Events Archive - Fredrikstad Animation Festival

Edufest: Storm Studios and Fortiche

October 19, 14:00 | Kino 3

Who are the people behind the series we love, and their amazing visuals? And how do they put in place the engineering needed to produce mind-blowing visuals like those in Arcane or The Last of Us. Charles Bouet, CG Pipeline Supervisor at Fortiche Production, and Espen Nordahl, Head of VFX at Storm Studios, will tell you all about their respective careers, and their day-to-day responsibilities.

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Meet Toon Boom

Saturday, October 21, 17:30 | Beach Club

Raise a glass to the software that makes so much animation possible! Kick off an evening of celebrating the Nordic-Baltic animation scene with Toon Boom’s welcome before the gala dinner. Here you will meet the northern European representative from Toon Boom, Ansgar Massmann.

Exhibition: Sara Koppel

October 19 - 22 | Sara Koppel Exhibition: Nygaardsgata 37

Sara Koppel is a unique animation artist based in Copenhagen and during this year’s animation festival Koppel will present an exhibition with her fascinating augumed reality works. Sara is known for creating colorful, poetic and sensual worlds, and she works in the old way, hand drawing with pen and paper. The works that will be exhibited in the center of Fredrikstad represent Koppel’s work with both sensual films and environmental themes, where her analogue work is mixed with new AR technology.

Opening hours:
Thursday – 16:00 – 21:00
Friday – 12:00 – 19:00
Saturday – 12:00 – 19:00
Sunday – 12:00 – 14:00

Participants

Sara Koppel

Sara Koppel is an Animation Artist working in the field of 2D Hand-drawn Paper Animation. Over the years, she has created numerous independent, hyper-personal, and award-winning animated short films, with themes including sexuality and environmental issues. She also frequently experiments by combining her handcrafted paper animation with augmented reality (AR) and has held several exhibitions featuring AR-paperworks and AR-wallpainting in different places around the world. Currently, she is working on her next animated short film in conjunction with an associated AR exhibition titled 2nd Day & the End of the World, which is set to premiere in the spring of 2024.

OBOS Familyday

October 22, 12:00 - 18:30 | Fredrikstad Kino

Sunday is the final day of the festival and is dedicated to children and families. Participants of all ages may immerse themselves in screenings of animated children’s films, a workshop, and other fun activities at Fredrikstad Kino. Family Day includes previews and other screenings of children’s films (Norwegain versions).

As the festival’s official support, OBOS has brought out a prepremiere of Puffin Rock and the New Friends.

An open workshop held by the regional media workshop E6 is taking place in the cinema foyer, along with other free activities for the youngest animation enthusiasts.

Family Day is made possible through cooperation between E6 Østfold Medieverksted, Fredrikstad Kino, and OBOS.

See the Norwegian page for more detailed filmprogram.

Animated City: Kristian Pedersen

October 19, 18:30 | Nygaardsgata 44

Experience the magic of animated cinema in the middle of the city as we project a stunning film screening onto the Scandic City Hotel building at Nygaardsgata 44 (car-free street), courtesy of the innovative and Fredrikstad born director Kristian Pedersen. Join us for a captivating experience outdoors featuring four film gems: Little Boy, Zolle: Resign, Däncing Düplös and The Boyg. All films that tells compelling stories through strong visuals, and sometimes abstract animation. The films will be screened continuously from 18.30 to 21.00, and the event is free and open for all. So stop by and have a look, or immerse yourself in all four films – you decide.

NOTE! New location is at Nygaardsgata 44, right outside Scandic City in the car-free zone.

This event is made possible through a collaboration with Mikrofilm, Barco and Scandic City Hotel.

VR Exhibited: Kabaret

October 20, 13:00 | St. Croix house - Small Blackbox

Kabaret (Gina Thorstensen) is an interactive VR experience about synchronized coral spawning, and a singing shrimp’s worries about the future. It’s a playful and explorative journey from the edge of our galaxy to the depths of our oceans. We strum out a chime on glowing phytoplankton, swim through a portal of seafood aspic – the titular “Kabaret”, a dish once popular in Norway – and are carried by the moon to a coral reef in mating season. But all is not well here. Can we help save the coral’s yearly spawning? Kabaret is part musical, part documentary and invites us to indulge our curiosity of the natural world, and reflect on our relationship to it.

This event requires a timed ticket. Please select the ticket for the time you would like your VR experience to start. Arrive 5 minutes before your ticketed time.

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Kabaret VR Teaser from Gina Thorstensen on Vimeo.

Gala Dinner

October 21, 18:30 | Beach Club

You are cordially invited to the Fredrikstad Animation Festival 2023 Industry Gala Dinner, 18:30 Saturday 21 October, at Beach Club.

FAF is hosting a gala dinner before the awards ceremony (same location) to celebrate the vibrant animation community. Take this opportunity to break bread with your fellow animators and producers.
The cost of the dinner is 600.- kr which includes a 2-course meal. Drinks are not included.

Ticket sales for this event will end on 13 October. When you order a ticket for this event, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the meal selection form. Please fill out this form by 14 October.

Exhibition: Anime Architecture

October 18, 16:00 - October 22, 16:00 | Fredrikstad Kino

Anime Architecture is the first showcase of iconic anime background artwork by Riekeles Gallery in Norway!

Since the success of Akira (1988) and Ghost in the Shell (1995), Japanese anime has secured its place in international pop culture. Much of the cinematic power of these films stems from the opulent representation of cityscapes. Anime Architecture presents the production design behind these cyberpunk anime. In creating these works, visionary art directors forged a visual language deeply rooted in the burgeoning Asian metropolises of the late 1980s, projecting vivid visions of dystopian futures onto the screen. The exhibition presents reproductions of superb renderings of urban architecture made for the screen which are usually visible for only a few seconds in the movie. Presented as artwork on the wall these hand-drawn backgrounds offer meticulous artificial wonderlands to dive into.

The showcase features high-grade 1:1 reproductions of works by Hiromasa Ogura (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor – The Movie), Toshiharu Mizutani (AKIRA), Hiroshi Ohno (AKIRA), Shuichi Kusamori (Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis). These acclaimed artists belong to a generation of illustrators who draw animation films almost only by hand. Although today computer graphics are additionally used across all production areas, paper, pencil and brush remain their essential tools. Thanks to their artistic craftsmanship, the works are finished with intricate attention to detail.

Curator Stefan Riekeles embarked on his journeys to the studios of Tokyo’s animation artists 15 years ago. He unearthed a treasure trove of image boards, meticulous technical pencil layouts, and vibrant colored backgrounds originating from the golden era of Japanese sci-fi anime dating back to the 1980s. Riekeles found himself immediately captivated by these artworks, which stood as striking paintings in their own right. The futuristic cityscapes, adorned with pulsating neon lights, define the narrative landscapes of these films yet make only fleeting appearances on the screen, interwoven amidst an ensemble of characters, vehicles, and gadgets. His research led to the publication of his book “Anime Architecture” (Thames & Hudson, 2020).

Riekeles Gallery founded in 2021 in Berlin, offers high-quality reproductions of animation backgrounds. The gallery’s mission is to present and archive the art of background painting which is usually visible for only a few seconds on screen and rarely regarded as an artform in its own right.

All reproductions on display are available for purchase at the exhibition from Camino bok and online from www.riekeles.com. The exhibition Riekeles Gallery offers free shipping to customers in Norway.

Exhibition Opening on Wednesday 18 October at 20:30 at Fredrikstad Kino.

Edufest: Building Neo-Tokyo, the world of AKIRA

October 19, 12:00 | Kino 3

The first part of Edufest, a seminar for students, offers a lecture with an expert on Anime background art Stefan Riekeles, who will talk about the unique art behind the classic Anime film Akira. Riekeles has published a number of books about the architecture in Anime films and is considered one of the biggest experts in the field. The seminar will also contain presentations of key courses in animation, film, and VFX.

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Participants

Stefan Riekeles

Stefan Riekeles, born in Leonberg, Germany in 1976, is an animation historian and exhibition curator. He is the founder of Riekeles Gallery. He completed his M.A. in culture studies and audio communication science from Humboldt University and the Technical University Berlin. He has curated several internationally touring exhibitions featuring original anime background art, including “Proto Anime Cut” (Berlin, Dortmund, Barcelona, Madrid, Tallinn, Basel, 2011~2013), “Anime Architecture” (Berlin, London, Sydney, Delray Beach, 2016~2019), “AKIRA – The Architecture of Neo Tokyo” (Berlin, 2022), and currently “Cityscapes in Anime Background Art” (Kanazawa, 2023). He established Riekeles Gallery in 2021. His most recent publication is “Anime Architecture – Imagined Worlds and Endless Megacities” (Thames & Hudson, 2020).

Award Ceremony: Children’s Films

October 21, 17:00 | Kino 4

To celebrate the artistic work in short film for children and young audiences, a jury will decide the FAF award winner for best Nordic-Baltic children’s and young audience films. In this ceremony, the winning film will be revealed. A total of 6 films for children and 4 films for young audiences are competing for this year’s awards. During the ceremony, the kids who have been participating in different animation workshops over the past years will get the opportunity to present their films on the big screen. The festival collaborates with different workshops and courses for the age group of 8 to 15 years to present what the future has to bring. The award ceremony will end with a screening of the winning films for the children’s film category.

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Awards Ceremony

October 21, 20:00 | Beach Club

The awards ceremony on Saturday evening marks the end of the 2023 Nordic-Baltic competition program. FAF will hand out the awards for the best short film, best commissioned film, best student film, best feature film, the audience award, and the Grand Prix. The best children’s and best young audience awards will be handed out at a separate ceremony earlier in the day.

Immediately following the ceremony there will be a closing party at the Østfold International Theater.

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Animated Live: St. Croix

October 20, 21:00 | St. Croix house - Large Blackbox

ÁNNÁMÁRET ENSEMBLE & MARJA VIITAHUHTA // SNORRE MAGNAR SOLBERG & OLA LYSGAARD

This year we at FAF are happy to announce that we have expanded our Animated Live club concept to four concerts over two nights – including this years closing party. Get ready for two nights of avantgarde, experimental and danceable happenings that incorporate music and live video-animation equally.
Book your ticket in advance, as this is a popular event that you dont want to miss out on.

Festivalpass, free entrance
280,- per ticket

Fredag 20.10 – Store Sal, St.Croix – doors open 20.00. Age limit: 18.

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21.00-22.00: Ánnámáret & Marja Viitahuhta

We start out with a familiar face, as videoartist Marja Viitahuhta accompanies joiker Ánnámáret and her Ensemble. Their joint venture film ´Flames´ was screened at the FAF 2021 opening ceremony and we are delighted to have them back in a live concert format. Ánnámáret is Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman, Sámi musician who lives and whose work is based in Nuorgam, northernmost Finland. Her music is inspired by life and nature in Sápmi. Ánnámáret’s band combines indigenous Sámi vocal music yoik to the ancient sound of Finnish bowed lyre jouhikko, played by Ilkka Heinonen, and organic live electronics, played by Turkka Inkilä. The music gains influence from both the rich tradition of yoik and the vibrant Sámi culture and Arctic nature, by taking to intensely experiential worlds by means of music and images. The concert is accompanied by Marja Viitahuhta’s video art based on Ánnámáret’s innermost visions and ideas in her joiks.

22.00-01.00 Snorre Magnar Solberg & Ola Lysgaard

DJ-shaman Snorre Magnar Solberg and video-wizard Ola Lysgaard enchants the audience with a hypnoticing psychedelic gourmet of audio and video. They have collaborated on several spectacular audiovideo happenings at Østre in Bergen, and has prepared a special treat for the occasion consisting of self-composer material of ambient, techno, acid, fractals, wormholes and mushrooms. Both artist names animation as a source of inspiration for their work, and are delighted to be part of this years Animation festival. And we are eagerly looking forward to see what they cook up in their cauldron of music and video. Put on your dancing shoes, dress likes its the future, and get ready for a journey in body and soul.

Animated Live is a mini festival within the festival, focussing on the juxtaposition of live music and live videoart/animation. Curated by Anders N. Moen and Henrik B. Langgård. In collaboration with Urban Sound Art Festival, St.Croix, Tim Finseth, Dag Kopperud and Østfold Internasjonale Teater.

Participants

Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman

Ánnámáret, Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman, is a Sámi yoiker. She released her first yoik album Nieguid duovdagat with her band in February 2021. Prior to that, Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman had released two solo albums with Ánnámáret Ensemble (Beallječiŋat 2011 and Gollehelmmot 2016). She has also worked as a solo artist on numerous Sámi music productions.

Marja Viitahuhta

Marja Viitahuhta is a media artist whose works include short films, presentations, installations, photographs, and collages. Her works have been exhibited internationally, for example at the Cannes Film Festival, where her film 99 Years of My Life was awarded in 2004. The said work has also been acquired for the collections of MoMA and Kiasma. Many of Viitahuhta’s works explore immortality in relation to existence, examine women’s biographical stories and experiences, and investigate the relationship between text and images.

Turkka Inkilä

Turkka Inkilä is a multi-genre musician and composer. Together with his band Tölöläb, he aims to create electroacoustic music that breaks away from scenic conventions. The music combines the unpredictability of modern music, the sincere pursuit of beauty, and the bodily experience of electronic dance music. He is currently studying the Japanese Kinko School’s Shakuhachi Programme under the guidance of his teacher Gunnar Jinmei Linder. Additionally, he actively participates in the Helsinki-based association Eloa ry as a composer, arranger, and flutist.

Ilkka Heinonen

Ilkka Heinonen is a musician and composer who specializes in folk music. His instruments include the Finnish bowed lyre, G-violone, and the contrabass. In addition to bands that have gained influence from European folk music cultures, Heinonen has worked as both a solo artist and in an orchestra, performing in concerts and participating in projects involving modern and traditional music.

Snorre Magnar Solberg

Multi-artist and DJ-shaman Snorre Magnar Solberg has during the last decade established himself as one of Norway´s most uncompromising techno DJs. Whether it has been through his own Club No-No and Ambient Garden, label and event concept, or the multiple collaborations with the Berlin-based Sex Tags Mania, Solberg has a unique in-the-moment punk attitude, mixed with years of experience. Improvising an all-night-long, eclectic mix of self-composed material in ambient, techno, acid, electro, and experimental electronic music.

Ola Lysgaard

Ola Lysgaard is a visual artist working in live visuals, animation, comics, game dev, and everything else that’s fun.

Animated Live: Østfold International Theatre

October 21, 22:00 | Østfold Internasjonale Teater

CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE & KRISTOFFER LISLEGAARD // DJ NADDA NOOR & VJ ROHTIE

This year we at FAF are happy to announce that we have expanded our Animated Live clubconcept to four concerts over two nights – including this year’s closing party. Get ready for two nights of avant-garde, experimental and danceable happenings that incorporate music and live video-animation equally.
Book your ticket in advance, as this is a popular event that you don’t want to miss out on.

Saturday 21 Oct – Østfold Internasjonale Teater, Dokka 3. Doors open 21.00, concert starts at 22:00. This is an 18 and over event.

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22.00 – 23.00 Center of the Universe / Kristoffer Lislegaard

Already a household favourite amongst the FAF audience for his many legendary festival dj sets, Center of the Universe returns with his brand new album concept with live visuals by Kristoffer Lislegaard. COU produce music videos to nearly all of his tracks, with a notorious DIY use of green screen, B-film tricks, and funny animations. For FAF he presents a new audiovisual show in collaboration with VJ and musical collaborator Kristoffer Lislegaard, with live video effects and attempts to take the concept Animated Live literally!

23.00-01.30 DJ Nadda & VJ Rohtie

Multiartist and DJ Nadda is a secret gem of the Norwegian club underground scene. She is sought after for her specific taste and mastery of the dance floor, admired by her fellow DJ peers, with former performances at The Villa, Blå and Hærværk. Running the club hot with an eclectic mix of ambient-elektro-techno. On the visual side FAF, has teamed Nadda up with Thor Merlin Lervik aka VJ Rohtie, a multi artist with an interdisciplinary background of Programming (BA University of Oslo ) and Art design (BA Oslo National Academy of the Arts). He seeks out vulnerable situations where he is able to improvise and enter into a stream of consciousness using programming, mathematics and a sense of space. His visual improvised programming performances to live music have been featured at Riksscenen, Tou scene, Bergen Kunsthall (Landmark), Slottsfjell and this year’s Øya festival.

The event is in collaboration with the Urban Sound Art Conference at ØiT from 12.00-21.00. Follow this link for more information on their program. https://www.facebook.com/events/698599538780762/698599548780761/

Animated Live is a mini festival within the festival, focussing on the juxtaposition of live music and live video art/animation. Curated by Anders N. Moen and Henrik B. Langgård. In collaboration with Urban Sound Art Festival, St.Croix, Tim Finseth, Dag Kopperud, Torbjørn Aaberg and Østfold Internasjonale Teater.

Supported by the Norwegian Art Council.

Participants

Jørgen Skjulstad (Center of the Universe)

Center of the Universe is known for producing videos to nearly all of his tracks, with a notorious use of green screen, B-film tricks, and funny animations. For FAF he presents a new audiovisual show in collaboration with VJ Kristoffer Lislegaard, with live video effects and attempts to take the concept Animated Live literally! Center of the Universe just released the album COU, where all the songs are acronyms, and an album of electronic Norwegian folk music together with Kenneth Lien, receiving plenty of good reviews and coverage in the media. Now the album Long Player is on its way. You can dance to this music that is inspired by house, disco, oriental, and various folk music.

The Center of the Universe is an artist who mainly, but not only, works with music and sound. The band, which is a solo project (hence the name) has released nearly 20 full-length albums, plenty of remixes, and also works for films, theater, and sound art.

Kristoffer Lislegaard

Kristoffer Lislegaard is a Norwegian experimental ambient musician and producer based in Oslo. Kristoffer is no stranger to weird custom-made creative tech setups for his AV performances and at Fredrikstad Animation Festival he will be doing “live animation” visuals (whatever that is =) ) for Center of the Universe.

Nadda Noor

Multiartist and Dj Nadda is a secret gem of the Norwegian club underground scene. She is sought after for her specific taste and mastery of the dance floor, admired by her fellow DJ peers, with former club performances at Jaeger and Hærverk. Running the club hot with electric ambient-electro-techno.

Quiz-o-Rama at Tæps

October 19, 19:00 | Tæps

Just for the occasion of FAF, TÆPS´ regular Thursday quiz will be dedicated to animation and film. With two rounds of 20 questions, the quiz may well be challenging, but only as challenging as it needs to be. Gather a team of up to six friends, and come prepared with sharpened minds and sharpened pencils!

This event will be held in Norwegian. There are no tickets for this event, come early to grab a table.

Exhibition: Art on Wheels

October 20, 12:00 - October 21, 18:00 | Fredrikstad Kino

Art on Wheels is a contemporary art exhibition for children and youth that explores new artworks by artists Zahars Ze (LV), Jurģis Peters (LV), Eva Vēvere (LV), and Oda Bremnes (NO). Art on Wheels offers an interactive exhibition featuring 4 unique artworks consisting of virtual reality, sound, and kinetics. The theme is the creation of new worlds.

Participating children actively engage with the artworks using VR glasses and hands-on interaction. The exhibition also includes various activities related to the 4 artworks. “Art on Wheels” can be experienced in two minibusses that visit schools, festivals, and art institutions in Latvia, as well as two locations in Norway: the Fredrikstad Animation Festival and Galleri F15.

Exhibition curator Sandra Ķempele says, “We aim to create a positive experience of visiting a contemporary art exhibition. It should be a creative, active, and inspiring experience for children and youth, promoting the accessibility of visual art outside the capital city of Latvia. The ‘Art on Wheels’ project initiates a dialogue between artists and students, actively involving children in the process of creating artwork and addressing topics that are important to children and youth.”

“Art on Wheels” is produced by Art Center NOASS (LV) in collaboration with Fargefabrikken (NO) with support from “The European Economic Area (EEA) grant program – Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Cultural Cooperation.” The project is also supported by Novum Riga and the Office for Contemporary Art Norway – OCA.

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Opening Ceremony

October 19, 21:00 | Kino 3

The official opening of the festival is at Fredrikstad Kino and will include a screening of Nordic-Baltic Short Film 1, other entertainment, and official speeches.

During the opening, there will be a dance performance titled Grow, where surrealism meets climate and the environment through video projection, dance, and music. In this collaborative performance, questions and reflections on how the world looks today are raised. A constantly changing and dream-like scene creates a space for the audience to contemplate some of the biggest challenges of our time.

Before the festival’s opening, explore some of the FAF exhibitions around the city.

Animated City – Ryenplassen O. P. Pettersens gate 4 from 18:30 – 21:00

AR exhibition by Sara Koppel – Nygaardsgata 37 official opening 20:00 – 21:00

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Symposium Researching Animation – Nordic Perspectives

20 October 14:00 | Fredrikstad Kino 3

What do we do when we research animation? Which questions do we ask, and what possibilities of animation are uncovered by these questions? Research is all about asking questions, from the most seemingly stupid questions to the most unexpectedly bright questions. We never run out of questions, as there are always new ways to wonder about what is, what could be, and what the world of animation can become. The very concept of theory, as the ancient Greeks said, stems from wonder. Animation Studies is a young and blooming field of research, wondering about animation in all its wonderful forms. It is this basic tenet, wonder, that unites the Nordic researchers presenting in this symposium. We want to show a variety of perspectives in this symposium, allowing the audience to get a broader view of some of the concerns, topics, and questions that occupy Nordic researchers now.

In Researching Animation: Nordic Perspectives, we will ask questions about animated literacy, media archeology, new forms of collaborations in VR, the potential health benefits of video games, and the political importance of letting students tell their own stories.

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Participants

Ray Whitcher

Ray Whitcher is a lecturer and practitioner of animation hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, now lecturing at Uppsala University, Sweden. In his professional career, Ray has animated lyric videos for clients including Marshmello, YungBlud, and Corey Taylor, illustrated comics for Star Wars: Clone Wars Confidential as well as various illustrative and design projects. In his lecturing capacity, Ray teaches 2D animation for video games, concept art development, critical theory, and professional practice (including pitching). He has also published scholarly articles on Comic Practices in Africa, Intermediality, and Curatorial Practice.

Sophie Mobbs

Sophie Mobbs is an associate professor at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Prior to working in higher education, Sophie spent 10 years working as an artist and animator in the games industry for companies that included Sony, Silicon Dreams, and Rebellion, contributing to eight published games across various platforms. She now specialises in teaching 2D and 3D animation, character creation, and art for computer games and XR applications. Her research interests focus on serious games and in particular the application of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality games and experiences as medical treatments.

Laura Søndergaard Isaksen

Laura Søndergaard Isaksen is a project manager and researcher of Animated Learning with an educational background in pedagogy and an M.A. in Philosophy of Education. She has been working with Animated Learning since 2016 on a variety of projects within film and media literacy and she has been teaching children, youngsters and teachers, pedagogues and students how to use animation in both creative and learning processes.

M. Javad Khajavi

M. Javad Khajavi is an award-winning multi-disciplinary designer, animator, developer, and researcher who works at the intersection of art, design, and technology. Javad made his first animation by writing a computer code in 1995 at the age of ten and has been interested in the intersection of art and tech since then. He is tech-savvy and whose works span several disciplines including 2D and 3D animation, game technology, and virtual reality. Currently, he is an associate professor at Volda University College in Norway where he leads the Animated Arts and Media Research Group. Previously, he was an assistant professor at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is the founder of Fanoos Studio and Vertical Cosmos, and a graduate of Nanyang Technological University’s Ph.D. program in media arts + design in Singapore. He is deeply invested in interdisciplinary research approaches that are informed by practice-oriented research, design thinking, and analytical methods and tools in engineering.

Samantha Moore

Samantha Moore is a UK-based, international award-winning animation director. She loves the joyfulness and eclectic nature of animation. No one ever finds animation intimidating, and yet it can convey complex ideas to a wide audience in an engaging way. Sam has worked on diverse subjects, from competitive sweet-pea growing, to cutting edge microbiology, archaeology, neuroscience, and her own experience of having twins. Sam is currently working on a short animated magical realist fairy tale about dysentery, A Language of Shapes (2022) funded by a Wellcome Trust award and made in collaboration with the Mostowy microbiology lab at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Sam teaches part-time, as an Associate Professor in animation at University College Volda (Norway) as well as Senior Tutor (Research) in animation at the Royal College of Art (UK).

Narissa Schander and Vibeke Heide – EduFest

20 October 10:00 - 11:30 | Fredrikstad Kino 3

Students in upper secondary school and folk university are invited to a special day during FAF. On Thursday 20 October, all classes in media, design, and art are welcome to the Fredrikstad Kino for a programme of lectures and film screenings. The seminar will feature two speakers from Norway.

First is Narissa Schander, originally from Moss. Schander is an animator and specialist in 2D animation. Recently she has worked in Ireland at Cartoon Saloon on 2D Special Effects for Wolfwalkers, and she has also been involved in the production of My Little Pony The Movie, the Norwegian-produced Titina and the upcoming Netflix film, My Father’s Dragon.

Then, director and producer, Vibeke Heide will take the stage to discuss diversity and representation in the animation industry. Originally from Harstad, Heide was educated in Oslo and has won the Golden Chair at the Short Film Festival in Grimstad and the Amanda Prize during the Norwegian Film Festival.

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Participants

Narissa Schander

Narissa Schander has spent the last 12 years specialising in 2D animation. She has recently worked in Ireland at Cartoon Saloon on 2D Special Effects for Wolfwalkers where the focus was on animating fire, water, smoke, magic, and much more. Previously, she has also contributed to Disney and BBC TV series such as Wander over Yonder and Dangermouse. Schander moved to Canada and was a composition artist for the film My Little Pony The Movie. Throughout her career, she has worked diligently with Mikrofilm on many great projects such as Frydenlund Frisørsalong, Kakerlakkene, It was Mine, Maratondagboken, and Titina. Narissa’s last project was in Ireland at Cartoon Saloon as a 2D Special Effects Supervisor on Netflix’s upcoming film, My Father’s Dragon.

Vibeke Heide

Vibeke Heide is a trained film director from the Norwegian Film School. She writes, directs, and produces short films and music videos through her own production company Sentimeter film. The films have, among other things, been awarded the Golden Chair during the Short Film Festival in Grimstad and the Amanda Prize during the Norwegian Film Festival. In addition to being a filmmaker, Heide works with diversity in art and culture at Transcultural Arts Production, and as a volunteer for the Oslo Fusion Film Festival.

Animation Production Day Part I, II, and III

21 October 11:00, 13:15, 16:00 | Fredrikstad Kino 3

The third edition of the Norwegian Production Day will focus on Japanese Anime, and the speakers are well-recognized Japanese producers and directors in the animation industry. This convention will be the largest event focusing on Japanese Anime that has ever taken place in Norway and has been broken into three parts.

The Animation Convention is organized by Animasjon Norge, a subdivision of Produsentforeningen Virke, Qvisten Animation and the Fredrikstad Animation Festival, in collaboration with Frame by Frame.

Part I: Eiko Tanaka
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Part II: Koji Takeuchi & Toshio Suzuki
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Part III: Yasuhiro Yoshiura
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Participants

Eiko Tanaka

Eiko Tanaka is a producer who has participated in many animated films and has accomplished highly acclaimed projects with STUDIO4℃. Genres of her productive efforts vary from theatrical movies, short films, TV-series, music clips, and commercials, to newly adopted media such as stereoscopic visions and projection mappings. Tanaka has produced films such as MEMORIES, Spriggan, Princess Arete, THE ANIMATRIX, and MIND GAME. Tekkonkinkreet, was also produced by Tanaka and won the Japan Academy Award for Best Animation Film and was also selected at Berlinale. Tanaka also contributed to co-creation projects with international companies such as Batman: Gotham Knight and Thundercats, and Halo Legends as a producer. MUTAFUKAZ was an ambitious project co-created with the French company Ankama. After 5 years of production, Children of the Sea was released in more than 30 countries. The latest films Poupelle of Chimney Town and Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko have been invited to lots of international film festivals, and also released and enjoyed in many countries.

Koji Takeuchi

Koji Takeuchi began his career at Nippon Animation Co. in 1976 as a member of the production team. He worked on various hit TV-series with directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. In 1980, he joined Telecom Animation Film Co. and worked on many TV-series and feature films such as Lupin the 3rd, Sherlock Hound, Chie the Brat, and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. Additionally, he worked with many non-Japanese studios including Warner Bros. Animation and Walt Disney Television Animation. Recently, he has devoted his time to young animation creators and has designed workshops with the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs since 2011. In addition, he established the Japan Educational Network of Animation. In 2013, he studied Animation Education at Gobelins, l’école de l’image in Paris. From 2014 to 2019, he directed the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs commissioned project, ANIME TAMAGO. He took up the position of the festival director of the Tokyo Anime Award Festival in 2016 and has been holding the post since then.

Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Yasuhiro Yoshiura is a writer and director. He started animation production while he was in college, and after graduating, he made his own animation Pale Cocoon. Since then, he has been active in production. Time of Eve in 2020 was his directorial debut. Since then, he has mainly written and directed original works.

Toshio Suzuki

Toshio Suzuki (b. 1948 in Nagoya, Japan) is the producer and executive director of Studio Ghibli. Suzuki graduated from Keio University with a degree in Literature in 1972 and joined the publishing company Tokuma Shoten Co. Ltd. After working for the weekly magazine Asahi Geino, he cofounded the monthly animation magazine Animage. While serving as co-editor, and later chief editor of Animage, Suzuki took part in the production of films by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, including Nausicaä of the Valey of the Wind (1984), Grave of the furefklies (1988), and My Neighbor (1988). He participated in the founding of Studio Ghibli in 1985 and has worked at the studio since 1989, producing almost all of Studio Ghibli’s theatrical films including Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Ponyo (2008), The Wind Rises (2013), Earwig and the Witch (2020) and the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka which opened in 2001. Credited as planning for The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013) and executive producer for When Marine Was There (2014), he is also the producer of the Japanese-French co-production The Red Turtle (2016). He also hosts his own radio program “Sweating Ghibli” on Tokyo FM since 2007. Suzuki is producing a new feature Kimitachi Wa Do Ikiruka (How will you Live)?) directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Identity and LGBTQ+ Representation Panel

21 October 20:00 | St. Croix Huset

Over the century, openly queer animated characters have been a rarity, but times are changing. What is the significance of films showing queer people, are they always portrayed correctly and what role does diversity have in film and animation? In this panel discussion, filmmakers Vibeke Heide and Frank Mosvold will talk about representation, diversity, and identity in film and animation. As well as how to approach topics related to LGBTQ+ and whether is it permissible to call it queer anymore. The conversation is led by festival director Anders Narverud Moen.

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Participants

Frank Mosvold

Frank Mosvold has a master’s degree in film production from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He has directed 14 short films and created and produced two animated TV-series: Hubert (26 episodes) and Ella Bella Bingo (Elleville Elfrid, 104 episodes). Mosvold is now producing and co-directing his first animated feature, based on his Ella Bella TV-series by the same name. The film premiered in January 2020.