TRIBUTES
Tribute to the Latin-American animation cinema
In its tenth edition, Future Film Festival will pay a tribute to the Latin-American animation cinema, through a big selection of works, such as shorts and feature films coming from Brazil, Cuba, Argentina and Mexico. Some of these countries have been chosen for the richness of their history, others for their fervent creativity and fresh production. Contemporary artists, graphic-designers and animators coming from these rich and vast areas are becoming more and more popular in the international scene. Starting from Cuban Filminutos, extremely ironic and traditional shorts, to get to the recent Brazilian feature film Wood&Stock: sexo, oregano & rock’n roll directed by Otto Guerra, Future Film Festival will propose a trip inside the sensual and amused world of Latin-American animation. Four directors will be the protagonists of a special round table with the directors of Future Film Festival in which local dishes will be served.
Tribute to Toei
Toei Animation, the most important Japanese animation studio, was born in Tokyo at the end of the forties as a section of production company Toei. In 1958, it produced the first color animated feature film which has ever been realized in Japan, The White Snake Enchantress (Hakujaden), directed by founders Taiji Yabushita and Kazuhiko Okabe. Future Film Festival will pay a tribute to this studio, at 60 years from its birth and 50 from its first film, by proposing a list of classics belonging to the history of animation: from Boy Sarutobi Sasuke (Shônen Sarutobi Sasuke, 1959) by Taiji Yabushita and Akira Daikuhara, to Anju and Zushiomaru (Anju to Zushiomaru, 1961) by Taiji Yabushita and Yugo Serikawa, from the marvellous The Madcap Island (Hyokkori Hyotan jima, 1967) by Taiji Yabushita, to the first movie by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki called Little Norse Prince (Taiyo no Oji: Hols no Daiboken, 1968).
Tribute to Spanish animation cinema
With great pleasure, Future Film Festival will pay a tribute to the production of Spanish animated films, by presenting an overview, which will include a look at the past, in particular at the first developments of technique and movie art of animated films and a deep look at contemporary productions, among mainstream works and independent movies. For example FFF will present the productions of Zinkia Entertainmen, the historic B.R.B. company and a long series of emerging production companies, founded by young professionals with new creativity and business attitude. Besides, the festival will show a selection of works realized by students of cinema schools, new emerging talents in this field. Pedro Medina, director of the animation festival Animadrid, will present a showcase of the best animated shorts of the last ten years.
Tribute to Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Studio
The British John Halas and Joy Batchelor, housband and wife, more than an indissoluble artistic couple, are two of the most important figures in the history of animation cinema. Founder of Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Studio in 1940, during its fifty years of activity, the couple produced and directed about 200 works like short films or documentaries, without giving up to their love for sperimentation of new kinds of drawings and animation techniques, and it finally got to computer graphic that the artists used in the last years of their activity. Future Film Festival will present a selection of their best works, with a series of shorts like Automania 200, Magic Canvas and Ruddigore, animated series like Hamilton the Musical Elephant and their only feature film, the legendary Animal Farm from the homonym novel by George Orwell.
MEETINGS
Special events – meetings and round tables
On the occasion of the tenth birthday of Future Film Festival, great news and special meetings are in the works. Pixar Animation Studios will be three times present: firstly through the making of the short film Lifted, then through the Italian premiére of the documentary The Pixar Story by Leslie Iwerks, granddaughter of the famous Ub Iweks and finally through the worldwide premiere of the short My friend the Rat, whose protagonist is the mouse of Ratatouille.
The production company Blue Sky, which in the past has produced movies like Ice Age and Robots, will present in worldwide premiere the first images of the film Horton Hears a Who, from the well-known novel written by Dr Seuss in 1954. In collaboration with 20th Century Fox – Italy. The famous Weta Digital, which created visual effects for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will introduce the making of The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep by Jay Russell. In collaboration with Sony Pictures – Italy.
Besides, in order to celebrate the birthday of the festival, two round tables will focus on the link between TV world and animation world and on the kind of relationship which connects new technologies both to ordinary life and art.
The first one, called “Tv at boars time” will host the most important players of cartoon-television channels and will analyze all the relations that, in the last ten years, linked the broadcasting world to animation production and distribution in our country.
The other one, called “10 years of new technologies” will put together precious attestations from experts, in order to explain how nowadays people relate to new technologies both in ordinary life and in art and cinema. Special guest of this round table will be Bruce Sterling.
Italians@ FFF
In the past years, this particular section dedicated to meetings with Italian production companies has obtained so great success that it became one of the most expected dates of the Festival. At its tenth edition, Future Film Festival will enrich the section with special guests, in order to give evidence to the large production in our country during the last few months. Rainbow, Ubik and Lumiq will talk about their personal point of view on computer animation and on Italian special effects. In fact, Winx the Movie, produced by Rainbow, represents not only the final result of a mass phenomenon, but also a new callange to 3D animation in Italy and also a revival of Italian animation on the big screen. Another certain matter of discussion will be the new 3D feature film produced by Lumiq and Filmax together, that is Donkey Xote, which has just been completed. In the end, another frequent guest of this section dedicated to Italy will be Ubik, a prolific production company based in Milan, that will introduce its work on special effects for the film Le Madri Nere by Silvana Zancolò, its particular work on the film Time Voyager for Gardaland Park and much more.
CONTESTS
Lancia Platinum Grand Prize
Lancia Platinum Grand Prize is one of the greatest news of Future Film Festival 2008; on the occasion of the tenth birthday of the Italian event, it has become a real contest for animated movies and films with special effects. So, part of the feature films shown at FFF will be selected for the prize and judged by a special jury.
Future Film Short
This section is dedicated to short films coming from all over the world and made with both traditional and digital animation techniques, or live action with special effects.
As in the last editions, the audience of the festival will vote for the best shorts.
In collaboration with Groupama Assicurazioni.
Future Film Festival Digital Award
Now at its tenth edition, this contest will award Italian works that contain elaborations in 3D animation and that would enrich the production with technical innovations. In collaboration with Autodesk.
SECTIONS
Premieres
Again this year, Future Film Festival will present to its audience a section of the most important feature films with special effects or with new animation techniques produced in the last years. The Festival will be glad to show the premieres of some of the best films from Asia, America and Europe chosen after a worldwide search among the latest news and productions.
Future of the Toons
This is the section dedicated to the most interesting news coming from the world of animated TV series.
The premiére of the productions from all over the world will defiinetly capture all cartoons lovers.
As usual the section is split in two:
Future of the Toons at East (focusing on East Asian productions) and Future of the Toons at West (dedicated to the European and American productions).
Future Film Game
The date with the world of videogames is back. This year, the section will invite the audience to discover the 8 BIT scene, a particular kind of music created by a vast group of musicians from all over the world, which produce sounds and music employing old video-game consoles. The Swedish artist Random will be one of the FFF guest together with some members of Micromusic in Bologna. Moreover, 8 bit movie, a documentary about art and video games will be presented; the documentary is directed by Marcin Ramocki and Justin Strawhand and it was presented in worldwide premiére at Moma, in New York. The last July issue of Wired has listed it among the ten things you can’t miss ever.
Business Breakfast
Future Film Festival business breakfasts are back: during these morning meetings, production companies and authors will introduce their own ideas and projects, exchange opinions, look for co-productions and distributions.
FFF-XXX
To celebrate its tenth birthday, Future Film Festival will present a selection of some of the fanniest titles of erotic animation. FFF nights will be the set of a journey, from Japan to Italy, to discover animated bodies and strong feelings.
Strip-Screen – Superheroes against the movies
At Future Film Festival there will be also many surprises from the past: from Captain America to Flash Gordon, from Batman to Spiderman, from X-Man to Blade.
Movie trailers taken from the most famous American comic-strips of superheroes will be the openings of some of the official programme shows.
To find them all will be a great challenge even for the skillest audience.
Festival Showcase, dj-set and aperitives
Several festivals from all around the world will introduce at Future Film Festival 2008 a special showcase of their best and most successful works. Festival Showcase will bring the most interesting international news to Bologna. Here are the festival partners: Animateka Festival from Slovenia, Onlu International Children’s Film Festival from Finland, e.DIT from Germany and CICDAF from China. The showcase will take place at Palazzo Re Enzo, every evening at 6, with free drinks and dj-set.
Presentation of books, quiz shows, workshops and labs for adults
It is never too late to learn and FFF knows that! For this reason, beyond the rich programme of projections, meetings and retrospectives, in honour of its birthday, the festival is suggesting several appointments with books and comics. New editorial and critical essays will be at disposal to the audience, to go deep into the passion of the audience for cinema and animation. Moreover, a set of workshops and labs will give the possibility to adult audience to try to produce animated shorts, using very different techniques such as: stop-motion, 2D and 3D computer animation, animated pictures and much more.