ISLAND ANIMATEKA 2007:Chinese Contemporary Animation

The fourth edition of Island Animateka is dedicated to contemporary Chinese short animation author film. Animated film has enjoyed a long and prosperous tradition in China, however in the past it has focused exclusively on commercial production intended for domestic audiences.

Feature length animation films have been made solely for children, while short film production was reserved for educational and propaganda purposes. As for content, most films draw on the rich Chinese cultural heritage and folklore, while techniques revolve mainly around traditional watercolor drawings, paper-cut and puppet animation. With the reopening of Shanghai animation studio in the early seventies (the studio was closed for several years during the cultural revolution, when animators were forced to attain their “education” in the countryside) China at last saw progress in animation author film.

First international acclaim was given to director Xu Jingda (known under the pseudonym A Da) whose film Three Monks (1980), an allegorical animation of an old Chinese proverb, marks the rebirth of Chinese animated film. In the nineties China adopted the socialist model of market economy and the market was subsequently flooded with Japanese and American commercial animated series. With the official government permission of internet use the country experienced a rapid development of flash animation, as well as an increasing number of studios specializing in 3D computer animation.

However, the fundamental reason for the revival of animation author film in China is to be found in systematic and planned educational endeavors of the Animation School, department of the Beijing Film Academy. In recent years there is also an increase in co-productions between China and Taiwan or Hong Kong. Most of the films featured in Island Animateka program are works by graduates of the Beijing Animation School, which have received awards at the newly founded animation film festival CICDAF. These works express unique authors’ poetics and an aspiration to discover one’s own visual expression.

Igor Prassel

This program was selected in cooperation with the The China International Animation and Digital Arts Festival (CICDAF). The festival is China’s highest-level and largest international animation event with the sponsorship and support of the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China. CICDAF is an annual event scheduled from September 28 to October 1 and held in the city of Changzhou in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.

A Mid-Night Story, Antonio Wong Hoi Chung, KITAJSKA/HONG KONG, 2005, 6' The story revolves around a conflict between a small cart and a big garbage truck. This short animation takes place on a Hong Kong street, at midnight.
Stairway to Heaven, Yuan Bo, KITAJSKA, 2006, 9' Through this short film the author expresses his evolving thoughts on life and values. Desire permeates our lives and so our values constantly change. Some of us may never be able to reach a balance and always struggle between ideal and desire.
The Legend of Shangri-La, Chen Ming, KITAJSKA, 2006, 15' An adaptation of the same named poem by Dong Jin dynasty’s famous poet Tao Yuanming. The combination of Chinese traditional painting, Shanxi shadow puppet show and CG techniques results in this original 3D CGI short film with a unique visual style. It depicts the Dong Jin people’s idea of the earthly paradise or Peach Blossom Valley (known to western culture as Shangri-La), and their desire to return to this happy and harmonious life. A fisherman recounts his experience in Peach Blossom Valley to Liu Zi-yi, a famous aristocrat and traveller of the Dong Jin period.
336 Footloose, Chen Yongkuai, KITAJSKA, 2004, 14' At the usual 7:30 in the morning, bus driver Larks climbs into the driver’s seat with a hangover from the previous night. After the passengers get on the bus, No.366 leaves the terminal. Inside, the conductor Miss Zhang enthusiastically explains the notices to the passengers, who are getting very excited. Suddenly, they realize that Larks isn’t following the regular daily route. The road becomes increasingly strange and a series of unbelievable adventures unfolds as Bus No.366 heads towards the unknown.
Lotus, Duan Jia, KITAJSKA, 2005, 10' The film begins with the traditional aesthetic concept of a lotus flower, which remains perfect even when covered in mud, and ends with the idea of the burning phoenix, reborn from its ashes. Like a poem full of symbolic meanings, life itself is filled with stirring temptations as well as purification, and in the midst of it all some people become corrupted while others become sublime.
Delicate Accordance, Song Ming, Dong Lei, Zhang Miao, KITAJSKA, 2004, 3' Using sculptures and embossments, this short movie shows the whole process of the world famous tenor Pavarotti singing Puccini’s Delicate Accordance from Tosca. Based on the structure of the music, three elements are alternately shown in the film -embossments which illustrate a flute solo, the symphony performances with the combination of embossments and sculptures, and the sculptures of singing Pavarotti’s face.
O ŽIVLJENJU • About Life, Yu Shui, KITAJSKA, 2005, 14' One careless move may trigger a chain of unexpected events. One coin provides an opportunity for two people to meet. Do they even know they have met?