Inter-Action program screening in Montreal!

 Inter-Action, SEAT, Upcoming  Comments Off on Inter-Action program screening in Montreal!
Jan 112013
 

Drew_Christie_MWSTMWSL_smallLast year animator Tess Martin curated a program of 12 animated shorts from Seattle called Inter-Action. It’s since screened in Seattle, Portland, New York, and she went on tour with it to 9 locations in Europe in October 2011. Now the program, with one substitution,  is coming to Montreal, and screening at the Cinematheque Quebecoise on February 1st, 6:30PM and Tess will be there to present!

“I decided to switch out my own film, Plain Face, for a more recent one, The Whale Story. In Montreal it’s playing as part of the Cinematheque’s weekly animation night. I’m so excited to be screening at a venue that has a weekly animation program!”

Please tell anyone you know in Montreal to come on by! The screening is $8(CAN) for adults.

Inter-Action coming to Portland, May 17th!

 Inter-Action, SEAT, Upcoming  Comments Off on Inter-Action coming to Portland, May 17th!
Mar 262012
 

The Inter-Action program of animated shorts from the Seattle Experimental Animation Team is playing on Thursday, May 17th at the NW Film Center in Portland, OR. Here is the listing on the NW Film Center site. This 75 minute program is comprised of twelve original shorts, including Tess Martin‘s Plain Face, Drew Christie‘s The Man Who Shot The Man Who Shot Lincoln and Bruce Bickford‘s The Comic that Frenches Your Mind. Animator Stefan Gruber will be performing a live narration for his short Both Worlds, accompanied by Portland musician Magic Caves. Click here for the full line-up, including information about whether the shorts are children-appropriate. And this is the Facebook event if you want to invite your Portland friends!

Tess Martin and at least 3 or 4 of the other animators will be coming down to Portland for the show.

Mark your calendars and invite your Portland friends!

Thurs, May 17th, 2012, 7:00PM
NW Film Center, Whitsell Auditorium, at the Portland Art Museum 1219 SW Park Avenue
Tickets $10 online or $9 at the door.

Inter-Action screening this Wednesday!

 Inter-Action, SEAT  Comments Off on Inter-Action screening this Wednesday!
Jan 282012
 

Did you miss the Inter-Action program of animated shorts when it screened at the NWFF in June? Well, fear not! It is playing once more at the Naked City Brewery in Greenwood, this Wednesday, February 1st! And it’s free! If this sounds familiar, it’s because the January 18th screening fell right in the middle of snowmageddon and we had to reschedule. The program is 75 minutes and is comprised of 12 locally made animated shorts, including Tess Martin‘s Plain Face, Stefan Gruber‘s Both Worlds, Drew Christie’s The Man Who Shot the Man Who Lincoln, and Bruce Bickford‘s The Comic That Frenches Your Mind! Not to mention shorts by the talented Britta Johnson, Amanda Moore, Salise Hughes, Davis Limbach, Aaron Wendel, Sarah Jane Lapp, Clyde Petersen and Webster Crowell!

Here are the details:
Naked City Brewery
8564 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Wednesday February 1st, 8:00PM
FREE

Keep up to date with SEAT (Seattle Experimental Animation Team) stuff through the SEAT FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/experimentalanimation

Inter-Action screening tonight post-poned until Feb 1st!

 Inter-Action, SEAT, Upcoming  Comments Off on Inter-Action screening tonight post-poned until Feb 1st!
Jan 182012
 

The screening of the Inter-Action program of animated shorts tonight at Naked City Brewery has been postponed until Wednesday, Feb 1st due to snow. Here is the Facebook event with the new date and all the info: http://www.facebook.com/events/160042350771166/

Inter-Action screening at Naked City Brewery!

 Inter-Action, SEAT, Upcoming  Comments Off on Inter-Action screening at Naked City Brewery!
Jan 112012
 

Did you miss the Inter-Action program when it screened at the NW Film Forum on June 16th 2011? Now’s your chance to see all 12 locally-made animated short films for free (!) at the Naked City Brewery in their monthly film night, Third Wednesday with Northwest Film Forum. Here is the Facebook event.

 

And here are the deets:

Naked City Brewery
8564 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Wednesday January 18th, 8:00PM
FREE

Program is 75 minutes and includes Tess Martin‘s short Plain Face, Stefan Gruber‘s Both Worlds, Drew Christie’s The Man Who Shot the Man Who Lincoln, and Bruce Bickford‘s The Comic That Frenches Your Mind!

This last one WILL blow your mind, guaranteed (wait, I didn’t mean it like that….)

Not to mention shorts by the talented Britta Johnson, Amanda Moore, Salise Hughes, Davis Limbach, Aaron Wendel, Sarah Jane Lapp, Clyde Petersen and Webster Crowell!

Keep up to date with SEAT stuff through the SEAT FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/experimentalanimation

 

 

Inter-Action: La Peniche Cinema, Paris, France

 Inter-Action, SEAT  Comments Off on Inter-Action: La Peniche Cinema, Paris, France
Oct 292011
 

Tess Martin’s travel blog:

This is my last entry on this tour! Last night was the Paris screening of the Inter-Action program (actually only half of the program due to time restrictions). It was pretty awesome. This event was held at La Peniche Cinema, a cinema….on a boat! ‘Peniche’ means canal boat in French. The boat is moored in l’Oucq canal, inside Parc de la Villete, a very modern park with lots of red blocky buildings, sculptures and open space. Very ‘unlike Paris’ as my friend put it. La Peniche is run by Gabriele Brennen and they show the most short films in the whole of France!

The event was also sponsored by AFCA, Association Francaise du Cinema d’Animation, and was in fact, part of the 10th Fete du Cinema d’Animation organized by AFCA. AFCA is an organization that was born independent of ASIFA France, the French chapter of the international animation organization, but within the last 10 years the two have joined forces. They now organize a festival every year during the month of October across the whole of France. And our event was in fact on Oct 28th, official international ‘animation day’.

The Seattle animations were screened first, followed by a selection of French films – mostly from a studio called Planktoon, that makes their own films, but also does ads and idents for television stations. This produced an interesting mix of independent vs. commercial animation, and some remarked on the irony that it was the Americans who were making experimental work, and the French more commercial work. But amongst the French films there was one real gem – an independent film by French/Japanese filmmaker Momoko Seto called ‘Planet Z’. I’m still hazy on the details, but apparently she got a residency and producer through an Annecy Film Festival competition to make this film. Lots of timelapse photography, some of very very, small things. Watch the trailer below, it’s awesome.

Juliette from AFCA and Gabriele from La Peniche led the Q&A after, and I got a lot of interesting questions about techniques, distribution methods, and motivation. There must have been about 40 people there, and it was probably the most enthusiastic audience of the tour. Thank you to Gabriele and Juliette for the hard work!

La Peniche Cinema!

Boat up front

entrance

Cinema before the screen was lowered

A Paris metro map revelas its layers

 

 

Inter-Action: MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria

 Inter-Action, SEAT  Comments Off on Inter-Action: MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, Austria
Oct 252011
 

Tess Martin’s travel blog:

I flew into Vienna yesterday morning, and was kindly picked up by Holger Lang, one of the professors at Webster University Vienna campus. The event here was sponsored by them as well as by ASIFA Austria, the local ASIFA chapter that I’m happy to say seems quite active and interested in experimental work. The Inter-Action screening (animations from Seattle) was held in a nice multi-purpose room inside the MuseumsQuartier – this is one long building that used to be the court stables, but has now been converted into a number of museums like the Leopold Museum (Austrian Expressionists), MUMOK (modern art) and Kunsthalle (contemporary art). There’s also an architecture centre and dance centre, a children’s museum and a children’s theatre. But better than all that is something called quartier21, which is basically an umbrella organization that helps fill all the little nooks and crannies of this big building with small shops and studios for local arts initiatives – so you’re walking down a hallway and there’s all the interesting installations and shops scattered about – really inspiring.

My screening was held in a multi-purpose room called Room D that can be booked by different organizations, including ASIFA Austria. It holds about 40 modern plastic seats, and has a nice bar area. The event went very well! I’d say we had about 35 people (mostly either Webster Vienna students or ASIFA people, but a bunch of general public as well). Right at the end a group of thirty-five 15 year old students on a school trip came by with their teacher – they were from a small village and the teacher was making sure they got exposed to as much art as possible on their trip. They had planned to attend the screening but were very late. So I screened five of the films again for them while the previous audience mingled in the bar area. It was a pleasure talking with Holger, and Stefan from ASIFA, and some of their media students about different inspiring films, trends in the festival world, etc.

Below is a slightly over-dramatic video about the Museumsquartier, but it gives a good feel for it:

Outside one of the entrances to the MuseumsQuartier

Room D

Inter-Action: Lichtbick Kino, Berlin, Germany

 Inter-Action, SEAT  Comments Off on Inter-Action: Lichtbick Kino, Berlin, Germany
Oct 242011
 

Tess Martin’s travel blog:

I arrived in Berlin on Friday, and stayed at an acquaintance’s lovely flat in Kreuzberg, near Oranienplatz – a very busy street filled with cafes, middle eastern restaurants, and fruit stalls – and a popular street for protests – there were two large marches in the three days I was there. My hosts took me out to an art walk of sorts in the Hermannstrasse neighbourhood, and I spent one whole day walking around and learning the layout of the city. Berlin seems very big, with wider streets and sidewalks than most European cities. But still quite…gritty. Lots of graffiti, no elevators, and old fashioned stamping machines to ‘validate’ your subway ticket before boarding. But definitely a lot of art happening, and lots of international people.

The Lichtblick Kino is a funky 36 seat cinema in the Rosenthaler area in North Berlin – the same day as my screening they were showing Wings of Desire (Der Himmel uder Berlin), and a French Inspector Lavardin mystery. Despite all the cute fliers and posters advertising the Inter-Action screening (animations from Seattle), unfortunately, not many people attended – must have been the Sunday 10PM start time and the cold night.

But it was still a wonderful experience – thank you to Heinz and Hedda for making my stay much more enjoyable!

Leaving Amsterdam - not the most recognizable skyline, but in this picture you can see the horseshoe-shaped canals

Inside the Kunsthaus Tacheles - a large bulding filled with artists studios since 1990

Lichtblick Kino

Fliers for the Inter-Action short film program

Inter-Action poster