Animation Block Party

Brooklyn’s Animation Block Party Kicks Off This Friday

Published on August 18, 2020

More fans of quirky and classic toons will be able to take in the ultra-hep Brooklyn festival this year than ever before, as Animation Block Party 2020 gears up to launch streaming screenings, virtual after parties and unique special programs accessible anywhere with internet. The 17th annual event, presented through the Brooklyn Academy of Music, runs Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23. All programs are free to view with a suggested donation to either Black Lives Matter of Greater NY or City Harvest for COVID-19 support.

The weekend gets off to an animated start at 9 p.m. EST Friday with the ABP Opening Night, featuring the live animated comedy stylings of Picture This streaming via Zoom at the Littlefield NYC Virtual Stage. Picture This is performed by comedians Ian Fidance, Brandie Posey, Sonia Denis, Calise Hawkins and Jaye McBride, with animation by Mike Hollingsworth, Bryan Brinkman, Rotimi Olowu, Tayen Kim and McBride.

The streaming film program launches at 9 a.m. EST Saturday morning and will be available online until midnight on Sunday (not all shorts will be available for digital playback). Programs include Animated East Coast, highlighting a diverse group of filmmakers sharing personal stories and hopeful notions in these uncertain times, including Don’t Touch Your Face! by Leah Shore, Lizard Ladder by Ted Wiggin and Ciervo by Pilar Garcia-Frenandezsesma.

Don’t Touch Your Face

Animation for Kids is a delightful family-friendly mix of studio pilots (Monster Beach), indie shorts (Empty Nest), student films (My Pet Venus) and international gems (Lamput). Or, trip out with design-centric journeys in the Experimental, Graphic Design and Music Videos lineup. The Independent Animators showcase is a can’t-miss selection of eclectic auteur works ready to take viewers through alternate worlds, historical interpretations, karmic retribution and urban visual cues — including the latest from three-time Sundance selected animator Stephen Irwin, Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother.

Monster Beach

Saturday night’s virtual party starts at 6 p.m. EST, featuring a live 16mm telestream from Tommy Strathes’ Cartoons On Film, packed with surreal and stimulating classics from Bray Studios, Fleischer, Van Beuren and more, followed by Q&A.

But be sure to rest up for a marathon of International Shorts and Student Shorts all Sunday (split into two programs each). Check out the next generation of talent coming out of esteemed U.S. and international film schools such as CalArts, University of Arts, RISD, Sheridan USC, Pratt, RCA Animation, Gobelins and Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. The international shorts programs present award-winning films that dive into incredible dreamscapes and inescapable emotions. Selections include Guy Charnaux’s Nox Insomnia (Brazil), Michaela Mihalyi’s SH_T Happens (Czech Rep./Slovakia/France), Marv Newland’s Katalog of Flaws (Canada), Mohsen Rezapour’s Eaten (Iran), Héloïse Ferlay’s To the dusty sea (France) and more.