A nice boost for NIAf! Last and latest NIAf short production HISTORY OF PETS directed by Kris Genijn is selected for competition at the Festival International du Film d’Animation d’Annecy. NIAf!  Three films of former participants are selected for the international panorama: [mu:st?rman] – A FLOOD STORY by Maarten Isaäk de Heer, A DIRECT FILM FAREWELL by Oerd van Cuijlenborg and HOLLOW LAND by Michal and Uri Kranot.

Other Dutch films in competition are CHOPPER by Lars Damoiseaux & Frederik Palmaers and LONELY BONES directed by Rosto. Congratulations all makers and producers with this result for the world’s largest showcase of author animation. The Annecy festival takes place from 10 >15 June.

http://www.annecy.org/annecy-2013/festival/official-selection

We have not yet given up hope and are doing everything in our power to secure a re-launch.  The advisory board for the arts in the Province of North Brabant is keen to support the development of talent and also preserve the NIAf’s expertise and facilities. The NIAf is also negotiating with various institutions such as the EYE Film Institute Netherlands and other parties within and outside the animation sector about transferring the collections and safeguarding our activities.

Until such time as there is more certainty, however, we will be closed.

More info

1 January 2013 the Dutch Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science (OCW) financing stops.

The advisory board for the arts for the province of North Brabant wishes, on the contrary, to support talent development and also preserve the expertise and facilities of the NIAF. Together with other art institutes in North Brabant, the NIAF has participated in a cross-sector arts recommendation that endorses, further underpins and qualifies the view of the advisory board for the arts. It is now a case of waiting to see what the province decides. The province recognises, at all events, the importance of the visual arts, design and audio-visual media for North Brabant. Within the province the NIAF works in close cooperation with other workplaces. In October we once again made a joint presentation during the Dutch Design Week and the event attracted lots of visitors and interest. We are now also examining the feasibility of a European workplace – here in Brabant – where the different disciplines could be represented in an international context.

In 2010 the municipality of Tilburg focused on the performing arts and music. The NIAf was asked to look for alternative accommodation. Eindhoven has, among others, demonstrated interest. The decision process regarding accommodation is, of course, also conditional upon the further financing of the NIAF and policy developments.

In view of possible closure, the NIAF is negotiating with several institutes. We are discussing the possibilities for the transfer of the collections and safeguarding all other important activities with the EYE Film Institute Netherlands and other parties within and outside the animation sector.

During a debate at the Nederlands Film Festival representatives from the animation sector spoke out about the specific and vulnerable situation of animation and the vital importance of an animation institute with the expertise for supporting and reinforcing the sector. A clear plea for what the NIAF has always ardently advocated: a robust, creative animation sector in the Netherlands.

Short film PARADE in full production at NIAF now.

Haarlem, 5 December.

Haarlem-based filmmaker Gerrit van Dijk has passed away on 4 December at the age of 73. He had been ill for a considerable time, but until his final day he kept working on his film ‘The Last Picture Show’, once more proving how deeply dedicated he was to his work.

Van Dijk (Uden, 12/5/1938), trained at the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming en Architectuur in Tilburg, quickly revealed himself as an autonomous fine artist with a deeply felt commitment with the world. From 1971, animated film was the medium he felt he could convey his artistic message in. In a relatively short time span, he developed into an artist with guts, whose sparkling ideas were an inspiration to many. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Europe and later across the globe.

The prominent nature of his work is demonstrated by the large number of national and international awards his films clinched. This includes the French State Award (for ‘cubeMENcube’), a Golden Calf  at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht (‘A Good Turn Daily’), two Golden Bears at the Berlinale, Berlin’s international film festival (‘Pas à deux’ – together with Monique Renault – and ‘I move, so I am’) and a nigh on endless series of major awards at numerous festivals all over the world. Moreover, in 1998, when Van Dijk had been active as an animation filmmaker for 25 years, he was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

Van Dijk was a master at the animated film genre, but at the same time a many-sided artist. For example, he was the great inspiration behind the establishment of the Holland Animation Film Festival and the Netherlands Institute for Animation Film. In the late seventies, he was one of the driving forces behind the socially critical multi-disciplinary art-project ‘Jute’. As a cartoonist and columnist, he contributed to the social debate through Haarlems Dagblad for seventeen years; he reaped international awards with a fireworks display in Montreal, and his photography project ‘Zeek’ was exhibited from the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the IDFA in Amsterdam, Lisbon to Hiroshima, Japan.

Only a few months ago, despite his illness, he travelled to a film festival in Central China, where his work was given centre stage. Gerrit van Dijk still had lots of plans, but he realized they were unfeasible due to his illness.

With the decease of Gerrit van Dijk, a great artist has passed away.

PARADE (direction Digna van der Put (NL) Luscious, canty and colourful Digna van der Put reveals parades and uniforms, accompanied with their festivities and folklore as an animated universe of patterns and uniformity. The film is 2D and the colouring is done digitally but has a traditional crafty character. In making this colourful parade of clerics and boy scouts, rioters and troopers, dancers and military Digna is assisted by the talented Ryemma Stoop who is an ABK|St. Joost animation graduate. She responded to our call for a colourist and became a passionate part of the team. PARADE is in full production at NIAF now. Find sketches and photos here and new developments to be added to this album. Also visit Digna’s site: www.dignavanderput.blogspot.nl/

A VERY LONG SECOND (direction Max Porter(USA) and Ru Kuwahata(Japan)) In a sophisticated blend of analogue and digital techniques Porter and Kuwahata create a universe inspired by the idea of relativity of time. Let’s quote famous Einstein: ‘Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity’. This all comes to us from the point of view of a cuckoo-clock in a bakery where everything changes when a long thin stranger comes to town. Max Porter left the NIAF Artist-In-Residency advanced and is now teaching in Baltimore (US). But, Max and Ru (who is still working in Tilburg) cooperate intensively via all possible channels. A VERY LONG SECOND is in full progress at NIAF and in Baltimore now! New developments will be added when there. Also visit the Facebookpage of the makers: Tiny Inventions.

THE FAMILY (direction Frauke Striegnitz(Germany)) tells the story about a family system that is seriously disrupted when a little girl’s baby brother comes home in an urn and not a pram. Mum and Dad spend their days in black mourning and grief while the girl considers the urn a toy and releases the sparkling grains and dances with them. The haze of grains affects the darkness of the parents (even more?) but the little girl remains tenaciously hopeful for life. In a delicate and sketchy style a personal and intimate family tragedy is unfolded. The team is growing. Director and animator Frauke Striegnitz is now assisted by animator Urte Zintler (Germany) and Hogeschool voor de Kunsten intern Martijn Calkhoven.

María Leguizamón organises the Dutch Film Festival in Thailand from November 5th till 25th, in co-operation with Goethe Institut Thailand, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and the 10th World Film Festival of Bangkok. Several Dutch films will be screend in that period, amongst others the animated films FATHER AND DAUGHTER by Michael Dudok de Wit and VARIETÉ by Roelof van den Bergh.
For more information see: the website.

Watch the teaser