Babelgum Adds to Jury, Extends Deadline

The Babelgum Animatron Film Festival has added three members to its jury, including animation legend Bill Plympton, and extended its submission deadline to Aug. 29.

Joining Plympton on the panel are Saraswathi Balgam, managing director, Rhythm and Hues Studios, ASIFA India; and Peruvian native Frank Rivera, whose credits include Kappa Mikey and Speed Racer: The Next Generation.

The festival, which features online, mobile and offline competition for animation, will award cash prizes and culminate in a public screening program at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The event will include a symposium on ‘The Future of Animation’ featuring panelists from major studios and television networks, leading filmmakers, and some of the pioneers of animation.

The newly added jurors will join RotoScope pioneer Tommy Pallotta (Snack and Drink, Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly), industry leader and visual-effects producer Charlotte Bavasso (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Nexus Productions), and animators Pete Bishop (Bromwell High, Captain Star), Isaac Littlejohn Eddy (Anatomy of a Dog Show, Capturing King) and Jeffrey Scher (Paper View, Lost and Found, Tulips).

Submissions will be available for global viewing at www.babelgum.com/animatron and on the free Babelgum mobile apps in mid September. Votes for the audience award can be placed online or via the mobile apps. Attendees at the Hamptons International Film Festival will also have a chance to cast votes for the Audience Awards, which will be tabulated together with online/mobile audience votes.

Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on Aug. 29. Further information about the cash awards, categories, submission specifications, and regulations, including deadlines for viewing and voting, are available at www.babelgum.com/animation-film-festival