A still from Nina Gantz’s stop motion animation Wander to Wonder.
Animation that is widely consumed often comes from large studios, and is designed to be highly palatable and primarily targeted at younger audiences.
As UBC Okanagan’s Myron Campbell points out, larger studios tend to be safe in their storytelling to be commercially successful.
But Campbell, who teaches digital media with UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, says there is a whole world of independent animation out there and artists tackle complex subjects with adult themes, poetic nuance and experimentation that rarely happens in the mainstream.
To share these sorts of animated films, the local artist and animator created Objects in Motion, a night of rare international animated shorts at the Rotary Centre for the Arts on January 21. Objects in Motion is part of the annual Living Things International Arts Festival.
“I’ve had the pleasure of participating in several animation film festivals over the years and watching the short films was always a highlight,” says Campbell. “The short form allows one to take such big swings with their approach.”
The program will feature a mix of stop-motion and digital films. Campbell says he works to create a “mixtape” that offers a range of emotions, with a few lighter films included to lift the audience after they get knocked around.
“In choosing the films, I strive for a bit of an emotional roller-coaster ride of sorts—some films will make you laugh, sad or uncomfortable,” he says.
Campbell works directly with production companies that support independent film. He procures the best-of compilations from animated films on the festival circuit. The shorts can be difficult to find online, and Objects in Motion may be the only opportunity to watch them in Kelowna, he explains.
“The medium of animation excites me, provokes me. It’s a medium that asks one to be really imaginative, really expressive,” adds Campbell. “You can make anything, so I appreciate when I watch a film that leans into the medium’s potential.”
This year’s festival will include prominent titles such as Amanda Strong’s Inkwo for When the Starving Return, a new stop-motion film. Strong is a Red River Métis filmmaker from Vancouver.
The film tells the story of Dove, a gender-shifting warrior and how they use their Indigenous medicine (Inkwo) to protect their community from an unburied swarm of terrifying creatures.
Another notable film is Beautiful Men, by Belgian filmmaker Nicolas Keppens. The short explores the story of three brothers travelling to Istanbul for a hair transplant.
“There isn’t anything like this in Kelowna that curates a selection of strange and beautiful independent animated films,” adds Campbell. “I am excited to share them with our community.”
The Living Things Festival, presented by Inner Fish Performance and directed by Cadger, is set for January 20 to 31 at Kelowna Community Theatre, Mary Irwin Theatre, Black Box Theatre and Kelowna Art Gallery.
Tickets for the screening are $30 or a discounted rate of $15 for students. More information and tickets for Objects in Motion can be found at innerfishperformance.ca.
