Jan 22, 2024

Nouns Fest Provides $1 Million in Short Animation Project Financing

Digital arts collective Nouns has announced a $1 million independent animated short film funding pool for the second annual Nouns Fest. The organization is now accepting short film pitches from projects interested in funding.

This is a unique opportunity for freelance animators and artists looking for work opportunities. The festival will fully fund the project in return for the filmmaker's use of existing characters from the Nouns NFT catalog, but all rights to the short animation, concept, and characters will remain with the filmmaker after production is complete.

According to the Nouns coordinator, Nouns is committed to maintaining a free marketplace of art and ideas. More detailed terms and conditions can be found on the Nouns Fest application page.

Funding for the festival and all Nouns activities comes from the sale of Nouns characters NFT, which are auctioned off to raise funds for open source technology, art, and public projects. It is up to the filmmakers to decide what they want to do with these characters.

Project submissions must include a creative pitch, a link to their portfolio, and contact details. All submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges, and approved projects will receive funding ranging from $7,500 to $20,000, depending on the length of the completed film.

Currently, Nouns is accepting pitches for short films of 30 seconds or longer, which can receive as little as $7,500 in financing. According to the organization, this initial open call is intended to cast the widest possible net and provide opportunities for filmmakers of all experience levels.

In late February or early March, Nouns will open a second call for submissions for projects longer than three minutes, and according to Nouns organizers, this new feature project platform was created this year to "provide season directors and animators with a more feature-length shorts this time around in order to give them a chance to tell a more complete story and build their worldview."

Nouns Fest was co-founded by Adult Swim's former head of development Walter Newman, independent animator Joel Calles, music director Joshua Fisher, and animator and director Goldie.

Speaking to Cartoon Brew about this year's festival, Eric Tauner, co-founder of Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and Nouns Fest, explained:

Empowering artists and animators to "do their thing" Giving them the ability to do their own thing is in Stoopid Buddy's DNA. The festival is not only a celebration of art, but also a demonstration of what can happen when artists are given real resources and encouraged to be their most creative.

Chris Waters, co-founder of Nouns Fest, added First, you have creative control. You can paint with your own brush. It's a rare opportunity to go wherever your passion takes you. Second, it is an opportunity to join a passionate and creative community from around the world. Two artists who participated in the first festival are talking about making a short film together. The festival brings artists together to celebrate the film form, and we are excited to see where it goes. Also, rest assured, this is real money. All short films will premiere at the festival, and afterwards, artists may submit them to their own accounts.

Last year's inaugural Nouns Fest attracted top-notch independent filmmakers, including:

Australian filmmaker Lachlan Pendragon, who won the Student Academy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award.

BAFTA-winning Purple and Brown creator Rich Webber.

A post shared by Rich Webber (@waaber)

Annecy and BAFTA award winner Ainslie Henderson (I Am Tom Moody, The Making of Longbird)

Annecy competition Paris-based stop-motion filmmaker Victor Haegelin (aka Patagraph), who directed the music video for Orelsan's "La Quête" screened in the section.

A post shared by Victor Haegelin (@patagraph)