The fourth annual Animation Dingle festival is scheduled to take place on the small Kerry peninsula on March 18-19.
The festival, co-founded by John Rice of Jam media and is partnered with the Dingle International Film Festival, is now almost sold out, according to festival organisers.
Speaking about the festival, James Hickey, Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board said: “The Irish animation industry is a major player on the world stage producing consistently award winning content, playing to millions of audiences all over the world. The Irish Film Board is the largest funder of Irish creative talent producing animation film and television content in Ireland and we are very proud of the work achieved by the industry to date. We believe that there is huge potential for growth in this area and we are delighted to support this Animation Dingle which we hope we present further co-production opportunities in Ireland as well as inspiring the next generation of young animation students."
Over the course of the two day event key decision makers from Amazon, BBC, Disney, RTÉ and Nickelodeon will share insights into the many opportunities that exist in this growing and vibrant sector. Students will get to mingle with industry professionals in a thought provoking, inspiring and fun environment.
Animation Dingle is reporting that animation industry in Ireland is booming, generating almost €100 million euros into the economy with profits growing year on year. Poised to become one of the country’s highest grossing exports, a total of 85% of work is already created for overseas companies.
Eileen Bell development advisor of Enterprise Ireland attributes economic investment in the industry as a key factor to its success; “There is a high level of R&D activity in companies with their development of new technologies, technically sophisticated production facilities, continuous up skilling and culture of keeping abreast of the latest technology.”
The industry is constantly growing, having doubled in growth since 2014 and there was a 12% increase in SME animation creation between 2013 and 2014. There are over 650 highly skilled people employed in full time employment, alongside over 1000 skilled contract workers employed on ongoing projects.
Many industry leaders from Ireland and abroad attend Animation Dingle to discover new talent and inspire future creative partnerships. Events like the speed pitching session and numerous workshops over the two day festival help to prepare the students for a career in animation. The festival also celebrates their creativity with the Animation Dingle Student Awards. Animation Dingle hopes to prepare young animators to grow the already successful story of animation in Ireland and internationally.
This year, keynote speeches will be delivered by Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming for Amazon Studios, USA and David Levine, General Manager of Disney Channels UK & Ireland.
This year’s Murukami Award is being presented to Don Bluth and Gary Goldman who were instrumental in helping establish Ireland as a hotbed of animation. Their studio employed over 400 people in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s where they made blockbuster features such as ‘An American Tale’ and ‘The Land before Time’.
In 2016, the focus is on emerging talent with the Student Animation Awards., there’s 14 categories of awards for students, and prizes include high end animation software, and leather bound sketch books, custom made in Dingle.
For more information on Animation Dingle as well as other speakers and creative masterclasses taking place this year, visit www.animationdingle.com.
