Intl animation creators join the lineup at the Cape Town International Animation Festival

Troy Quane. Image supplied

Troy Quane, director of the 2024 Academy Award-nominated Best Animated Feature, Nimona, will be presenting a behind the scenes look at the making of this critically acclaimed cinematic marvel based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson.

Quane is a Canadian-American veteran of the Hollywood animation industry known for directing major studio pictures including Spies in Disguise, starring Will Smith and Tom Holland. He also worked on Disney films Enchanted and The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol.

Menna Hamdy. Image supplied

Festival audiences are also in for a treat when Menna Hamdy gives them a glimpse into Egypt's animation industry. Hamdy is the assistant director of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Totem Problems and art director at Giraffics studio.

Kizazi Moto is an action-packed animated sci-fi anthology that presents ten futuristic visions from Africa inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures. Executive produced by Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey, these ten short films made by a new generation of animation directors draws on uniquely African perspectives to imagine brave new worlds of advanced technology, aliens, spirits, and monsters. This is Africa as you’ve never seen it before!

Hamdy will share how she wore multiple hats on this project as concept artist, illustrator, and assistant director - and how it shaped her perspective, honed her diverse skills, and fuelled her success as an art director and director.

Esther Pearl. Image supplied

The much-anticipated movie Boy Kills World is set to explode in cinemas at the same time as the Comic Con Weekend. Esther Pearl and Clyde Beech will take festival delegates behind the scenes on how they created the look and feel of the animated titles of this film. Pearl built an international team of South Africans and Americans to get the art design and animation completed. This included Clyde Beech; a South African comic book illustrator whose work includes the well-known Supa Strika and Kwezi Comics.

Pearl has spent the last two decades working in production management in the entertainment industry. The majority of her film career was spent at Pixar Animation Studios where she worked on feature films including Academy Award winning films such as The Incredibles, Wall-e and Monsters Inc.

Says Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) show director, Dianne Makings, “We are beyond excited to be hosting such incredible talent in Cape Town this year. I think it's an indication of the interest that the animation industry has in South Africa as an emerging animation hub and a rich source of raw talent and ideas. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local animators to get a first-hand look at the industry and gain fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into global animation creation.”

The CTIAF takes place at Comic Con Cape Town at the Cape Town International Convention Centre 2 from 27-28 April 2024. The programme is packed with useful information, interactions and presentations from speakers.

For more, go to https://www.ctiaf.com/