ASIFA East animation festival

Last night my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of attending the ASIFA East animation awards screening with our good friends Brian Haimes and David Cowles. David won two awards for the design on his work with They Might Be Giants. The finish and clean design of David's work stood out above much of the award-winning animations.

Overall it was very fun and an interesting look at the New York independent animation scene, as well as spotting some commercial and advertising work. The event was fairly small and hosted what looked like 200+ individuals. All age ranges were present and all animation approaches were visible (with the exception of 3d animation a la Pixar), from light comedy to dark and sexual.

We had the chance to grab a drink and a bite to eat after the show, where mingling ensued. My friend Brian has worked for Bill Plympton, so he reintroduced us. Bill took a peek at Rejects and reminisced about his caricature days and why he moved to animation. Overall it was a fun night. Be sure to look in to the animation and art groups in your area or your professional field. There is much to be learned from each other.