Los Angeles Shorts International Film Fest chugs uphill to new animated heights
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In its 27th iteration, which wrought record-breaking on-site attendance, LA Shorts International Film Festival ascended to new heights of animation pedigree. THE BRAVE LOCOMOTIVE, Andrew Pierce Chesworth’s homage to classic 2D Merrie Melodies and Disney fare, earned the Best Animation honor and immediately became qualified for Academy Award consideration. Additionally, the Fest hosted multiple visually stunning shorts from HBO Max’s ONLY YOU: AN ANIMATED SHORTS COLLECTION, the University of Southern California (USC), and talented indie creators, such as Vishavjit Singh and Ryan Westra (AMERICAN SIKH), Linda Malik and Brainstorm Productions (WILLOW’S TALE), Jour Majesty, a.k.a. Michael C. Perry(WALLS), and Chelsea Heard (CURLS).
Filmmaker Andrew Chesworth overflowed with excitement. “My crew and I couldn’t be more grateful for THE BRAVE LOCOMOTIVE winning Best Animation at its LA Shorts International Film Fest premiere! THE BRAVE LOCOMOTIVE had a very long, noncontiguous production journey, so it was a profound gift to feel love reflected back by audience members. The film wouldn’t be what it is without the brilliant music by Tom Hambleton. I was thrilled to see his work get so much deserved affection in the panel after the screening!”
LA Shorts International Film Festival dedicated Wednesday, July 26 to the bulk of its animation offerings, including a Q & A with select filmmakers and an interactive panel of animation and visual effects veterans. In attendance were representatives from HBO Max competition films YELLOW BIRD and WELCOME TO 8TH STREET; The Backseat Lovers viral stop-motion music video SNOWBANK BLUES; and several collaborators from the 17 titles in this programming block. Industry pros on the animation career panel included entertainment executives Terry Kalagian (Gaumont) and John Andrews (Cosmos-Maya, Los Angeles Animation Film Festival); voice director Kristi Reed (SUMMER CAMP ISLAND); writer/creator Jeffrey Reddick…
