ANIMATION DAY at Esker Arts
A jam-packed day of events for animators, students, industry pros, and enthusiasts.
ANIMATION COMPETITION SHORTS
Step into vibrant new worlds with this year’s Animation Shorts Programme.
Featuring extraordinary artists from across the globe, this lineup brings together bold imagination, stunning visual craft and powerful storytelling to show just how far animation can go.
placeholder | directed by Elisa Beli Borrelli
A PINT OF BITTER | directed by Conor Kehelly
Ballad of the Starlings | directed by Milena Fiodorow
ROHY | directed by Yosef Phelan
Thin places | directed by Samuel Keshishian
The Sky was Candy | directed by Anh Tú Nguyen
The Sycamore | directed by Jared D. Weiss
No Famine and No War | directed by Pat McCarthy
SELECTED SHORTS:
There's Something in the Milk | directed by Cliona Noonan
Bótharín | directed by Niall MacGiollaChomhgaill
To a Flame | directed by Ro Martin
On The Berry | directed by Niamh Asple, James Naughton
The Gentle Artist: Records of Experience | directed by Aoife Balfe Bean Uí Dhíomsaigh
Anam | directed by Ailbhe Fearon, Muireann Mulvihill
Meteoric | directed by Paul Ó Muiris
Unsouled | directed by Jack McHugh, Conor McNally
This year we will be awarding:
-Best Irish Animated Short
-Best International Animated Short
-Audience Choice Animated Short
Expanding beyond our traditional single award allows us to honour global voices, celebrate homegrown talent and give the final vote to you, the audience.
WORKSHOPS
Thinking like a Storyboard Artist
Storyboard artist Seán Hogan will lead a storytelling workshop, focusing on hands-on exercises. The workshop will delve into topics such as camera angle language, how one can utilise the background to tell a story, and how to iterate and problem solve fast.
Best Practices for your Portfolio/ Demo Reel
Level up your portfolio skills with a 30-minute workshop, facilitated by Grace McDonnell (My Brother the Minotaur, The Cuphead Show, Goldie and The Amazing World of Gumball), covering essential best practices for building an industry-standard animation portfolio and demo reel, followed by quick one-one-one feedback sessions to help you get your work noticed by recruiters.
Followed by in-person portfolio reviews. For reviews: please bring a PDF of your work or a functional URL.
ANIMATION RESIDENCY TALK: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Since 2018, the Animation Residency has given Irish animators six rent-free months in Birr to chase down passion projects - a track record that includes two IFTA wins for Best Animated Short, Jack O'Shea's “The Dream Report”, and Clíona Noonan's “Soft Tissue”.
MASTERCLASS: DRAWING THE LINE IN IRELAND
The history of animation in Ireland is unique. In this masterclass, Steve Woods will explain how Ireland went from a very small ‘cottage’ industry to a ‘go- to’ country producing high-end world class animation.
The importance of state funding, education, plus the heavy involvement of three American animation studios which migrated in the mid-1980s to Dublin, all helped this success story.
Illustrated by artwork and clips from classic Irish animations, the talk will conclude however, that the real reason why Irish animators have created a wonderful animation industry is because they simply love animation.
Steve Woods is an Animator, director, lecturer in animation at IADT and author of ‘Drawing the Line: A Personal Look at the Story of Irish Animation’.
SCHEDULE
10.00am - Meet and Greet
10.45am - Animation Competition Shorts
12.30pm - Workshops
Best Practices for your
Portfolio/Demo Reel
Thinking like a Storyboard Artist
2.30pm - Animation Residency Talk
3.45pm - Awards Ceremony
4.15pm - Masterclass: Drawing the Line in Ireland