-long immersion in Korean animation was all the encouragement we needed to bring you this special collection of highlights.

Your big picture view of the international animation scene through an eclectic collection of recently released short animated works.

This program brings together the best recently released films that lean heavily on a digital aesthetic for their inspiration and impact. These films can be fully narrative, abstract or drawn from the culture of the gaming community.