North American Event Round-Up: ANNY Best Of Fest, Anime NYC, GIRAF

A round-up of upcoming animation events in North America (two of which are virtual).

ANNY Best of Fest

Where and when? Virtual, November 13–20

What? Like every year, the programs from Animation Nights New York’s monthly events have been distilled into a highlights line-up of 20 shorts, which are vying for a grand prize. Contenders include several big hitters from the festival circuit in recent years, such as Martina Scarpelli’s Egg and Adrien Mérigeau’s Genius Loci. There are also games, vr, and ar competitions (although the last has only one entry).

Films will be screened on Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s VOD service, while accompanying filmmakers Q&As, industry roundtables, and networking events will stream on ANNY’s own platforms.

More information here.

Anime NYC

Where and when? New York’s Javits Center, November 19–21

What? The Crunchyroll-backed anime convention is bucking the American trend by returning onsite — with a vaccine mandate, of course. Masks are also obligatory, even for cosplayers. The sprawling event has a range of guests, including Shinji Aramaki (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) and dub cast members from the Demon Slayer series. Two high-profile GKIDS pick-ups, Belle and Pompo the Cinéphile, will be screened.

The program is filled out by a mix of fan events and industry discussions featuring anime distributors, manga publishers, and the like. Panel subjects range from disability representation in anime to the history of kaiju in video games. In short, there’s a lot.

More information here.

GIRAF

Where and when? Virtual (Canada only), November 19–28

What? The strongly indie-leaning Canadian festival returns with a healthy line-up of almost 90 shorts, among them Oscar-qualified films such as Renee Zhan’s O Black Hole! and Honami Yano’s A Bite of Bone. Zhan will also hold a workshop and present a retrospective of her works.

Films will be available on demand, but organizers will also try to kindle a real festival vibe by hosting live watch parties. Other events include a program of experimental North American animation curated by Instagram account 24 Memes Per Second and a screening of Jiří Barta’s 1986 stop-motion classic The Pied Piper.

More information here.

Image at top: “O Black Hole!”