Animation Is Film Festival Champions the Genre With Program Including ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ Panel and World Premiere of ‘ParaNorman: The Thrifting’
This year’s Animation Is Film Festival is all about advocating for the growing stature of the flourishing medium in the filmmaking capital of the world.
The three-day event, unspooling at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatres from Friday to Sunday, is set to program and champion new films from around the world, including the opening night premiere of Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet,” the world premiere of Laika’s “ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” a short film that will have an exclusive introduction with director Chris Butler and Anna Kendrick, and Li Wenyu’s “A Story About Fire,” following a monkey and a dog as they travel through dangerous forests, tundras, and jungles to reach the Holy Mountain.
Presented by GKIDS in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Variety, the event, which launched in 2017, will also be presenting a sold-out panel with the filmmakers and animators behind Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters,” hosted by Variety‘s Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge.
“With the case of ‘Kpop Demon Hunters,’ you’re dealing with a cultural phenomenon,” says festival director Matt Kaszanek. “It’s one of these things where it can always be tricky when you’re programming, because the film is out and everyone has seen it. We came up with a really innovative idea of having a conversation with the two directors and the producer with the character designers and the head of animation to have an in depth conversation about this moment that the film is experiencing right now, and we’re really excited about it.”
With additional programming that honors student animators from around the world, Kaszanek hopes young animators can connect with future collaborators, industry veterans, and the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. “Over the course of just a single weekend in Los Angeles, we really set out to be the first to present these films that are really important in shaping what the future of animation is,” Kaszanek reveals. “The idea that the next generation of animators and animation fans in Los Angeles are seeing these films, the opportunity that you’re seeing it for the first time is gratifying, and something that we’re really proud of.”
The goal of Animation Is Film is to break barriers for animation as a genre, opening up a doorway for the medium to be taken seriously by attendees who are are visiting the event for the first time. “Animation Is Film is a little bit different from the other festivals because it has a very purposeful mission, which is to celebrate animation and to make sure that it is talked about in a respectful way,” said Kaszanek.
“Animation is a word that is used as a qualifier when people are talking about the best films of the year, so they’ll say, ‘It was the best animated film of the year.’ I don’t like [using] animated as a qualifier. We want to continue to see that conversation evolving.”
The three-day event, unspooling at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatres from Friday to Sunday, is set to program and champion new films from around the world, including the opening night premiere of Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet,” the world premiere of Laika’s “ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” a short film that will have an exclusive introduction with director Chris Butler and Anna Kendrick, and Li Wenyu’s “A Story About Fire,” following a monkey and a dog as they travel through dangerous forests, tundras, and jungles to reach the Holy Mountain.
Presented by GKIDS in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Variety, the event, which launched in 2017, will also be presenting a sold-out panel with the filmmakers and animators behind Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters,” hosted by Variety‘s Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge.
“With the case of ‘Kpop Demon Hunters,’ you’re dealing with a cultural phenomenon,” says festival director Matt Kaszanek. “It’s one of these things where it can always be tricky when you’re programming, because the film is out and everyone has seen it. We came up with a really innovative idea of having a conversation with the two directors and the producer with the character designers and the head of animation to have an in depth conversation about this moment that the film is experiencing right now, and we’re really excited about it.”
With additional programming that honors student animators from around the world, Kaszanek hopes young animators can connect with future collaborators, industry veterans, and the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. “Over the course of just a single weekend in Los Angeles, we really set out to be the first to present these films that are really important in shaping what the future of animation is,” Kaszanek reveals. “The idea that the next generation of animators and animation fans in Los Angeles are seeing these films, the opportunity that you’re seeing it for the first time is gratifying, and something that we’re really proud of.”
The goal of Animation Is Film is to break barriers for animation as a genre, opening up a doorway for the medium to be taken seriously by attendees who are are visiting the event for the first time. “Animation Is Film is a little bit different from the other festivals because it has a very purposeful mission, which is to celebrate animation and to make sure that it is talked about in a respectful way,” said Kaszanek.
“Animation is a word that is used as a qualifier when people are talking about the best films of the year, so they’ll say, ‘It was the best animated film of the year.’ I don’t like [using] animated as a qualifier. We want to continue to see that conversation evolving.”