What to watch at this year’s Animation Festival of Halifax

With businesses closed, a stay-at-home public health order in effect and cold, rainy weather in the forecast, your weekend plans might be feeling a bit bereft — what better time to try something new, and check out the Animation Festival of Halifax, a somewhat-annual independent festival celebrating the art and industry of animation, which starts on Thursday and runs until Saturday night.

“This is our 10th edition of it — we haven’t exactly done it annually every year, but this is the 10th year we’ve done it,” says Becka Barker, one of the lead organizers of the festival, a project of local indie theatre Carbon Arc.

And a special edition it is. For obvious reasons it’s a virtual festival this year, with all the online screenings being free for people to check out.

It’s also serving as a celebration of what would have been the 51st birthday of the festival's spiritual founder Helen Hill, the late artist, filmmaker and activist who taught many young animators and artists when she lived in the North End in the late 1990s. (Helen died in 2007; they had planned to commemorate what would’ve been her 50th birthday last May, but the pandemic scuttled those plans.)

“Her philosophy was really that art should be accessible to everybody,” Barker recalls. “It’s part of why we made all the screenings and talks free.”

Whether you’re new to animation, or if it’s been a while, or if you’re an animator yourself, the festival should offer “something for everyone” says Barker.

“We have always had this pretty deep love for experimental animation in particular,” she says. “Although the Animation Festival of Halifax is not only experimental, we have an emphasis on animations that are independent, off the beaten path, something different than what you’d expect.”

With that in mind, HalifaxToday.ca asked festival organizers and programmers for their tips and suggestions

For the new viewer: This World’s Not Done (Thursday, 5 p.m.)

If you’re looking for a place to start, the best place might be where it all began, with a retrospective featuring the work and activism of Helen Hill, which will be leading off the festival. The retrospective, spanning more than a decade of completed work and a showing of The Florestine Collection, a work still in progress when she died in 2007.

“I think the reason we’ve programmed Helen’s retrospective first is really to set the tone for that which is personal, weird and deeply felt,” says Barker. “Her work shows the breadth of what animation can be…it gives you some context for why we do what we do.”

For diverse filmmaking: Come Up and See Me Sometime – LGBTQ2S+ Animations (Thursday 7:45 p.m.)

First developed by the Quickdraw Animation Society and shown at the Calgary Public Library, this collection has grown to 11 short films touching on queer topics like coming out, gender identity, the early history of drag, and more. The collection has been shown to more than a dozen GSA groups across the country, and is curated by locals Sam Decoste and James MacSwain. Decoste is also hosting an artist talk called ‘Animating our Stories: Exploring LGBTQ2S History Through Animation on Friday at 3 p.m.

For the kids: Saturday Morning Cartoons (Saturday 8 a.m.)

“A lot of people don’t realize this, but there’s quite a lot of animation made in Halifax,” says Barker. Animation shops like Copernicus, Huminah Huminah and Jam Filled, all contributed their cartoons.

“It’s great, they’re award-winning cartoons that are playing all over the world that are made here in Halifax,” says Daley. “I don’t think everyone knows that.”

Yes, it’s early — but a perfect day to pour a big bowl of sugary cereal and not leave your sweats.

For an eclectic mix: Vegan Delights (Saturday 7 p.m.)

Helen Hill was a lover of vegan treats, Barker says, so this collection of shorts has nothing to do with veganism, really — but it is one that’s not to be missed, featuring some of the festivals more experimental, surprising animations. “If you want to see a giant buffet of anything that could be animated, check out the Vegan Delights,” says Barker.

For a feature film experience: Marona’s Fantastic Tale (Saturday 1 p.m.)

While much of the festival is made up of shorts, there are certainly animated features on offer. Several programmers recommended Marona’s Fantastic Tale — the story of “an old dog looking back on her life as she knows she’s about to die,” says Barker. Sad subject material, you would think, but this French film has earned praise for its sensitive handling of a tough subject.

The festival kicks off on Thursday evening, and runs until Saturday night. While there’s nominally a schedule, all the sessions will be free to stream whenever you’d like. For the schedule, click here; for more info about the festival, visit their website.