Disney’s ‘Proud Family’ creator scheduled to take part this year

The National Library (NALIS) Port-of-Spain was the venue for the launch of the second annual Animation Film and New Media Festival, Animae Caribe, which takes place from September 25-27. By 10 am the Library’s Seminar Room was moderately filled with members of the media, spectators and specially invited guests Marie Abraham, Deputy Executive Director NALIS (acting) and Michelle Boyd, Technical Advisor from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Tertiary Education, who filled in for an absent Minister Danny Montano. “NALIS recognises that animation is a very powerful medium which can be used not only to send messages and to provide information to the public, but also to create information,” said Abraham.

“Art and animation are useful media which can be used to record our history and which can help us to look at ourselves critically by reflecting our lives. Animation is a medium that has a tremendous impact on young people and educational material provided in animated and new media can be very effective in education.” According to Animae Caribe’s Founder and Creative Director, Camille Selvon-Abrahams “This year we are having none other than the producer/creator of the Disney animated series, The Proud Family, Bruce Smith, who will deliver a motivational presentation guiding students towards careers in animation, film and graphics. “With the success of last year’s show and having actor producer Robert Townsend here, we decided to follow in that tradition,” she said.

Selvon-Abrahams is an award winning  multi-media producer and animator who returned to this country after completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications, specialising in animation. She won the Royal Television Society Award for her animated short film, The MasterPEACE, which has been screened in festivals across the globe. It is her wish to make TT the centre for 3D and 2D Animation production, and is working towards the  development of a multimedia training facility and studio. The quality of animations that will be showcased over the three days of this festival will be clear evidence of the potential of the Caribbean to play a role and respond to the international demand for this technology.”

Animae Caribe provides a platform to budding film makers, graphic artists and animators from the Caribbean to showcase their works, for a chance to win coveted awards, learn new techniques and network with multimedia professionals, animators and graphics professionals from the US, UK and the Caribbean. Visitors to the festival can also look forward to participating in their many workshops, including one in stop motion animation by Loose Moose of the United Kingdom whose creations include the Lipton’s Brisk Iced tea commercials. As a fitting end to the proceedings, dramatist Theodora Ulerie did a short skit on the upcoming show, drawing smiles from all present.