Hot off the presses from Montreal.
The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival
7th edition: Montreal’s got talent!
(Official program)
Montreal, September 8, 2015 – The seventh edition of the Montreal Stop
Motion Film Festival is proud to announce the release of its official
program for 2015. This year, the Festival will be taking place on
September 25th, 26th, and 27th in the J.A. de Sève Theater at
Concordia University (1453 Mackay Street, Montreal).
Montreal has got talent and it will be honored at the seventh edition
of the Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival. As the first festival in
the world to focus on this animation technique, the community in
Montreal quickly supported our original initiative. Now, seven years
later, and after presenting films from all over the world, this year
we will also focus on what Montreal achieved in recent years.
The Little Prince, directed by Mark Osborne and distributed in Québec
by Les Films Séville, was shot entirely in Montreal. The film is
composed of several breathtaking Stop Motion sequences that support
the look of the original artwork of Antoine de St-Exupery’s famous
book. To celebrate the efforts and talent of our artists, we will
offer a special behind the scenes presentation with some of the key
members of the crew.
Famed animator Cordell Barker (The Cat came back (1988)) will also be
joining us at the festival for the Quebec premier of his new movie If
I Was God, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The film is
his first venture in Stop Motion animation and has strong Montreal
ties as two companies; See Creature and Jako Lanterne lent a hand in
the creation of the puppets and the animation. The whole crew will be
at the festival to give us a behind the scenes look at this new
production.
The festival also has managed another coup by inviting world famous
pixilation artist PES (Fresh Guacamole (2012)) who will join us for
the official start of the festival with a master class on both his way
of working and his many productions.
And lastly, how can we have a Stop Motion film Festival without
inviting a celebrity like …Shaun The Sheep? Laurie Sitzia, lead
animator at England’s famous studio Aardman Animations will be joining
us during the festival with Shaun to give us a look at the animation
process that goes into the production of a feature film like Shaun the
Sheep: The Movie!
The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival is more than just illustrious
guests; we also have 88 exceptional films from 26 countries competing
during this weekend-long event proving, once again, that a huge
revival of Stop Motion animation is currently taking the animation
world by storm.
This year’s program has something for everyone. The festival is
offering two free family screenings, presented by Brault et
Bouthillier, and several hands-on pods with animation software so that
young animators can discover the magic of animation on site.
The VIP pass, presented by Lezar3D, is your best bet if you don’t want
to miss anything at the festival, they are currently on sale on
LaVitrine.com
Mark your calendar for September 25-26-27, this is one animation film
festival you don’t want to miss!
Opening Night: Special guest speaker PES, presented by La Fondation
Daniel Langlois
Friday September 25 – 7:00 p.m.
We are extremely proud to have such a special guest for the official
opening of the Stop Motion Film Festival of Montreal. PES, renowned
artist and director of the film Fresh Guacamole, will be presenting a
master class where we will learn more about his creative process and
his many productions.
PES uses Pixilation (a technique made famous by Norman McLaren with
his film Neighbours) with everyday objects in his films. Since 2002,
he has contributed to, created, and directed numerous films, including
his trilogy on food. The first film of this series, Western Spaghetti
(2008) won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and was
named second viral video of the year by TIME Magazine. The second,
Fresh Guacamole (2012), is the shortest film ever to have been
nominated for an Oscar. His latest film, Submarine Sandwich (2014) was
partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign that was supported by well
over 1,100 donors.
Western Spaghetti (2008) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBjLW5_dGAM
Fresh Guacamole (2012) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNJdJIwCF_Y
Submarine Sandwich (2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWEl8-PHhMI
Having contributed to more than 40 films and commercials in the last
15 years, he is able to breathe new life into the pixilation
technique, which, coincidentally, has now been accepted in the
official competitions of the Festival.
We have the great pleasure of inviting you to a master class given by
PES, one of the best ambassadors of the pixilation technique.
THE OFFICIAL FILM SELECTION
Eighty eight Stop Motion films, from twenty six countries, will be
presented on the big screen. The jury will select a winner in each of
the competitive categories:
Academic films: Saturday September 26 – 12:30 p.m. (General)
Independent films 1: Saturday September 26 – 2:30 p.m. (PG-13)
Independent films 2: Saturday September 27 – 12:30 p.m. (PG-13)
Professional films 1: Sunday September 27 – 2:30 p.m. (PG-13)
Professional films 2: Sunday September 27 – 7:30 p.m. (PG-13)
The jury is composed of three members from the stop motion community:
Michel Breton, Michael Hollenbeck, and Laurie Sitzia. The winners will
be announced on Sunday evening, the closing night of the festival.
OTHER ACTIVITIES NOT TO BE MISSED
MASTER CLASS – Behind the Scenes – IF I WAS GOD presented by The
National Film Board of Canada
Saturday September 26 – 4:30 p.m.
Internationally renowned filmmaker Cordell Barker will join us at the
Festival to present a master class for the Quebec premier and his most
recent film If I Was God.
Having received two Oscar nominations for best animated short, The Cat
Came back (1988) and Strange Invaders (2001), Cordell chose Stop
Motion animation as a technique for his most recent production. With
the help of See Creature and Jako Lanterne, two Montreal companies who
participated in the fabrication of the puppets and animation, the
filmmaker will be present, with the crew, for a rare behind the scenes
look at the numerous processes required to fulfill his original vision.
Special presentation: The CREW of the LITTLE PRINCE
Saturday September 26 – 7:30 p.m.
The Little Prince is an extraordinary gift. The book is one of the
most read stories in the world and the cinematographic adventure based
on it happened here, in Montreal.
Over the course of one year, many talented individuals participated in
the production of The Little Prince under the direction of Mark
Osborne (Kung Fu Panda). Even though the film is mostly CG, close to
22 minutes of awesome Stop Motion sequences were made to meet the
director’s vision.
The Little Prince will be released on the big screen later this year
by Les Films Séville in Québec, but in the mean time, the Montreal
Stop Motion Film Festival is extremaly please to announce a special
behind the scenes presentation with many local artists who
participated in the production, including puppet construction, sets,
and animation, this is a rare opportunity to have a look behind the
curtain at some of the magic that went into the making of this
magnificient production.
Behind the scenes with LAURIE SITZIA, Lead Animator on Shaun the
Sheep: The Movie, presented by CUPFA
Sunday September 27 – 4:30 p.m.
Continuing the line up of special guest speakers at the festival this
year, we are delighted to have Laurie Sitzia, lead animator at Aardman
Animations.
Laurie has worked as a stop motion animator at Aardman since 2005. Her
projects to date include various commercial work, Creature Comforts,
Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time, The Pirates! In an Adventure with
Scientists and, most recently, the Shaun the Sheep movie on which she
was lead character animator.
For her presentation, she will be joined by Shaun the Sheep as she
takes us behind the scenes and reveals some secrets of the trade from
this latest Stop Motion adventure.
FREE SCREENINGS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Presented by Brault & Bouthillier
Saturday September 26 and Sunday September 27, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The festival will be holding two free family screenings. The whole
family will have the opportunity to enjoy stop motion animation from
around the world. These screenings are made up of a selection of films
from the official competition line up.
HANDS-ON Sessions
Saturday September 26 and Sunday September 27, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The festival will have “hands-on” sessions on Saturday and Sunday
where animators can get better acquainted with animation software
while animating construction toys, plasticine and other materials.
With animators on site, artists and enthusiasts will be able to try
their hands at stop motion animation.
TICKETS
Adults: $10 per session
Children (13 years and under): $5 per session
VIP Pass: $60
The VIP Pass, presented by Lezar3D (www.lezar3d.com) which gives
access to all sessions and screenings, will be on sale at
www.LaVitrine.com in limited quantity. Individual tickets will be
available for purchase at the door before each screening.
http://www.lavitrine.com/event/Montreal_Stop_Motion_Film_Festival
7th Annual MONTREAL STOP MOTION FILM FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 25,26 & 27
For more information, visit our website: www.stopmotionmontreal.com
The official Festival trailer is now available online:
The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival celebrates the talents of all
stop motion artists. The Festival is an initiative of Erik H. Goulet,
director of the Festival and teacher in the animation department at
Concordia University since 2001.
