Another memorable trip was filled with festival events and screenings, school and studio visits—all connecting SVA Animation with the world.
SVA returned to the Annecy International Animation Festival in France this year with a larger presence and wider reach. Alongside 17,400 attendees from 103 countries, SVA faculty, staff and alumni made their mark on this major weeklong event with their contributions to official film selections, talent panels, industry-exclusive screenings and networking opportunities.
Three departments represented SVA: BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects, represented by chair Jimmy Calhoun (BFA 2003 Animation), and director of operations, Brian Frey; MFA Computer Arts, represented by director of operations Robert Campbell (MFA 2013 Fine Arts), administrative assistant Jack Meisterich and recent alumnus Ash Suh (MFA 2024 Computer Arts); and BFA Animation, represented by chair Hsiang Chin Moe (MFA 2008 Computer Art); director of operations, Angelica Vergel; assistant to the chair, Diego Guanzon (BFA 2015 Animation); as well as faculty members Sachio Cook (BFA 2011 Animation) and Luz Batista (BFA 2014 Animation).
Left to Right: Sachio Cook and Luz Batista; Titmouse's Chris Prynoski introducing the WTF 2024 screening; Joe Bennett presenting his new series Common Side Effects; Brian Frey, Chris Mauch and Jimmy Calhoun.
Left to Right: Sachio Cook and Luz Batista; Titmouse's Chris Prynoski introducing the WTF 2024 screening; Joe Bennett presenting his new series Common Side Effects; Brian Frey, Chris Mauch and Jimmy Calhoun.
Several SVA alumni were in the spotlight for their outstanding achievements in their animated work. Sachio Cook worked as an animator for two animated shorts selected for this year’s festival: Mike Judge's Beavis & Butt-Head: Sleepover and Hulu IDs – Season 2: Exquisite Corpse, from Titmouse, the studio co-founded by Chris Prynoski (BFA 1994 Animation) and Shannon Prynoski (BFA 1994 Film and Video). “The most touching part of the experience was how enthusiastic my SVA colleagues were about watching these projects on the big screen with me,” Cook said. “I came away from this experience feeling incredibly supported and embraced by my SVA and Titmouse community.” Additionally, Prynoski and Titmouse CCO Antonio Canobbio presented Midnight Specials: WTF 2024. This screening features 15 animated gems created by 17 animators who push the boundaries of animation and storytelling, embodying the true theme of “WTF.”
Joe Bennett (BFA 2008 Fine Arts), world-premiered his comedy series Common Side Effects, co-created with Steve Hely and produced by Adult Swim. Bennett and Hely were joined by Adult Swim’s president Michael Ouweleen, head of Original Comedy & Adult Animation Suzanna Makkos, and Bandera Entertainment President Dustin Davis for an in-depth conversation and Q&A about this special new series.
An emphasis on choreography and dance emerged as a focus of this year’s festival selections. Chris Mauch (BFA 2004 Computer Art, Animation & Visual Effects) co-directed Tumbleweed Tango, a short about a balloon dog lost in a dangerous world with only love and tango to possibly save him, which was featured in one of the dance-centric screenings.
Left: Vivenne Medrano at the WIA World Summit. Center: Alex Barsky and Zack Lydon with their risograph-printed animation short WIND. Right: Ash Suh pitching her and her thesis partner Wes Smith’s project Hero’s Journey.
Left: Vivenne Medrano at the WIA World Summit. Center: Alex Barsky and Zack Lydon with their risograph-printed animation short WIND. Right: Ash Suh pitching her and her thesis partner Wes Smith’s project Hero’s Journey.
Beyond the screenings, SVA had a strong presence in various presentations and panel discussions at the festival. Vivienne Medrano (BFA 2014 Animation) participated in the WIA (Women in Animation) World Summit, themed “Stronger Together: The Equitable Future of Animation,” sharing her experience with Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss as a showrunner, writer and creator. Medrano discussed technological advancements in the industry and shared her innovative practices and new methods of creating animation within new business models. Zack Lydon (BFA 2012 Computer Art, Animation & Visual Effects) and Alex Barsky (BFA 2013 Computer Art, Animation & Visual Effects), with their publishing company Zine Hug and in collaboration with TVPaint, demonstrated their risograph animation process through a beautiful thirty-second animation short titled WIND.
Recent MFA Computer Arts alumnus Ash Suh and their partner, Wes Smith, had an opportunity to present their thesis project, Hero’s Journey, at MIFA’s inaugural student pitch. They plan to develop their project into an ongoing web series. “I was able to practice pitching my thesis project …in a professional environment and receive feedback from seasoned pitch coaches,” says Suh. “Through the workshop and the festival, I met many really interesting and talented people from all over the world. I left Annecy feeling super inspired and motivated to continue my creative career!”
Left: Jimmy Calhoun, along with his panelists from Nickelodeon, Electroleague and Unreal Engine. Right: Hsiang Chin Moe with the filmmakers of Agua Dulce along with Mitra Shahidi, a story artist from Pixar.
Left: Jimmy Calhoun, along with his panelists from Nickelodeon, Electroleague and Unreal Engine. Right: Hsiang Chin Moe with the filmmakers of Agua Dulce along with Mitra Shahidi, a Story Artist from Pixar.
The chairs of BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects and BFA Animation had a full docket of events, panels and other programming. Jimmy Calhoun participated in the panel “From Pixels to Paychecks: Crafting Your Portfolio to Land Animation Job Opportunities” alongside Camille Eden, VP of Talent Development at Nickelodeon; Dave Mullins, CCO, animator, and director of Electroleague; and moderator Stacy Minero, global director of marketing at Unreal Engine. “The audience’s questions revealed that young artists worldwide share common concerns about their professional growth. Our conversation provided perspectives to help them enhance their portfolios and reels as they look for new opportunities,” Calhoun said. Hsiang Chin Moe, a member of the board of directors for WIA, was heavily involved in the summit and the working luncheon with numerous industry leaders, executives and studio owners. Both chairs discussed how the industry can and should collaborate to achieve gender justice.
Additionally, in her role as one of the jurors for 2024 Pixelatl’s Shortway program, Moe mentored two filmmakers from Costa Rica to pitch at the La Liga—Iberoamericana Latin American Shorts, Feature Film, and Series Pitch at MIFA. “It’s very inspiring to be able to foster talent from all over the world, beyond SVA, to present and showcase stories inspired by their own cultures,” she said. “Roque Vásquez and Daniela Capo did an amazing job with their pitch, and I truly can’t wait to see their 3D animated short film, Agua Dulce.”
Left: BFA Animation staff at the Titmouse WTF screening/party. Center: Brian Frey, Rachel Plant, and Jimmy Calhoun. Right: a group photo of BFA Animation alumni, including Daniel Kim, Luz Batista, Diego Guanzon, Sachio Cook and Amber Owen.
Left: BFA Animation staff at the Titmouse WTF screening/party. Center: Brian Frey, Rachel Plant, and Jimmy Calhoun. Right: a group photo of BFA Animation alumni, including Daniel Kim, Luz Batista, Diego Guanzon, Sachio Cook and Amber Owen.
The animation world is small, and it becomes even smaller at Annecy. Between screenings, master classes, presentations, various events and mixers or walking by the picturesque Lake Annecy, there are plenty of opportunities to make new connections or rekindle older ones. One such industry contact is Aardman Academy, the famous stop-motion animation studio’s training program with which the three departments collaborate, and which also had a presence at MIFA. This allowed staff to meet Rachel Plant, Aardman Academy’s producer, with whom they had only previously interacted virtually. Before moving back to New York City last summer, Luz Batista was based in Los Angeles and worked in various animation studios. “My favorite part of this journey is all the different folks I was able to meet with and connect the degrees of separation that make our industry so small! I’ve lived in LA and New York for many years and the surprise of meeting folks from both [places] in France couldn’t have been more serendipitous,” said Batista.
Jimmy Calhoun and Hsiang Chin Moe paid visits to (from left to right) School Brassart - Paris, Mikros Animation and GOBELINS Paris.
Jimmy Calhoun and Hsiang Chin Moe paid visits to (from left to right) School Brassart - Paris, Mikros Animation and GOBELINS Paris.
This year’s trip concluded with Jimmy Calhoun and Hsiang Chin Moe visiting Paris after the festival. Their goal was to deepen connections with the French animation industry. They visited several schools, including School Brassart - Paris, GOBELINS Paris & Annecy, and Paris College of Art, to discuss potential collaborations and exchange programs for SVA students. They also visited studios such as Mikros Animation and Superprod. Industry professionals shared their honest feedback and insights on how educators can better prepare students for industry readiness. “We are thrilled to return to Annecy each year as it connects SVA to the heart of the animation industry, where everyone gathers to share their passion,” said Moe. “Our presence is vital not only for student and educational outreach but also for showcasing the important role SVA plays now and in the future.”
Photo credits include Hsiang Chin Moe, Diego Guanzon, Angelica Vergel, Jimmy Calhoun, Brian Frey, Robert Campbell. Ash Suh, Luz Batista, Sachio Cook, and friendly people on the street in Annecy & Paris.
