Dec 8, 2023

New York Animation First Announces 2024 Festival Program.

The Alliance Française (FIAF) has announced the program lineup for the 7th edition of Animation First, which will take place in New York City from January 23-28, 2024.

The six-day event will showcase the heritage and innovation of French-speaking animation through feature and short film screenings, "first look" presentations, filmmaker discussions, and a student short film competition.

Next year, for the first time ever, Animation First will feature a competition juried by the Francophone Shorts Program. The jury will consist of experienced industry professionals, including Marco de Blois, artistic director of Sommets du cinéma d'animation, director and animator Candy Kugel ("Last Time") and illustrator Marcos Chin.

Another addition planned for 2024 is Animation First's Animation Speak/Easy event, a bi-monthly series based in New York City that will feature three guest artists and talks. The guest speaker for Animation First will be announced soon.

For the upcoming Animation First, FIAF commissioned legendary illustrator and character designer Peter de Sève to design the festival poster. De Sève has worked for 30 years on major animated films, including "Ice Age," "Finding Nemo," and "A Bug's Life. He has also drawn numerous covers for The New Yorker magazine. In addition to designing posters, de Sève will be at the festival to give a talk titled "My Wonderful Life on the Hamster Wheel."

Animation First 2024 will highlight Quebec animation for the first time, featuring Montreal filmmaker Joel Vaudreuil's "When Adam Changes," Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Janet Perlman's ("The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin") will be screened.

The Animation Jam, which will return at the 2024 festival, is a 48-hour animation process. Animation First will also bring back AR/VR experiences in the FIAF Library, including the U.S. premieres of Gaudi, God's Studio and Plastisapiens. Graphic designer and filmmaker Zaven Najjar (Artistic Director of The Siren) will also be on hand to present his debut film, "Allah is Not Obligatory," in a First Look session.

Animation First 2024 will feature seven features, with FIAF opening with Jeremy Perrin's sci-fi noir drama "Mars Express" and making its US premiere with Sepideh Farsi and Zaven Najjar's "The Siren". The feature lineup includes:

Animation First 2024 will host six short film sections, including:

Animation First will be programmed by FIAF film curators Delphine Selz-Alvarez and Chloe Dew It will be programmed by According to Serres-Alvarez,

this year's festival will explore thought-provoking themes such as "When Adam Changed," "Sirens," and "Mars Express," as well as epic worlds like "Sirocco," "The Kingdom of the Airstream," and the new VR experience "Gaudi, God's Studio." The festival celebrates the power of animation to Including a limited edition first poster by illustrator Peter de Sève, the FIAF underscores its mission to celebrate animation as a cinematic art form, not just a genre for younger audiences.

Tickets for Animation First are available at an early bird discount until December 22. Click here for more information.