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Animation at SF International by Karl Cohen
Scene from 'The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales', a very funny, French animated feature. photo courtesy Renner/Imbert
THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
Film Festival may not go as all out as it did last year, its 60th Anniversary, but the festival, which runs from April 4th-17th around the Bay, still has some fantastic fare, including lots of animation.
“The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales” is a rather silly feature starring a theatrical troupe of goofy animals performing three one act plays. French directors Benjamin Renner (co-director, “Ernest & Celestine”, 2013) and Patrick Imbert’s creation should keep you giggling as you watch this group of hand-drawn misfits. In French with subtitles, some of its target audience may not read fast enough to get it, but adults wanting a fun escape from present day America will enjoy this zany comedy.
“Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot” by Gus Van Sant may not be animated but it's about John Callahan, a caustic, wickedly funny cartoonist from Portland, Oregon. A quadriplegic, Callahan had a knack for depicting taboo subjects, especially people with physical disabilities without an ounce of cultural sensitivity. Said to be excellent performances, Gus Van Sant’s (“Milk”, 2009, “My Own Private Idaho”, 1991) new film “follows the life of this troubled alcoholic who journeys from rock-bottom, to an oddball AA group, to ultimately channeling his demons into sometimes shocking and always humorous profane art,” according to the program guide.
“We the Animals,” by Jeremiah Zagar, includes memorable animated segments. Zagar uses the dreamy language and impressionistic narrative from Justin Torres's novel of the same name to tell the coming-of-age story of three Puerto Rican boys growing up in a loving family shadowed by domestic violence. Winner of the Next Innovator Award at Sundance, this image-rich debut film deals with one of the kids' same-sex desires. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney: "Mark Samsonovich's scratchy pen drawings animate the boy's illustrated, obsessively scribbled notebooks,"
The “Shorts 2” program includes “Graven Image” which uses historic footage and a variety of styles, including some animation. By Sierra Pettengill (USA 2017, 11 min), the film explores the history of Georgia's Stone Mountain, the South’s largest Confederate monument.
“Shorts 3” has the animation “Carlotta’s Face”. As a child, Carlotta didn’t expect the people around her to have faces. By Valentin Riedl and Frédéric Shuld from Germany (2018, 5 min), the film shows that art offered her a way to finally recognize herself.
The Kuchar Brothers at work in their Mission neighborhood apartment, circa 2008. photo D. Blair
“Drop by Drop”, by Laura Gonçalves Xá (Portugal, 2017, 9 min), is a whimsical, black-and-white animated short following the last inhabitants of a Portuguese village refuse to sink into oblivion.
“Hybrids” is a hypnotic undersea exploration shows that the rules of survival change when marine life has to adapt to the pollution surrounding it. This impressive photo realistic art is by Florian Brauch, Matthieu Pujol, Kim Tailhades, Yohan Thireau and Romain Thirion (France 2017) and clocks in at six minutes.
“Icebergs”, by Elrini Vianelli (USA/Greece 2017, 10 min), is based on the book “Scenes” by award-winning screenwriter Efthymis Fillipou. Its amusing stop-motion vignettes put a wicked spin on daily life.
The sweet, comic tale “Negative Space” poignantly illustrates how we all learn from our parents. Nominated for an Academy Award, it is by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, (France 2017, 6 min).
Legendary underground filmmakers and longterm San Francisco residents George and Mike Kuchar appear in “Oh Hi Anne”, a Cinema by the Bay film by Anne McGuire (USA 2017, 9 min). It is an epic tale of love and loss, as told to an answering machine.
In “73 Questions”, a long-time San Francisco resident offers some sage and sincere advice for all those who love the Bay. Another Cinema by the Bay film, it is by Leah Nichols (USA 2017, 10 min).
“Weekends” has surreal dream-like moments mixed with the domestic realities of a broken family in this hand-animated film set in Toronto. Yet another Cinema by the Bay film, it was helmed by Trevor Jimenez ( USA 2017, 15 min).
“Shorts 4: New Visions” has one animated short: “Hanemun Honeymoon” by Maya Erdelyi and Daniel Rowe, USA. A honeymoon in Japan gets examined microscopically through comics, cards, magazines, and more in this delightful animated film.
The “Shorts 5: Family Films” has a number of animated films, notably “Big Block Singsong Wizard”, where creators Warren Brown and Adam Goddard, from Canada ask: Is it possible to be a wiz at everything, without overlooking some very important wizard details? Then there’s “Bird Karma,” by William Salazar, USA, where a cunning and dexterous bird makes a fateful decision that alters the cosmos, and results in a swift and fitting conclusion.
“Coin Operated,” by Nicholas Arioli (USA, a Cinema by the Bay film) has a young explorer dreaming of soaring to the heavens, but finding a major obstacle in the form of limited financial resources. Luckily for him, the old-fashioned neighborhood lemonade stand is still around to provide a reliable source of income.
“Late Afternoon,” by Louise Bagnall, from Ireland, looks at an elderly women drifting back through her memories, existing in a delicate balance between her past and the present.
In the “Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems, Chapter 4,” Erick Oh (USA), we find a delightful hand-drawn interlude, overflowing with charm from SFFILM favorite Tonko House, about a pig overwhelmed by a picnic gone astray.
In “Shorts 6: Youth Works” the animated film “A Morning on the Farm,” by Tanya Cyster (USA), explores the memories of a young Australian dairy farmer brought to life through delicate and beautifully impressionistic images (also a Cinema by the Bay film).
The festival will also present two workshops for kids. “Shape of Pixar Characters: A Workshop for Kids”, a drop-off class for kids ages 8-12, is led by Jason Katz from Pixar, and is about how they shape and develop characters during the early stages of a production. “Hand-Drawn Artistry with DreamWorks Animation” is a a drop-off class for kids ages 10-14 with DreamWorks Animation director William Salazar. A screening and behind-the-scenes presentation, includes his new animated short “Bird Karma”.
Karl Cohen is an animator, educator and director of the local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached .Posted on Apr 02, 2018 - 09:55 PM