Otley, Yorkshire - with Beyond the Pole

There is another chance to see “The Astronomers Sun” play in Yorkshire at the Otley Film Society in West Yorkshire on Thursday 21st of April, playing alongside a screening of ‘Beyond The Pole’, an independent British film. Starring familiar faces from TV, a documentary film crew follows the first carbon neutral, vegetarian expedition ever to attempt to reach the North Pole. Described as @Touching the Void' with laughs or 'Withnail & I' on ice! Films are shown in Otley Courthouse Arts Centre.

Best Animation

Taos, set amongst the mountains was the place at the start of the 1900's that a number of artists first came to New Mexico to be inspired. The writer D.H. Lawrence is buried near Taos.

The Astronomer's Sun picked up its 14th film festival award in Taos, NM, USA this last weekend.

The shortz event was held at the Harwood Art Museum and featured a fantastic range of New Mexico, US and International films with filmmakers from across the State, the US, France, Poland, and S. America in attendance.

With some excellent animation in competition we did well to win the BEST ANIMATION award.

This was a jury prize with special mention for the film's editing in the judges comments. It was fun to be able to attend the festival for the team.

Byron Bay International Film Festival

I’m pleased to announce we are playing in competition at Byron Bay International Film Festival in Australia, 5 Annual March 04, 2011 to March 13, 2011. The Astronomers Sun screen on Sunday 13th March.

Tehran International Animation Festival

The Middle East Premiere takes place at the Tehran International Animation Festival, selected for the competition category. 6-10 March 2011.

Prague screening

"The Astronomers Sun" is being screened in at BIO OKO in Prague in a programme of short films on Wednesday, March 16, 8PM. iShorts Evenings are organised by FAMU students and present amazing Czech and foreign short films.

New Mexico screenings

We are pleased to anounce a special series of screenings in New Mexico of "The Astronomers Sun", hosted by my co-producer, Peter Kershaw. All New Mexico Screenings all are free and open to the public.
Carlsbad: NMSU-C Saturday February 26th 2011, 6pm

Program starts at 6:00pm in room 153.

Where? NMSU-C campus 1500 University Dr,

Instructional Building, Room 153

Santa Fe: Public screening at IAIA, Institute of American Indian Arts

March 2nd 2011, 6pm.


Las Cruces: March 14th 2011, 08.30am at Creative Media Institute

New Mexico State University


Truth or Consequences: Thursday, March 24th 2011, 7pm


Where: The Lee Belle Johnson Recreation Center

300 S. Foch

T or C, NM 87901


Las Vegas:

Wednesday 30th March, 5.30pm

Where: in the Media Arts West Building, 901 University Ave., Las Vegas, NM 87701

Grand Prize in Seattle!

We were thrilled to hear that “The Astronomer’s Sun” won Grand Prize in this year’s Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival! The awards were announced to a sold out house at Seattle’s renowned Cinerama Theatre. We were really sorry not to be there in person, but I'm told it was was an incredible night, and an amazing experience watching the films on the big screen with a rapt audience of sci-fi/fantasy film fans. Thanks to everyone in Seattle for who made this such a festival to remember.

Festivals Feb & March 2011

The New Years screenings launched this weekend with a sell out show at Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival in, Seattle and the  Minicini in Leeds.

We have a slate of exciting new festivals screenings over the next few months.

In France, The Astronomers Sun is screening in the  Clermont-Ferrand short film festival's tribute programme – 4 /12 February 2011, presented at festivals, universities or schools.

We have some great screenings lined up around the world over the next few months.
We are playing in competition at the Omaha Film Festival, USA, March 5th 2011

The Festival showcases over 60 films during its annual event, selected from an average of over 400 annual entries that come in from around the world, offering a wide variety of independent cinema choices that includes regional and world premier films as well as advanced screenings of films that have already attracted wider distribution.

In the UK, you can see the film at Borderlines Film Festival, UK MARCH 2011
Herefordshire and Shropshire’s vibrant rural film festival.

The Astronomer's Sun Shines at Comic Con

Screen Yorkshire have a great article on The Astronomers Sun, follwowing the latest award success at Comic Con.

THE ASTRONOMER'S SUN is now officially Screen Yorkshire’s most successful animated short film to date with 12 wins in as many months.

My co-producer, Peter Kershaw, who was at Comic Con, said

The Astronomer's Sun has demonstrated through success in film festivals around the world the ability of Yorkshire talent to create and produce stories with universal appeal that can play and win against the very best other cultures have to offer.

The Astronomer's Sun continues it's festival run with a screening at Armley Mills Miniciné this Sunday in Yorkshire (30th Jan) as part of an afternoon dedicated to short film. For more information and to book, click here.

Wins 10, 11, 12

Comic Com is an amazing event and actually screening in a film festival I was able to attend rather than just doing the submission paperwork for was a lot of fun. More so, as we came away with an actual producers award.

While last night many film buffs were watching the Golden Globes the real film drama was being played out in at Comic Com, Albuquerque, USA.

I'm pleased for the directors and all the film's creative team to announce The Astronomer's Sun walked away with the vote for CINEMATOGRAPHY and the AUDIENCE vote as well as the star prize, BEST PRODUCED FILM. Other than the animation award and director's award we'd walked away with the 3 top prizes watched by over 1,000 people.

A strategy of targeting film festivals has produced 12 awards in just a year giving all involved in the film's production a fantastic resume of success. Submitting to film festivals is expensive and not all festivals give out actual physical awards but, Comic Com's first film festival did for Best Produced Film creating the blue action hero (see photo) in true comic book style.

Happy New Year

As we look back on 2010, we are very pleased to announce our 9th award for The Astronomers Sun!


On Sunday December 12th, The Astronomers Sun won the The Audience Choice award at Anima: a festival of contemporary animation by women.

This follows winning the Best of the Festival award at the Flip Animation Festival!

Thanks to our directors Simon Cartwright and Jessica Cope, our talented team, and most of all everyone who has seen The Astronomers Sun this year and made 2010 such a special year for the film.

Happy New Year!!

notes from the jury

Thanks to Leeds International Film Festival for the following quote from the jury, where The Astronomers Sun won the Yorkshire Short Film Competition:

There is such weight and therefore capacity for emotion in the beautifully crafted stop motion animation, but it is the universal film techniques supporting this that make it such a joy to watch; the lighting, the sound and the camerawork are masterfully synchronised in tone, emphasising the sacrifice and loss at the heart of this story

Read more:

Winner YORKSHIRE SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2010 at 24th International Leeds Film Festival.

I was delighted to be able to accept this award on the behalf of Duchy Parade Films. With David, Jess and Simon all at the Bradford Animation Festival on the same day and Peter busy promoting the film State side, I was asked to represent the film at this festival. Screened at the Hyde Park Picture Palace in Leeds, we were up against some very well observed documentaries and thought provoking dramas.


In the end though "The Astronomers Sun" eclipsed the rest of the competition to be awarded the Best Yorkshire Short Film.

After been encouraged to give a very unrehearsed acceptance speech, I was able to talk to the judges about why the film had won. Their answer "they loved the story" in particular the ending and the relationship between the bear and Henry. I think it's credit to the whole production and post production team that throughout the project the importance of story and character development was never missing from the creative process. Producing stunning stop frame animation is one thing, but what makes the film really work is everyone on the team recognised the need to connect to the audience and used their own particular skill to ensure they did.

Thanks to everyone at the Leeds International Film Festival for their hospitality, it really was a Saturday to remember :)

I'm pleased to annouce our South America 2010 tour of The Astronomer’s Sun as part of Animarte:-

I'm pleased to annouce our South America 2010 tour of The Astronomer’s Sun as part of Animarte:- November 19, Viña del Mar, Chile (in conjunction with the Viña del Mar International Film Festival): Plazoleta Maria Lusia Bombal, Av. Valparaiso y Villanelo. Viña del Mar. Chile.- November 27, Buenos Aires, Argentina (in c...onjunction with InspirationFest): Ciudad Cultural Konnex, Buenos Aires.- December 26, Mendoza, Argentina: open screening at Mendoza City Central Park.

www.animartefest.com

BEST SHORT ANIMATION at Fantastic Planet

We were thrilled to accept the award for BEST SHORT ANIMATION at Fantastic Planet Film Festival, Sydney, Australia on Friday. Huge thanks to everyone at FANTASTIC PLANET, and to our wonderful team for their commitment, passion and dedication to their craft which has made “The Astronomers Sun” such a special film. We are touched to know how much “The Astronomers Sun” has resonated with people in Sydney.

Special talk and screening in Bradford

Foyle Film Festival

We are delighted to be screening in competition in the 23rd Foyle Film Festival, between 19th to the 27th November. Foyle Film Festival is the biggest Film Festival in Northern Ireland and an Oscar® affiliated festival - not to be missed!

Win number five

Win number five. This last weekend The Astronomer's Sun took joint win at the Santa Fe Film Festival, NM, USA.

The jury liked the cinematic feel of the film. The unity of color design. The attention to the sound design and as in New York the bear, with questions over whether he'd be coming back.
As part of the festival the film played in touring venues and in a series of art galleries including Chuck Jones notching up 20 individual screenings during the festival ending with a Q&A. The film's success was announced at Val Kilmer's NM ranch in beautiful Fall weather.

Back in New York

Peter travelled to New York to see the screening of The Astronomer's Sun as it played the opening night of New York's Imagine Science Film Festival. A week long event dedicated to films with real or imagined science connection. "One of the best venues and screening events I've attended. There was a real buzz and an evening of films all with great concepts or ideas informing their reality." A number of my US family travelled to the festival which coincided with the end of John Lennon's 70th Birthday week making it quite a party.

Art Show

Images from our film appeared in an innovative mobile art show put on as part of the Santa Fe Film Festival. The mobile art bus travelled to different screening venues during the festival as part of the festival's marketing.