KEYNOTE SPEAKER +
SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE
20TH ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS
Presenting Bilby
Up-and-coming animator discusses his experience directing a short film for Dreamworks!
Join Liron Topaz, a graduate of Ringling College and Art Design, who was picked up by Dreamworks Animation Studios and has just finished his first major short film, Bilby! As one of only two short films chosen to pilot Dreamworks' new short film program, Bilby represents a historic new direction for the major animation studio, and showcases some of the most promising work yet from an animation veteran of franchises such as How to Train Your Dragon and Kung-Fu Panda. Go behind the scenes with Topaz for an inside scoop on the experience of working with a major studio, collaborating with other leaders in the animation field, and seeing your own artistic vision come to life. This special event will feature Q and A, exclusive art, behind-the-scenes looks, and commentary from Mr. Topaz, and even a special screening of Bilby! You won't want to miss it!
DATE: Saturday, June 15th
TIME: 8:30pm, preceeded by a screening of the Animation Show of Shows 20th Anniversary collection at 6:30pm & a brief break between events.
TICKETS: $10 at the door, $11 online
SOLD OUT!
About Mr. Topaz
After graduating from Florida's own Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota for animation, Liron started his career for Sony Animation, working first as an intern, and then as an animator for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Soon thereafter, Topaz started at Dreamworks and went on to work on some of the largest and most exciting productions of the studio, including 'The Croods', the 'How to Train Your Dragon' franchise and the 'Kung-fu Panda' franchise, the latter of which he was appointed the character lead for Master Oogway. His film, 'Bilby', is one of two short films piloting Dreamworks' short film project initiative. He says of the of the project, "When the shorts program got announced, we thought it would be a great opportunity for us to tell the type of story that we wanted to tell. I think we were actually the last pitch to be in the program. We worked day and night trying to get it done in time." You can hear more of Liron's interview on making Bilby in his interview with Cartoon Brew, and see more of his work at lirontopaz.com.
SOLD OUT!
Screening:
The 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows
Thought-provoking, poignant, and very funny animated shorts from around the world
But before Mr. Topaz takes the floor, we will have an exclusive screening of the 20th Annual Animation Show of Shows-- did you know that it's also the 20th Anniversary of the Tallahassee Film Society?! Talk about a cool coincidence to celebrate!
In a year when the best and worst of human nature has been on constant display, the works in this year’s show remind us of both the universality of shared ideals, as well as the diverse challenges we face.
“Animation is such a flexible and open-ended medium that it lends itself to exploring the innumerable aspects of what it means to be human,” says founder and curator Ron Diamond. “And this year’s program, as much as any of our past presentations, really illuminates human strengths and foibles, and the bonds that unite us across cultures and generations.”
The show will a running time of 86 minutes and includes 13 films*, four of which have qualified for Academy Award® consideration.
Learn more about each film at the ASOS website!
DATE: Friday, June 15th
TIME: 6:30pm, with a brief break before our Keynote Speaker!
TICKETS: $10 at the door, $11 online
* Please note that we will only screen 13 of the 15 films because the missing two were original submissions to the Florida Animation Festival and we will screen them during our finale!