About this event
#kingstoonfest www.kingstoonfest.com KingstOOn 2016 is being launched as a 2-day Animation Conference, Marketplace and Film Festival as a part of the continued effort to catalyze the growth of the animation industry in Jamaica, and to continue attracting the attention of international clients.
In this instance, KingstOOn will extend the brand it established in 2013 as the home of premiere Jamaican animation to the quintessential biennial display of Caribbean animation and Afrodescendant culture and storytelling through animated media. In order to do so, KingstOOn 2016 will operate along three core themes: LEARN, EARN and DISPLAY. To operationalize these themes, KingstOOn 2016 will:
Facilitate the exposure of participants to more granular business topics, with more content specific workshops; Create a space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, via panels and networking events; Encourage the interaction between producers, buyers and consumers of content, via speed meetings and networking events; Catalyze the exchange of ideas and community of practice within Afrodescendant animators, via the first international Afrodescendant Animation Film Festival; Showcase Jamaica as a bedrock for Afrodescendant stories, academic exploration and ultimately animation production; Demonstrate animation as a viable economic option through its many manifestations (games, non-entertainment, features, etc.) The EVENT
KingstOOn 2016 is chocked full of content and opportunities. There will be: Expert Animation Panels offering understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the global industry and how can Jamaica position itself to take advantage of the current situation; and Animation Workshops to allow participating youths to interact directly with professional animators. Workshops will delve into the technical aspects of animation, with case studies, demonstrations of 2D and 3D software possibilities, as well as career development prospects with participating national and overseas colleges specializing in the trade.
The KingstOOn Emerging Animated Content Competition (KEACC) will showcase Jamaican and Caribbean talent currently working in the animation industry but also in related fields to allow participation of a broader pool of youths talented in the visual arts. The animation festival will comprise five different categories:
Best Storyboard; Best Character Design; Best Caribbean Short Film; Best Concept. The KingstOOn Pitch Competition will put the four (4) best teams from the KEACC in front of executives from major studios around the world to pitch their ideas and receive feedback live.
Finally, the KingstOOn International Film Festival (KIFF) is set to showcase International Afrodescendant Content. The animation festival will comprise five different categories:
Best Special Effects; Best Student Film; Best International Short Film; Best International Feature Film; People’s Choice. The OBJECTIVES
The objectives of KingstOOn 2016 are three-fold:
To provide participants, and in particular Caribbean animators and associated professionals, with the avenues to begin to LEARN the nuances of the global animation pipeline, by engaging directly global industry leaders in various aspects of the business of animation, including education; To create opportunities for participants to EARN from their engagement in animation at any level, by facilitating the creation of pitch decks and pairing pre-qualified individuals with potential content buyers within varying contexts; To DISPLAY Afrodescendant animated content in the first International Afrodescendant Animation Film Festival, by showcasing content developed by studios from around the world that speak to the afrodescendant reality (stories, images, music, customs…).