Festival Data:

• Established: 1969
• Genre: Animation - Games (click to see)

• Competitive
• Retrospective
• Has Panels
• Has Seminars

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The jewel of the New York ASIFA-East chapter is its animation festival It appeals to professional and novice alike – no preselection committee to eliminate films and is casual enough for students and veteran animators to mingle, discuss and toast the subject they love best – animation. The festival premiered in 1969, four years after ASIFA-East began as a chapter of the Association Internationale du’Film D’Animation when Pierre Barbin, then president of the Association, came to New York to announce ASIFA-East’s formation.

Independent animators were rare at that time because of a lack of outlets. The existing film festivals that dotted the globe were predominantly live-action events that gave an occasional nod toward frame-by-frame productions. With the release of "Yellow Submarine" in 1968, independent animation took an inspired turn.

A circle of informal diehard ASIFA-East members-the board-selects monthly screenings. All of the chapter’s 400 diverse members are welcome at these joking and punning sessions where ideas are tossed about and the newsletter is stapled and stamped for mailing.