We've had a great talk with our jury member Nag Vladermersky. Enjoy!
How did you make it to the world of film festivals?
I started off as a participant - the films I made got selected for various festivals - and then I saw how great the atmosphere was at these festivals so I decided to start up my own festivals. Especially in the world of animation where animators tend to work in isolation for long periods of time, it is really important that when they finish their work they get out and about and celebrate their finished work. Festivals are a place where these celebrations can take place.
Why do you like short films? Best thing about shorts?
Because you have to get to the point quickly. It's as much of a skill to make a short film as a feature. I think Jan Svankmajer's short films, for instance, are far more powerful than his features. You can make much more of a powerful impact in 10 minutes than in 90.
How did it happen that LIAF became the biggest animation show in UK in such a short time?
Partly we happened to be in the right place at the right time, but also London was crying out for a stand-alone animation festival. In the past there had been animation screenings as part of other film festivals but they were usually just sidebar events. We wanted to promote animation as the force that it is - the most creative of the arts that incorporates other artforms within it - and ends up creating something unique and inspiring.
Do you select the films yourself? what's the toughest thing in selection?
I make the final decisions about what we screen at LIAF but there are 2 and sometimes 3 of us who view all the entries that come flooding in every year. This year we have watched about 2,400 films - it goes up about 10-20% each year- but that doesn't mean the standard is getting higher, just that more and more people are making films. The toughest thing about selection is how to make sure that there's a good mix of all genres, techniques and styles. Personally I'm not a fan of gag films but there are a lot of people who are - so we have to make sure there is something for everyone. We hope that LIAF can appeal to everyone and that it shows that animation has the broadest appeal.
Would you have made a feature-length festival if you had an option?
We do screen a few features but there are only a handful of feature films that are released every year so it's not really an option for us. Our festival is there to promote not only the animated film but also the short film.
What do you treat as animation? it's quite visible that LIAF takes this notion quite widely.
Animation is the notion of making anything that is an inaminate object move - this can be drawings or images created on the computer screen or sand or coffee grains or anything! Our animation festival is there to show that animation is present in everything - so we have abstract films, childrens animation, animated documentaries and so on and so on.
How do you feel about the internet and the films on the internet? Do you think it's the new way of distribution?
The internet is good for being able to see anything quickly and cheaply but you can't swap it for the experience you get of sitting in a darkened communal space watching films on the big screen with an audience.
