The Bradford Animation Festival — the United Kingdom’s longest-running animation festival — and its sister event, BAF Game 2013, announced their full programs, featuring a focus on celebrating the festival’s 20th anniversary.
Held each November in Bradford, BAF runs Nov. 12-16 and opens Nov. 13 with a 20th birthday gala reception at the National Media Museum, followed by a special anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, also 20 years old this year.
Festival organizers will give the BAF 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award to Mackinnon & Saunders for its work in puppetry and animation. The company’s creativity and technical innovation is on display in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie, Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, Barry Purves’ award-winning short films, and popular children’s television shows including Bob the Builder and Raa-Raa the Noisy Lion. The festival will play host to a screentalk with the company’s founders, Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders, and will premiere a documentary recounting their history and achievements.
“This year is going to be a really special edition of the Bradford Animation Festival; not only are we celebrating the festival’s 20th Birthday, but also that of Mackinnon & Saunders and The Nightmare Before Christmas,” says Deb Singleton, director of Bradford Animation Festival at the National Media Museum.
Guests already announced for BAF 2013 include: Oscar winning filmmaker Adam Elliot (Harvie Krumpet, Mary & Max); comedian, writer and actor Adam Buxton (presenting an exclusive BAF edition of BUG); world renowned artist & filmmaker Dave McKean; and leading contemporary animator Michaela Pavlatova, (Repete, Words, Words, Words).
Mike Bithell, developer of the critically-acclaimed indie platform game Thomas Was Alone, is the most-recent guest added to BAF Game. Bithell will deliver a talk about his new project, Volume.
Guests already announced for BAF Game 2013 include: legendary designer and producer Warren Spector (System Shock, Deus Ex, Disney Epic Mickey); Crystal Dynamics’ Brian Horton (Tomb Raider); ZeniMax Media’s Viktor Antonov (Dishonored); Sheffield development studio Sumo Digital’s Steve Lycett (Sonic & All-Stars, Moshi Monsters), TT Games’ Phil Gray (LEGO Marvel Super Heroes); The Indie Stone’s Andy Hodgetts, (Project Zomboid); and Team 17’s Kevin Carthew (Worms Revolution).
BAF Game, organized each year in partnership with Game Republic and the University of Bradford, has earned a reputation as one of the U.K.’s premiere games events. It takes place as part of BAF at the National Media Museum on Nov. 12 and at the University of Bradford on Nov. 13.
For full BAF and BAF Game details, visit www.baf.org.uk.
