Animate!

All for Claire, Simon Mckeown, 8 mins, 2010. This exciting animation features disabled dancer Claire Cunningham, and explores issues of empowerment and rejection. It won Best Experimental Film at Deaffest 2011, and was also screened on the BBC Big Screens in 2010 and 2011 and at the 2011 New York City International Film Festival. Created for DaDaFest 2010. Together! with DaDa.

An Ageing Thing, Lauren Nicholas, 2 mins 47 secs, 2012. Narrated by Charles Nicholas. The story of my Grandfather who has macular degenera- tion and is registered blind. By telling his story I hope to help others facing similar difficulties. First Prize Winner at the Shape Open Exhibition 2012.

Macropolis, Joel Simon, 6 mins, 2012. The story of two toys with impair- ments discarded from the factory production line. Coming to life, they rebel and chase the factory delivery van in the hope of rejoining their friends. Lost in the unfamiliar, urban big city, they are overwhelmed by the challenge ahead. Shot in an unusual combination of stop-motion, CGI and time-lapse photography, this short film is animated directly on the streets of Belfast. Funded by Unlimited through the National Lottery as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Together! with ADF

Wee Wise Words, Joel Simon, 5 mins, 2010. Children from Ireland give their opinions on the subject of the environment – opinions that are fresh, insightful and sometimes surprising. Watch as we discover that mice could soon become extinct due to too many mousetraps, and recycling could save the orangutangs. Together! with ADF

Horn OK Please, Joel Simon, 9 mins, 2006. The story of a hapless taxi driver trying to earn a living driving the air-conditioned car of his dreams. Winner of the IFTA Best Animated film award. Together! with ADF

Petra’s Poem, Shira Avni, 4 mins, 2012. Follows Toronto-based artist Petra Tolley as she performs a candid soliloquy about what it feels like to be “in the middle.” Petra, who has Down Syndrome, draws from her emotional experiences of living and working in the flux between societal order and personal chaos. Employing rotoscopy, hand-drawn animation techniques and subtle stereoscopic 3D, the film captures Petra as she engages the camera with unflinching directness and dignity.

John and Michael, Shira Avni, 10 mins, 2005. Pays tribute to two men with Down Syndrome who shared an intimate and profoundly loving relationship that deeply affected the filmmaker. Narrator Brian Davis, who also has Down syndrome, brings the men alive with great sensitivity.

Autistic Dissonance, Eric Bent, 4mins, 2011. A young animator shares the often confusing experiences of growing up with autism.

“Picture this…film festival” on the road.

Pinch, Jody Kramer, 4.5 mins, 2006. “Pinch” is the story of a woman and the ferociously adorable monster that lives on her arm. Vividly drawn in bold lines, “Pinch” chronicles a difficult, absurd and occasionally vicious cycle. An allegorical tale personifying chronic conditions, this short animated film examines how we deal with the things that do us harm.

Mark, Tom Kuchiran & Kaith Chan, 2.5 mins, 2006. Discover insight from a life that has touched many others; a person who finds satisfaction and joy from a job well done. Mark is a film that will contrast our tendency to rush through life, while we ignore beauty and fulfillment in the many instances that pass us by.

Nothing like her, Seana Kozar, 7 mins, 2009. 3D animation, stop motion and digital paint-on-glass techniques combine in this short film- within-a-film about how a disabled animator’s understanding of her life and work change after she suffers a miscarriage.

Slide, Sharon Katz, 4 mins, 2005. Through a simple act of child’s play, a young boy confronts both his parent’s overwhelming protection and his own very real fears.