KingstOOn Animation Festival Attracts Large Crowd

The two-day staging of the second inaugural KingstOOn Animation Festival, in Kingston,  attracted a large crowd of animation enthusiasts and experts in the field.

Animation competition entrants from over 15 countries, experts and animation educators, as well as sponsors enjoyed a successful festival at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, from March 12 to 13.

After the official opening of the festival, several seminars were staged  with  experienced animators, and international animation studio executives.

The seminars focused on the purpose of animation, understanding the distribution of animation, how to stay profitable in the business, getting funding, and how to pitch animation ideas.

Additionally, there were other seminars with an international South African Animation studio Triggerfish, explaining how the company got started, as well as explaining how to create teams. Presenters told inspirational stories, and explained concepts.

Held simultaneously with the seminars, workshops with manufacturers and software specialists focused on various animation software and platforms.

Participants  were also able to view the various booths by the many sponsors.  Some of these showcased their animation, animation courses from various schools, as well as allowed patrons to do actual animation inside the booth.

The festival also catered to the business minded, with speed meetings with top players in the animation industry.

At the end of the festival, 17 competitors walked away with prizes in international animation scholarships, animation software and hardware, among other exciting prizes.

Animator, Coretta Singer, the big winner of the night, walked away with prizes in three categories – Pitch Competition, Best Caribbean Short and Best Jamaican Production.

The festival was held with the aim of seeking to engage unattached or at risk youth to expose them to opportunities that the animation industry can offer them.

It was staged in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology,  the World Bank, Jampro, the Edna Manley College, TVJ, The Gleaner, Caribbean Development Bank, Flow, I Create, Mas 2 TV, Jamaica Information Service, National Commercial Bank, UWI, CARIMAC, Wata, Bigga, Caribbean Examination Council, Jamaica Animation Nation Network, University of Technology, Wacom, TV Paint, Esirom and Toonboom.