by Robert Kohr

A month has passed since the end of Big Apple Anime Fest 2003. Last year I wrote about BAAF/ AXNY, Anime Expo’s first try at building a traveling anime festival. AXNY was not in New York this year, rather they are running an expo in Tokyo. BAAF was the only show in town. From talking with some of the speakers, I found that BAAF is in a unique rank of festivals where they actually do have access to a movie theater, where most do not. BAAF is still young and the only festival that hits New York City, though semi-disorganized at times, in the end it seems that they pulled it off pretty well at least better than last year.

This year the big feature was “Initial D The Movie”. This film did nothing for me, “Initial D” just seemed like souped up video game trailer rather than a feature film. The end of the story did pick up as a love interest was developed. Keep in mind that this is a third part to a trilogy rather than and original entity. Sure I liked “The End of Evangelion”, but without seeing the entire 26 episode series it makes absolutely no sense. I have never encountered “Initial D” prior to this screening; it is a road-rat, muscle car flick with nothing to offer to a female audience or to anyone not privy to the series. To add insult to injury it was projected in High Definition Video rather than on film.

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2nd Annual Vision Blu Film Symposium
Join the fastest growing event of its kind!

Visions Blu presents one of the most exuberating television and film events of the year 2nd Annual Visions Blu Film Symposium, “Exploring the Business Behind Television and Film”

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IFCT, the International Festival of Cinema and Technology, announced its list of 2003 award winners from its annual event held last week in New York City. Despite the East Coast blizzard occurring on the first few days of the event, IFCT received steady turnouts of attendees during the festival events which were held at both the Remote Lounge Screening Room and the Tribeca Grand Screen.

Some of the most popular IFCT content was the animation which included over 40 projects by some of the industry’s top 3D animators and innovative animation creators. “Terra” the new sci-fi animation by Los Angeles based Menithings picked up two animation awards including “Best Use of CG Imagery” and “Best Virtual Character.” The awards for “Best Animation” and “Best Editing” went to DJ QBert’s animation “Wave Twister” which is a 50 minute innovative sci-fi musical journey. Spain’s Pasozebra Productions animated film “Sr. Trapo” (Mr. Cloth) also did quite well in the competition being named as runner-up for “Best Animation,” “Best Virtual Character” and tying with Blur Studio’s Aunt Luisa for the honorable mention for “Best Use of CG Imagery.” Duck Soup Studio’s 3D animation “The Snowman” was winner of the “Best Comedic Animation” competition- the piece about aliens abducting and interrogating a snowman left audiences in hysterics. The environmental themed tale about a monster, “Henry’s Garden,” produced by Simplistic Pictures won “Best New Animation Director.” Other animation award winners were handed out to International participants including “Butterfly” created by Belfast’s Glenn Marshall which won the “Best Experimental Animation” award at this year’s event, the animation “Sottosopra” by Cristina Seresini from Milan won the “Best Microbudget Film” award, and German piece “Momentum” created by German animator Claus Winter won the award for Best Student Animation. Ms. Seresini and Mr. Winter attended the event making the trip to the U.S. even with the harsh weather’s potential interference.

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Screening at SVA
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Gene Stavis Theatre, Room 502
From 7 - 9 p.m. eastern time.
Open to SVA Community & Public

ANIMATED CENTURY is a two-hour history of animation that will air on Bravo on September 26 at 8-10 pm.

Two animated hosts (designed by Bill Plympton), Professor Elderberry and Horace, show clips from more than 160 films from 26 countries. Every top animator is represented — Disney, Fleischer, Warner Bros., McCay in the U.S., the Czechs Trnka and Svankmajer, the Canadian Film Board, Aardman.

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by Jonathan Miguel
In the early months of 1999, a movie that both baffled and changed the world as we once saw it, premiered for the first time on the big screen in 35mm format. Then, four shorts of a collection called, “The Animatrix,” were first released over the internet earlier this year preceding the entire culmination on DVD a few months later. Thanks to the Big Apple Anime Festival over this 2003 Labor Day weekend, a privileged few could watch the collection on that same 35mm size.

The collection instilled insight towards the understanding of the radical story. Each of the nine stories are set in different places of the Matrix timeline but are not described in fine detail where. Though we can assume the general placement of the shorts, it is a good story telling technique to leave it vague as in the case of “World Record.” Overall, the masterpiece is a marvel to Anime and Matrix lovers alike. It was refreshing to see the different work and views from various directors and animators on the Matrix story. It was explained by the Wachowski brothers that part of the influence of the Matrix was derived from eastern philosophies and religions as well as the animation. Now seeing the source of the Wachowski’s influence creating short stories based on the brothers’ film, it makes one realize just how much of an impact the Matrix had. Except for independent film-like “Kid’s Story,” the shorts definitely had an anime feel to them. Everything from Aeon Flux to FLCL seemed to emanate from the films.

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