THE two-day staging of the second inaugural KingstOOn Animation Festival, in Kingston, attracted a large crowd of animation enthusiasts and experts in the field.

Animation competition entrants from over 15 countries, experts and animation educators, as well as sponsors enjoyed a successful festival at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts over Saturday and Sunday.

After the official opening of the festival, several seminars were staged with experienced animators, and international animation studio executives.

The seminars focused on the purpose of animation, understanding the distribution of animation, how to stay profitable in the business, getting funding, and how to pitch animation ideas.

Additionally, there were other seminars with an international South African Animation studio Triggerfish, at which participants were told how the company got started, as well as how to create teams. Presenters told inspirational stories and gave an insight into concepts.

Held simultaneously with the seminars, workshops with manufacturers and software specialists focused on various animation software and platforms.

Participants were also able to view the various booths by the many sponsors. Some of these showcased their animation, animation courses from various schools, as well as allowed patrons to do actual animation inside the booth.

The festival also catered to the business minded, with speed meetings with top players in the animation industry.

At the end of the festival, 17 competitors walked away with prizes in international animation scholarships, animation software and hardware, among other exciting prizes.

Animator, Coretta Singer, the big winner of the night, walked away with prizes in three categories — Pitch Competition, Best Caribbean Short and Best Jamaican Production.

The festival was held with the aim of seeking to engage unattached or at-risk youth and to expose them to opportunities that the animation industry can offer them.

— JIS