The Cape Town International Animation Festival: Springboard for success!

Silhe Mpoyiya poses for an action drawing while joins in the drawing workshop: Sihle Mpoyiya strikes an action pose for the scholars participating in the iKhasi sketchbook workshop. Front left is Oscar winning director Peter Ramsey joining in with the drawing session.

The star-studded programme included none other than Peter Ramsey, director of the recent Golden Globe and Oscar winning Best Animated Feature, “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse”.

The False Bay TVET College 2D Animation programme joined up with numerous industry partners, to assist with the iKhasi Drawing Workshop at the Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, which ran as a sister event to the CTIAFF. School learners from local communities had the opportunity to attend a drawing workshop with iKhasi founders Terrence Maluleka and Simanga Sibaya. Terrence and Simanga originated from Alexander Township, outside Johannesburg, and went on to study animation at The Animation School in Johannesburg. Currently developing an animation series, the learners were inspired by with their personal journey and stirred to the career options and growth possibilities the creative industries present. Stuart Forrest, CEO of Triggerfish Animation said “We firstly need to create awareness of the arts related industries. Generally, around South Africa, there is quite poor education around what careers can come out of people who have artistic inclinations.”

Through this collaboration, the False Bay TVET College 2D Animation class received all-access-tickets to attend and participate in the Cape Town International Animation Film Festival. The event presented a platform for local and global industry role players to engage and the students gained access to a series of niche workshops, master classes and private film screenings. Peter Ramsey noted, “There is so much talent and desire here. People are telling their own stories from their own cultural experience. Its new, its fresh and the world will be excited by this.”

A long term project in the making, Ms Cate Hunter, False Bay TVET College 2D Animation lecturer said “we prepared our students to go out there and sell themselves. Fortified with show-reel portfolios to showcase their talent and abilities, they were able to not only apply for further funded specialized programmes but gain internship and employment opportunities.” The Cape Town International Animation Festival proved to be a valuable culmination of the MICT Funded 2D Animation learnership programme.

False Bay TVET College will continue to engage with the parents and learners of schools in the college catchment areas with arts and culture programmes. Committed to changing the mindset that drawing is not just a hobby, and showing that there are applications and great employment career paths for learners, who have an aptitude for creativity, to follow.

The following role-players are acknowledged for their instrumental participation in the sketchbook workshop:

Embassy of Japan
Cape Town International Animation Film Festival
Goethe Institute
Triggerfish Foundation
Ikhasi Sketch book
PNA
Isivivana Centre
False Bay TVET College 2D Animation programme in association with MICT SETA
PASCAP Trust