Bradford Animation Festival (BAF), the UK’s biggest and longest-running annual animation festival, is a project of the National Media Museum. Host to masterclasses, seminars, workshops, screenings and special events led by some of the animation industry’s top names, the festival’s high point is the annual BAF Awards, which celebrate the very best in new animation from around the world.
Talks, discussions, screenings, workshops, late-night gaming: explore the overlaps between the worlds of video games, animation, and film at BAF Game. This dedicated two-day strand is led by industry experts, and organised in strong partnership with the University of Bradford and Screen Yorkshire’s Game Republic.
The Culture Vulture has been given 2 guest passes, one for the BAF (animation) 10th -13th November and one for the BAF Game 9-10th November. All you have to do is answer this simple question ‘What excites you about this year’s Festival and why?’ in the comments box below with the pass you’d like to win in brackets. Please add your twitter ID in your answer so we can let you know Monday 8th if you’ve won.
Winners will be chosen based on the subjective criteria employed by Madame La Culture Vulture, so be flowery if you fancy. Don’t enter if you can’t win as the pass is valuable and non transferable
(BAF Game)
The line up for the BAF Game festival looks really exciting – kicking off with Brink, next year’s new FPS which looks set to push the boundaries, hopefully retaining all the joy of old school games like Quake and Q2 multiplayer that I loved so much as a teenager.
There’s a bit of EVERYTHING I love of the gaming world – adventure games, LittleLoud from Brighton, a talk on indie games development, and even Kieron Gillen my favourite games journalist.
It’s probably the Game Changers panel that sounds most exciting – the boundaries of gaming have been tested and rewritten so much recently, it’s mindblowing to think what might be coming next.
@smashingkaren BAF I love film and animation, and always try to get to some of this festival.
Rita and Chico sounds amazing, I heard the artists on Radio 6 the other day.
I would love to take time out and go to the whole thing.
I’d treat it as a car-wash for my mind!
Brilliant to have such a diverse line-up of animation in The North (centre of the universe after all). What enthrals me about animation, and is explored in this festival’s programme, is it’s technical potential to free the animator to create and share their own agenda and world view. Animation as a media is unique in enabling one person to focus communication with another, having the power to soothe and scare the wits – all at the same split second, such is its grip over other conventions of film making. Here in BAF this, for me, ranges widely from the voicing of uncomfortable issues in today’s society as shown in Clare Kitson’s overview, the most commercial focus in TV ads, and to seamlessly reworking one media into another- such as with the words of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood interpreted into lyrical visuals.
Why is animation such a passion for me? It began at an inspiring lecture given by Ray Harryhausen while a student in Leeds, where he showed us models/ clips of classics such as ‘Sinbad’ and ‘Jason and the Argonauts’. Another example of the power of the medium, using myth and tradition, woven into contemporary reflection – was experienced when I made a voyage to the Gibli Studio museum in Japan to become immersed in the animated work and technical processes of Miyazaki. It all adds up to my wanting to join you at BAF!