AIAF2009

The backbone of the annual AIAF mission! With almost 100 films from more than two dozen countries, these three programs are your big picture view of the international animation scene.

AIAF Co-Director, Malcolm Turner, sat on the SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Jury which gave him the chance to sift through more than 1000 pieces of the world's best digital animation. In a specially curated selection of works drawn directly from this experience, Turner brings us a program that showcases the best of SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 as well as some of the overlooked gems that alluded the jury consensus.

A very special program of films selected to spark the imaginations of our littlest, most special audience. Heaps better than Saturday morning TV and not a toy ad in sight.

AIAF Co-Director, Malcolm Turner travels extensively in the course of pulling together this festival. This year he has spent several weeks immersed in the indie New York animation scene, a fantastic week rummaging through the 650+ films in the Zagrebfilm archive in Croatia, sat on the SIGGRAPH Asia 08 Jury, rubbed shoulders with a whole crew of Russian animators getting ready to celebrate the 60th anniversary of legendary Moscow animator Alexander Tatarsky and dropped into more than a dozen festivals. From this unique perspective, Turner will discuss these adventures in colourful detail as well as present an up to date snapshot of the contemporary indie international animation scene - complete with a special selection of the old and new films that excited him most.

Dennis Tupicoff is without doubt one of Australia's most successful auteur animators. In a career spanning three decades, Tupicoff has produced some of Australia's most loved and screened animated films. "Darra Dogs" and "His Mother's Voice" are as close to classics as indie Australian animation is likely to get. His films are distinctly, fundamentally Australian works and he has done as much as anybody in this brown burnt land to put Australian animation on the map. His latest film "Chainsaw" is a stunning tour de force which has been in constant demand at international festivals since it was released. Dennis brings "Chainsaw" to Wagga and takes us through the process of creating it, presenting it to audiences all over the world and gives us an overview of just how important the international animation festival circuit is for Australian films.

One of our most important programs. It has been a great year for animating in Australia if this diverse collection of styles, genres and techniques is any indicator.

The backbone of the annual AIAF mission! With almost 100 films from more than two dozen countries, these three programs are your big picture view of the international animation scene.

Crazed, weird, extreme or just impossible-to-explain plots - a boggling compendium of the wildest animated ideas horse whipped up to warp speed and transponded back from parallel universes.

The PRA have kicked some pretty big goals!! Energy, confidence and awesome talent have seen them create a - literally - world beating studio capable of turning out a stunning collection of purely creative films and a stable of award winning, high end TV ads & music videos that stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of them. This is an opportunity to hear how the PRA started, what fuelled their rise and what keeps their work fresh and exciting - and to see a collection of their best works.

Jonathan Nix created one of Australia's best loved and most screened short animated films "Hello". It screened just about everywhere and established him as a major new talent. His follow up, "Gustavo" brought a digital edge to his work and posed the inevitable question... what next? Well, this is the answer. Nix is nearing completion of a major 30-minute animated film and for a brief moment we get an exclusive opportunity to check out this 'work in progress'. Nix will present his current project, talk about the creative process that is bringing to the big screen and show us a selection of footage from this yet to be completed work. You saw it here first!

The backbone of the annual AIAF mission! With almost 100 films from more than two dozen countries, these three programs are your big picture view of the international animation scene.

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.