What to Expect from L’Alliance New York’s Eighth Animation First Festival

Now that we’ve taken you behind the scenes of creating L’Alliance New York’s Animation First Festival, we’re again speaking with Festival curator Delphine Selles-Alvarez to dive into the details and context of what you’ll experience at this year’s event. Running from Tuesday, January 21 through Sunday, January 26, this year’s Animation First Festival will present seven feature-length films and five short film programs. There will also be filmmaker talks, a juried competition, virtual reality experiences, an interactive workshop, and more. Read on for all the details straight from the source…

 

Is there a special offering unique to this year’s Festival that you’d like to highlight?

It’s hard to choose—I will highlight the Swiss focus since it’s an important part of the program this year. We will be hosting two talented filmmakers: the legendary Georges Shwizgebel, who has created a playful and deeply thought-provoking body of work and will take part in two discussions, and mid-career filmmaker Marina Rosset, who curated a program for the festival that includes her own films and works from her contemporaries, several of which she played a part of. We will also premiere Savages as part of the focus—Claude Barras’ second feature is a deeply felt tale of solidarity in the face of corporate greed and climate change. The Swiss focus allows us to feature the work of Gisèle and Nag Ansorge, two pioneering artists who created sand animation. They are stunning films! And Bertrand Dezoteux’s Harmony is in a category of its own this year—a somewhat short feature set on a far-away planet “discovered” by Jesus Perez. It is packed with humor, witty comments on our society, and really awesome animation.

 

Animation First isn’t just about films—there are also events, contests, VR experiences, talks, and more. Could you tell me a bit about these offerings, and how they’ve expanded over the years?

They certainly have! Animation First is about cinema first. Features and shorts are at the center of the offering, but talks with artists and directors, as well as virtual reality experiences, have been part of the festival’s DNA since we launched eight years ago. It was important to invite filmmakers along with their films to have a chance to discuss their work, but also invite projects in the making for First Look events to give audiences the opportunity to hear about how an animated film is crafted, the artistic vision and choices made, and the people involved. Virtually reality, especially independent programs, is not widely available in New York aside from showcases like at the Tribeca Film Festival, for instance. Yet artists in the francophone world are creating truly original pieces that we are proud to present every year. Along with the talks, these are free to all, which makes it a great place to visit and try VR throughout the weekend.

 

How has the festival grown to include young creators?

In 2021, during the online edition in the middle of the pandemic, we launched a Franco-American student film competition, which brings together films from graduating students from six schools in both countries. In a time of isolation, students were particularly grateful that year to meet via video conference with students from other schools in the U.S. and France. The competition has flourished over the years and includes eight schools now. There are a lot of demands from other schools too! This year, BRASSART-MoPA—one of the best 3D animation schools in France—approached us to have students make 20-second bumper films to be shown before the shorts and features. The theme is Switzerland, a nod to our Swiss focus this year, and the few films we’ve seen so far are very impressive and funny.

 

And what about your popular shorts contest and creative marathon?

Last year we launched the New Francophone Shorts competition. Few of these films are shown in the U.S., and we wanted to bring more visibility to these films and recognition from US professionals. We also introduced the Animation Jam in 2023, which now brings students from two U.S. schools and two French schools for a creative 48-hour marathon. Each of the eight teams create a 20-second animation clip starting with an image and a music clip from an existing film. It’s a lot of fun to see their progress live on screen throughout the festival! 

 

Could you tell us about the Festival’s emphasis on French creators who aren’t specifically from France?

Last year we introduced a francophone focus, allowing us to spotlight contemporary and classic animation from a francophone country. The Quebec focus was a big success last year, sparking many great conversations with guests and audiences. We also launched our first collaboration with Animation Speak/Easy, a collective of three filmmakers who bring the New York animation community together through screenings and discussion at a bar in Brooklyn. It was so much fun to have them over at L’Alliance last year and we can’t wait to have them back this year.

 

And the length of the festival has changed over the years, as well, correct?

Yes, last year we expanded the festival to six days instead of three. Three days felt cramped for everything we wanted to do, and increasing the length of the festival really paid off. Aside from being able to program more events and films and organize a francophone focus, it helped audiences to engage more fully with the festival and attend more widely through the week and weekend. 

 

What is a work or creator featured in Animation First—either this year or in a previous year—that you’re particularly proud of?

It’s a difficult question to answer. We’ve been honored to welcome some of the most creative filmmakers working in animation. And I would say that their generosity with the audience, and the conversations they sparked at the festival over the years, are some of the most treasured memories I have. So I would mention Anca Damian, Michaël Dudok de Wit, Pierre Foldès, Michèle Lemieux, Jean-François Laguionie, and Florence Miailhe. All of them have contributed to creating rich memories and inspired many audience members as well.

 

What is distinctive about the audience experience at Animation First?

I’m really proud that Animation First is a festival with many touchpoints for audiences to meet and exchange, among themselves and with artists. It’s quite unique and special and I think it is part of why the festival is such a success. That, the program we are able to bring together, and the amazing team at L’Alliance, who are all on board with the vision and own much of the success.

 

Now that you’re as excited about the Animation First Festival lineup as we are, it’s time to plan your schedule and book your tickets. We’re thrilled to celebrate the Festival’s eighth year with you!

 

Image: The Time Masters © Janus