Animated Exeter celebrates its new status as an international animation festival

A historic Exeter street will be transformed with animations, projections and lighting over two magical evenings beginning on Valentine’s night.

LIGHTSTREAM, will featuring work by Bafta-awarded artist and filmmaker Tal Rosner and a group of aspiring animation and media arts students from the South West.

It’s all part of Animated Exeter, which in its 15th edition will be celebrating its new status as an international animation festival, screening competitive films from around the globe in the company of wonderful animators and artists.

Constantly innovating: the festival showcases the best animation from around the world; provides opportunities for young people to get a foothold in Britain’s growing digital industries and commissions amazing public spectacles with new artists, making animation accessible and inspiring to all.

The talented animators from Mind Candy, a British entertainment company based in London and the creator of kids hit, Moshi Monsters, will be talking at our Careers Day about animation for gaming, followed by Moshi Monster Sunday, including a special festival screening of the new Moshi Monsters: The Movie plus workshops and talks, entertaining all age groups from toddlers to adult animation fans.

Animated film-lovers will also have the chance to see the finest new animation picked from five competitions which received over 300 entries this year. These competitions provide the central core to the festival and thanks to a flood of entries, as well as providing a showcase for the world’s animators is creating a unique opportunity for cinema-goers – as films like these are rarely seen outside the festival arena. Canadian sponsors Toon Boom have provided prizes for most categories including £500 for the Audience Award for the best overall winner.

As always, there will be a variety of screenings, exhibitions, talks, master-classes, and careers information. Stretch your writing muscle with Alan Gilbey, one of the UK’s most successful cartoon screenwriters, take the kids to Mike the Knight Day at Exeter Cathedral, learn to animate with Flip Boom software or simply kick back with DJ Mr Scruff, Ninja Tune producer and cartoonist for a night of groovy sounds and visual surprises. There is something for everyone in this annual vibrant animation extravaganza.