The Astronomer´s Sun has been selected for the official competition in FANCINE, XX Fantastic Film Festival of the University of Málaga, section: ANIMATION SHORT FILM. 11-19 November.Monday, 20 September 2010
Fancine Fantastic Film Festival, Spain
The Astronomer´s Sun has been selected for the official competition in FANCINE, XX Fantastic Film Festival of the University of Málaga, section: ANIMATION SHORT FILM. 11-19 November.New York screening
See The Astronomers Sun in New York for this unique film event that celebrates the integration of science, imagination and film. The Astronomers Sun is screening in competition at the 3rd Imagine Science Film Festival competition which takes place October 15-22, 2010.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Bradford Animation Festival, UK
Another chance to see The Astronomers Sun at the National Media Museum, this time battling it out for a prized BAF Award for Best Film For Children. Bradford Animation Festival, UK, 9-13 November 2010
Animated Encounters, Bristol, UK
‘THE ASTRONOMERS SUN‘ has been officially selected to screen in competition in the Animated Encounters Best of British programme as part of Encounters International Film Festival 2010. 16-21 November, Bristol, UK
Fantastic Fest - Austin, Texas
We are excited to be screening at Fantastic Fest, in Austin, Texas, the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. The Astronoemrs Sun screens on 25 and 27 September.
Spainish Premiere
The Spainish Premiere of The Astronomers Sun takes place at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya between 7-17 October 2010.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
2 animation AWARDS in USA & Russia!
Saturday 11th September was a big night for “The Astronomers Sun”. It is with huge pleasure I am able to announce two new awards.
“The Astronomers Sun” won the animation award at the 2010 Rome International Film Festival on Saturday in Georgia, USA!
Managing Director, Laura Musselwhite of RIFF offered us this wonderful acolade,"When you have an animated short that makes you cry (as it did myself and several others whom I know), it deserves to be the winner. Please tell the filmmakers how well received their film was at RIFF."
Then across the Atlantic, the VI International Short and Animation Film Festival OPEN CINEMA awarded "THE ASTRONOMER’S SUN" Special Prize from the Organizing Committee «For the mystery of liberation»! I’m told the film was highly estimated by the members of International Jury, organizing committee and rose an enthusiastic response from the side of public.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Simon and Jessica and our wonderful team who got behind this film and to realise the director’s vision so exquisitely.
Congratulations!
To see the recent BBC TV news report about the films recent success at the Northern Futures Awards, you can view it on the BBC news page here.
“The Astronomers Sun” won the animation award at the 2010 Rome International Film Festival on Saturday in Georgia, USA!
Managing Director, Laura Musselwhite of RIFF offered us this wonderful acolade,"When you have an animated short that makes you cry (as it did myself and several others whom I know), it deserves to be the winner. Please tell the filmmakers how well received their film was at RIFF."
Then across the Atlantic, the VI International Short and Animation Film Festival OPEN CINEMA awarded "THE ASTRONOMER’S SUN" Special Prize from the Organizing Committee «For the mystery of liberation»! I’m told the film was highly estimated by the members of International Jury, organizing committee and rose an enthusiastic response from the side of public.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Simon and Jessica and our wonderful team who got behind this film and to realise the director’s vision so exquisitely.
Congratulations!
To see the recent BBC TV news report about the films recent success at the Northern Futures Awards, you can view it on the BBC news page here.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
TV interview with BBC Look North
We had a very special guest in the potting shed this week. Amanda Harper from BBC Look North came to do a story following the films success at the Northern Futures Awards. We invited her to Simons potting shed in Ilkley to show her were the animation was filmed. You can see the report on BBC news.
Henry accepting his award.
From left to right: Amanda Harper, Jessica Cope and Simon Cartwright. With most of the set on display at the National Media Museum, there’s not much left in the potting shed but Simon managed to pull together a small set corner perfect for day.
Amanda was so friendly and professional and made the whole experience a delight.
Smile - Henry,Simon Cartwirght and Jessica Cope and in the potting shed.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Leeds screening
Here's another chance to see the film in a lovely small festival in Yorkshire where the film was made.Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Northern Futures Award Success!
I am very proud to announce that The Astronomer's Sun won it's first award last night at the Northern Futures Awards!
The film was awarded first place by the judges against some stiff competition from other northern film makers, including another couple of shorts co-produced by Screen Yorkshire. You can see the rest of he short list here - http://www.northernfutures.co.uk
Our film was the only animation in the group so it was a great honour to receive the award and get to meet some of the other films creators.
Jess couldn't make it to the awards ceremony but our producer David came along and you can see us both in the pictures below.
Many thanks to the Northern Futures organisers for a great night!
All the shortlisted films had their own screen and some information about the productions beside them.
Myself and the other nominees sat together on the film table waiting nervously!
David and myself accepting the award off head judge Caroline Cooper Charles
David making his acceptance speech.
The both of us chatting with Caroline afterwards.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Russian Premiere
The Russian Premiere takes place at OPEN CINEMA, Saint-Petersburg. September, 3 till September, 12.
OPEN CINEMA received more than 1000 works this year. 19 fiction films, 18 animations, 11 documentaries, 16 experimental and 9 music videos will contend festival's First prize in four nominations – amongst them, The Astronomers Sun. 27 shorts, divided into theme programs "Great expectations", "Other lands" and "No anesthesia", have composed OPEN CINEMA's Parallel competition list.
OPEN CINEMA received more than 1000 works this year. 19 fiction films, 18 animations, 11 documentaries, 16 experimental and 9 music videos will contend festival's First prize in four nominations – amongst them, The Astronomers Sun. 27 shorts, divided into theme programs "Great expectations", "Other lands" and "No anesthesia", have composed OPEN CINEMA's Parallel competition list.
Nomination for a Northern Futures award
The Astronomers Sun has been nominated for a Northern Futures Award 2010 in FILM. In can be seen as part of The Northern Futures Award exhibition between July 28th-Aug 17th at The Civic Hanson Street, Barnsley.
East Asia Premiere
Screening in The Official/Special Program’s Section for Short Films at Chungmuro International Film Festival in Seoul, 2-10 September.
Albuquerque Film Festival, USA
Screening in Official Selection at the Albuquerque Film Festival, USA, August 25-29.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Review
The Astronomer's Sun
Reviewed By: Andrew Robertson
A stop motion figure enters an observatory, its skeletal dome stuck into the heavens, panels missing from its frame indicating age, neglect, a clear sense of abandonment. Inside there is a mechanism, an orrery fantastical which gleams with mechanisms and markings uncanny. Through a flashback, the eyes of a clockwork teddy bear, we see the orrery engaged, a man inside, with a comet in the sky, the terrified face of a child.
That same child now adult, the same bear hidden in the same chest, the same comet in the sky. With character design that recalls the stylised yet hyper-real figures of Eastern European animation, the ridges and quirks of nature before the rounded edges of Aardman, this is a visually exciting film. Served well by David Aston's sound work, the machinery and the small quantity of voicework, and by Peter Wright's music, it's technically excellent.
Written and directed by Jessica Cope and Simon Cartwright, it conveys a lot simply, and strikingly concludes with an ending that is almost equally maudlin and joyful. With its focus on machines arcane, even magical, this piece is phantasmagorical, recalling perhaps His Dark Materials before Tik Tok of Oz. The trick to short animation is to do just enough, and as the planets and gears of the orrery combine to wondrous effect so too do the elements of The Astronomer's Sun.
Produced by David Bunting and Peter M. Kershaw, Duchy Parade Films Ltd
Reviewed By: Andrew Robertson
A stop motion figure enters an observatory, its skeletal dome stuck into the heavens, panels missing from its frame indicating age, neglect, a clear sense of abandonment. Inside there is a mechanism, an orrery fantastical which gleams with mechanisms and markings uncanny. Through a flashback, the eyes of a clockwork teddy bear, we see the orrery engaged, a man inside, with a comet in the sky, the terrified face of a child.
That same child now adult, the same bear hidden in the same chest, the same comet in the sky. With character design that recalls the stylised yet hyper-real figures of Eastern European animation, the ridges and quirks of nature before the rounded edges of Aardman, this is a visually exciting film. Served well by David Aston's sound work, the machinery and the small quantity of voicework, and by Peter Wright's music, it's technically excellent.
Written and directed by Jessica Cope and Simon Cartwright, it conveys a lot simply, and strikingly concludes with an ending that is almost equally maudlin and joyful. With its focus on machines arcane, even magical, this piece is phantasmagorical, recalling perhaps His Dark Materials before Tik Tok of Oz. The trick to short animation is to do just enough, and as the planets and gears of the orrery combine to wondrous effect so too do the elements of The Astronomer's Sun.
Produced by David Bunting and Peter M. Kershaw, Duchy Parade Films Ltd
Friday, 9 July 2010
Rome, Georgia
Catch “The Astronomer's Sun”, at the 2010 Rome International Film Festival on Saturday, September 11, at 11:00 a.m. in the historic DeSoto Theatre in downtown Rome, Georgia, USA.
Australian Premiere
The Astronomers Sun plays in official selection as part of the 59th Melbourne International Film Festival (22 July – 8 August 2010)! It screens as part of a program called Animation Shorts, screening on August 1st at 4.45PM at Greater Union Cinema, Melbourne.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
London screening
Another chance to see The Astronomers Sun in London, this time at the Rushes Soho Shorts FestivalVenue: Institute Of Contemporary Arts (The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH)
Showing for two days only, Rushes: Animation showcases a fantastically eclectic selection of both new and established talent, UK and international, working with a broad range of techniques.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
New York Premiere

You can see The Astronomer's Sun this summer in New York as part of the Animation Summer Block Party 2010.
ABP received 518 entries but are playing only 90 films The Astronomer's Sun is one of them.
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