The South Beach Int’l Animation Film Festival announced that Oscar-winning animation legend John Canemaker will be a guest of honor at the next annual event in Miami, Fla. The four-day event is hosted by the Miami Beach Cinematheque Theater in the heart of South Beach’s famed art deco district, and will spill into other nearby venues between April 2 and April 5, 2009.
Canemaker is an independent animator and animation historian whose 2004 Academy Award-winning film The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation is based on his own life and marks a personal and professional breakthrough in its treatment of a troubled father/son relationship.
He recently co-produced and directed animation sequences for Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood, a 26-minute documentary that premieres on Turner Classic Movies on March 24 at 8 p.m. (ET).
South Beach International Animation Festival features both juried and showcased screenings. Participants are treated to art and technology exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, panel discussions and classes for beginners and masters. The highlight of the 2009 event will be screenings, lectures, and question-and-answer sessions with Academy Award-winning animators. All events are open to the public and the format encourages artists and audience to commingle.
The South Beach International Animation Festival was launched in 1999 with the Alliance Cinema and was supported by Animation Magazine and Chuck Jones Studios. The second event, Cinema In Paradise, blossomed into an international festival with work arriving from Japan, Denmark and Australia. For more information on the upcoming fest, go to www.southbeachanimationfest.com.
