Adventure, wonder at Kunjanimation film festival

Capetonians have the chance to enjoy stories of adventure and wonder at the fourth Kunjanimation film festival which will take place in Cape Town from 26 to 30 November at the Labia cinema. Curated by Animation SA, the annual event presents some of the world's top animated feature films, including the best of French animation. This year, in partnership with Pop the Culture, it is also introducing a series of workshops with dynamic leaders in the local industry and icons of the comic and graphic novel fields, to develop South African talent.

In addition, a French animation delegation will be in Cape Town as part of the Festival and the ongoing relationship between the South African and French animation industries. The delegation includes Marie Soufflot, from Imaginove Animation Cluster, V ronique Encrenaz from the Annecy International Animated Film Market (MIFA) and Alice Riviere, from Emile Cohl Animation School, as well as other animation producers.

The Pop the Culture workshops will take place at the Animation School in Woodstock, and hosts will include the likes of internationally-acclaimed author Lauren Beukes; director of Khumba Anthony Silverston of Triggerfish Animation Studios; Ricco Schacherl of Madam & Eve and Richard Morgan Grenville of Strika Entertainment. There will also be a two-day masterclass with Justine Bannister from Just B in France about international strategy and talking about creating a brand and integrated marketing thinking.

Kunjanimation is made possible with the generous support of the Institut Francais South Africa; the National Film and Video Foundation; Wesgro and the Animation School.

Kunjanimaton is a rare chance to see some of the world's leading animated films, says Festival Director Dianne Makings. The Festival has not only provided access to these films, but has successfully created a platform for the development of the art and business of South African animation. This year we have taken that a step further, in our partnership with Pop the Culture, who will be hosting groundbreaking training workshops for the local industry.

Pop the Culture is a content hub and talent incubator. We want to help build and promote the South African animation and visual arts sector from the ground up, using new media platforms and plugging into cutting edge technology, says Wendy Spinks, cofounder of Pop the Culture. These workshops are an incredible opportunity for students and professionals to engage with and learn from some of the best leaders in the industry. We are also delighted to be bringing global expertise to SAs doorstep with Justine Bannister's masterclass.

The five films to be screened this year tell captivating stories of love and fury; heartless kings; prophesying frogs and, for the younger viewers, battles and friendships between ladybird and ants.

All the foreign language films are subtitled and suitable for all ages.

Miniscule: Valley of the Lost Ants is fun for all the family. In a peaceful forest, the remains of a picnic trigger a ruthless war between rival ant colonies, obsessed with gaining control of the same prize: a box of sugar cubes! Amidst this struggle a young ladybug befriends a black ant and helps him save his people from the horrible red ants The Hollywood reporter commented about the film A little goes a long way in this impressive French animation feature. (Screening schedule: 8.30pm Wednesday 26 November and 11am Saturday 29 November. No language used in film. All characters speak in sound effects).

Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury (Portuguese) won the Best Feature award at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival as well as the Audience Award at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival. It follows the story of a warrior who lives almost six hundred years ago, seeking for the resurrection of his beloved Jana na. When he dies, he takes the form of a bird, and, for six centuries, the love of the couple survives during four key stages of Brazilian history. (Screening schedule: 8.30pm Friday 28 November).

Le Roi et l'Oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird) is regarded as a masterpiece in the history of French animation. Its creation started in 1948, loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep. It was a collaboration between director Paul Grimault and French poet Jacques Pr vert, but due to production problems, the version they envisaged was only finished thirty years after they started it. (Screening schedule: 2pm Sunday 30 November).

La Proph tie des Grenouilles (Raining Cats and Frogs) is an award winning French traditional childrens feature film. Loosely based on the story of Noahs Ark, it is about a group of frogs who predict an imminent disaster where it will rain for forty days and forty nights. They tell a boy and girl who subsequently help save the animals in a zoo. The film was honored at the International Festival of Animated Feature Films where it was awarded the prize for Best Feature Picture. (Screening schedule: 6pm Saturday 29 November).

Mia et le Migou (Mia and the Migoo) (French) is about a young girls search for her father in a tropical paradise, threatened by the construction of a gigantic hotel resort. The film won the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature at the twenty second European Film Awards. (Screening schedule: 8.30pm Saturday 29 November).

The workshop schedule is:

Wednesday 26 November: 9am - 10h30: Where comics & animation meet: the process, the similarities and getting your story out there. With Lauren Beukes; Richard from Strikas and Rico from Madam and Eve ; Moray Rhoda & Sean Isaakse and Mike Scott.

Wednesday 26 November: 11am to 12 noon: Lauren Beukes - Lauren tells her story and about how she got started in comics.

Wednesday 26 November: 1.30pm -5pm: Richard Morgan of Strika Entertainment - Gr

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