The 16th edition of Animix, the International Animation, Comics and Caricature Festival, will take place from August 2 – 6, 2016 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque.
Exciting news for Simpsons fans: this year’s festival will host comedy writer Mike Reiss. Together with Al Jean, Reiss was one of the first members of the original writing staff for The Simpsons, where he went on to serve as show-runner, writer and producer during the third and fourth seasons. Reiss has received four Emmy awards for his work on The Simpsons, and he co-wrote the screenplay for The Simpsons Movie. In addition to his work on The Simpsons, Reiss created and wrote Queer Duck, an animated series featuring gay animals. Reiss will participate in several Animix events: A talk on The Simpsons and Jewish motifs in that series and others (Saturday at 13:30), Behind the Scenes Secrets of The Simpsons (Saturday at 20:00), and a Guest Artist workshop with the Israeli Screenwriters Union.
Comic book artist Klaus Janson will be participate in a talk hosted by Asaf Gamzu, curator of the Israeli Museum of Comics and Caricature Holon on Wednesday, August 3rd at 15:30. Janson is a guest of the comics store Kamikaza. Working for the past 40 years with DC and Marvel, Janson has drawn them all – Spiderman, Batman, Avengers and Superman.
ASIFA (the Israeli chapter ofAssociation Internationale du Film d’Animation), will present their annual awards as well as additional screenings. Asif means harvest in Hebrew, and the harvest of Israeli animated films reveals diverse themes, approaches and techniques in both personal and commercial projects.
Special events at the festival include a tribute to Kaveret, the legendary Israeli rock band, with guest Danny Sanderson, as well as an exhibit of “Kaveret Illustrated.” There will be a special screening of cult favorite The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with live actors in costume – the audience is also invited to dress accordingly.
Feature films to look for:
The Red Turtle is a film of astonishing beauty and warmth. The debut feature of Michael Dudok de Wit, a co-production with Ghibli Studios, the animated film is without dialogue, speaking directly to the heart in images, movement and sound. The story is deceptively simple: a man is stranded on an island, and must find a way to survive. It has all the markers of a classic tale, yet is imbued with unexpected finds and imaginative treasures, told with humor and compassion. His short film The Monk and the Fish will also be shown in the context of screenings of Oscar winners and Oscar nominated films.
Slocum at Sea with Himself – Sandra and Paul Fierlinger’s animated documentary about Joshua Slocum, the first man to sail around the world solo. Animix is the second festival to show this film, which was created for the internet and is not available in theatres. The Fierlingers attended the 2011 Docaviv Festival, conducting a master class offering the animator’s perspective, and discussing Slocum, their work in progress. (read more here)
Nuts is an animated documentary by Penny Lane, telling the odd yet true tale of John Romulus Brinkley who offered a cure for impotence using goat testicles. Sounds intriguing.
The full program is available (in Hebrew) on the Animix website. Ticket prices range from 27 – 52 NIS, depending on the program, to order, call: 03-6060800, ext. 9. Tickets are also available via the Animix and Tel Aviv Cinematheque websites. Animix is produced in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Municipality Department of Performances, Tel Aviv Cinematheque and the Ministry of Culture – Israeli Cinema Council. Artistic director: Nissim Hezkiyahu, Animation curator: Dudu Shalita, Producer: Galit Bersky.
