Panorama
Beijing Film Panorama x Feinaki Beijing Animation Week--Have Fun with New Additions to the BJIFF Animation Sub-section
Animation is often deemed exclusive for kids and teenagers in the context of popular culture. Its artistic and thought-provoking dimensions are usually neglected by the majority. However, the concept of “animated short film” has gained increasing attention from the public in recent years. Hit animated short films, such as the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots and Yao-Chinese Folktales jointly presented by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili, continue to emerge. Those works are breaking common stereotypes of animation step by step. And animation is taking on a new look in front of the public.
Still of The Young Girl and the Clouds
Meanwhile, directors of animated short films are on the rise worldwide. Their films embody distinct personal styles and aesthetics, forming stark contrast against commercial animations that are often watched by the public. The contrast results from two aspects: on one hand, as it gets easier to produce animation technically, many people have produced animated short films almost on their own; on the other hand, instead of traditional mass media, concise and brief animated short films can be promoted effectively through individual social media channels, and creators are able to reach their audience via the Internet. Moreover, well-established international animation and film festivals have put in place sophisticated review system for animated short films by auteurs, through which outstanding short films and their creators are constantly presented and encouraged.
Still of 78 Tours
As an animation festival organized by animators, the Feinaki Beijing Animation Week has been successfully held for five editions. The name originates from an ancient animation device--Phenakistoscope.
This year, the Animation adds two programs of animated short films under the collaboration between the Beijing Film Panorama and Feinaki Beijing Animation Week. First of all, A Retrospective of Georges Schwizgebel, an international animation master, and second, Futuristic Fantasy Depicted in Animation. The new additions show our full respect for senior animators, and support and expectation of rising young animators.
A Retrospective of Georges Schwizgebel
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week’s Special Maestro Screening
Still of Darwin’s Notebook
Sure the name Georges Schwizgebel rings a bell to those often watching animated short films. The Swiss gentleman is a world renowned animator. He’s been engaged in animation making for half a century. During his career, he managed to create great many works that are artistic and innovative. Those works are not only exquisitely produced, but also extremely stunning in terms of narrative, spectacle construction and audio-visual interaction. What’s more, he’s closely tied with China and Chinese animations.
His works are notable for few dialogues and perfect sync of classical music with great quantity and variety of animated frames. And you are able to perceive his clever design of the unique sense of space and special perspectives through the works.
oster of From One Painting To Another
He has created more than 20 animated short films, including the very first The Flight of Icarus (1974) to From One Painting To Another (2023), and won numerous awards at major international film festivals, such as the Festival de Cannes and Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, World Festival of Animated Film Animafest Zagreb in Croatia, International Animation Festival Hiroshima in Japan, Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film in Germany, Ottawa International Animation Festival in Canada, and International Animated Film Festival of Espinho in Portugal, etc. In particular, The Ride to the Abyss (1992) is included in Annecy’s list of the 100 best animation films.
Still of The Ride to the Abyss
Georges Schwizgebel was awarded the Honorary Cristal, which is presented annually to a pioneering artist with outstanding contribution to the animation industry, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2017. And he won the Swiss Film Honorary Award in 2018 and French Order of Arts and Letters in 2019.
The 4th Feinaki Beijing Animation Week hosted a retrospective of Georges Schwizgebel in 2022, and received wide acclaims from the audience. The BJIFF Beijing Film Panorama will include his latest works and present a complete retrospective this time. Hopefully, we can fully experience the appeal of the world’s top master of animation through the screening.
Still of The Man Without a Shadow
Futuristic Fantasy Depicted in Animation
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week’s Special Screening
Still of Backflip
With the rapid popularity of current AI production technology, animation becomes hard to define in this era. The theme of “Futuristic Fantasy Depicted in Animation” not only refers to “future” in time as compared to the “past and present”, but also entails discussion about the future of animation.
Still of Drone
The Drone (2022) by American director Sean Buckelew, Desire Line (2018) by Chinese director Shi Ruini, and Hominidae (2022) by Zhi Huiyu deal with AI-related subject matters through fictional sci-fi stories. Despite their various narrative styles, the creators put forward their assumptions regarding the emotions and humanity, hazard, insult and possible social impacts of the AI.
Still of Floreana
Apart from depiction of the future of imagination, sci-fi works show the current anxiety of human beings. The Elephants Will Be Happy (2018) co-created by six French students majoring in animation presents a world dominated by robots, plants and insects after mankind’s extinction; Floreana (2018) by Louis Morton depicts how the mankind are training to be animals for certain purpose in the future;
Still of All the Blue Cats Look Like the Same Color
The All the Blue Cats Look Like the Same Color (2021) by director Xu Wenzhe portrays the irreversible impacts of the increasingly expansive Internet language system on the mankind; Nowhere (2022) by Japanese director Asaki Nishino tells how the communication gap between grandparents and grandchildren either expands or breaks; while Storm Hits Jacket (2014) by Paul Cabon presents to the audience a silly sci-fi comedy, which is perhaps the most relaxing short film in the screening.
Still of Storm Hits Jacket
In addition, there are two hard-to-define short films in the screening, namely Backflip (2022) by Nikita Diakur and Inside My Eyes (2022) by Yu Youyang, for they are produced with the assistance of AI. Should those works be categorized as animation? Are they directed by human beings or AI? Perhaps the audience will have their own answers by the end of viewing.
Still of Inside My Eyes
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In case of any changes to the film lineup, please refer to the actual official screening schedule. Stay tuned for more exciting content about the Beijing Film Panorama.
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