Events Round-Up: Bit Bang, 3D Wire, Sweaty Eyeballs, Kilkenny Animated
A round-up of upcoming animation festivals and events across the world.
Bit Bang
Where and when? Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 25–29.
What? A fast-growing event in the Argentine capital, which ranges across animation, video games, and digital art. The festival has always placed an accent on unconventional and cross-disciplinary media. This year sees the presentation in a planetarium of Eye of the Dream, an installation by filmmaker David OReilly, as well as a “multidisciplinary work experience inspired by the moon landing,” in which attendees will collectively produce animation, games, and vr under professional guidance.
There is also a more conventional animation competition, with prizes for Latin American as well as international films, and a day of screenings, workshops, and talks aimed at children. This edition’s focus is on both women and the moon landing, whose 50th anniversary is being celebrated this year. Best of all, admission is free to
More information: http://bitbangfest.com
3D Wire
Where and when? Segovia, Spain, October 3–6.
What? The biggest animation market in Spain, which is one of Europe’s top producers in the industry. The event was set up to facilitate networking within Spain’s animation and games sectors, and it boasts conferences, workshops, B2B meetings, professional showrooms, screenings, and more.
This year’s market features 153 projects in all, ranging across films, tv, web series, games, and transmedia projects. Works will be presented by leading artists from Spain and Portugal, including Alberto Vázquez (Decorado). The event is capped by an awards ceremony that spotlights the best works from the region and abroad.
More information: https://mercado3dwire.es/en
Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival
Where and when? Baltimore, Maryland, October 4–6.
What? A brand-new festival in the mid-Atlantic that aims to showcase “unique, experimental, and diverse voices in the field of animated filmmaking.” The team behind it has been programming one-off screenings of classic and contemporary animation around the region since 2012.
Sweaty Eyeballs is embedded in the local community: the program includes a spotlight on films by Baltimore animators and free animation workshops led by students from nearby schools. But it also has a broad outlook, with an international shorts competition, a retrospective of and masterclass by experimental animator Joanna Priestley, and a screening of the cult Hungarian feature Son of the White Mare.
More information: https://www.sweatyeyeballs.com
Kilkenny Animated
Where and when? Kilkenny, Ireland, October 4–6.
What? Its name notwithstanding, this festival — now in its second edition — looks beyond animation to storytelling in all its forms. Comedians, illustrators, and folk musicians all play a role. Highlights this year include a masterclass by James Baxter, director of character animation at Netflix; the Irish premiere of David OReilly’s Eye of the Dream (see above); and a performance of The Lion King by comedians who’ve never read the script before.
The event is hosted by Cartoon Saloon, which is based in Kilkenny, and fans of the Irish studio behind Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner are well catered for. There will be screenings of the studio’s short films Late Afternoon and Cúl and Tí (the latter with a live musical accompaniment), workshops with its in-house artists, and a sketching tour of the city with team members from Wolfwalkers, its upcoming feature for Apple TV+.
More information: https://www.kilkennyanimated.com
(Image at top: “Artemis” spot for Bit Bang.)