DIRECTOR BARRY JC PURVES, ANIMAC 2024 ANIMATION MASTER AWARD
The British creator will receive the award at the 28th International Animated Film Festival of Catalonia to be held in Lleida from February 15 to 18, 2024
Animac will schedule a retrospective of his works, the most complete ever done
The 28th edition of Animac, the International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia, organized by Lleida City Council from February 15 to 18, 2024, awards the Animation Master Award to Barry JC Purves (United Kingdom, 1955), director , animator and screenwriter nominated for the Oscar and BAFTA awards who combines, with mastery and deep knowledge, the most personal animation with stage direction for theater. His films, highly theatrical and often controversial, have won more than seventy awards around the world and can be seen in Lleida in an extensive retrospective that Animac will dedicate to the British creator, the most complete ever made. In addition, Purves will teach a workshop for animation students at the Leandre Cristòfol Municipal Art School.
In one edition dedicated to diversity, it is an honor for Animac to receive this master of the most artisanal stop motion, with a long career in the world of animation, who deals in his films with very intimate themes with exquisite sensitivity and who was one of the first animators who openly discussed homosexuality in their film “Achilles” (United Kingdom, 1995). The extraordinary puppets, manufactured by Mackinnon and Saunders, in Purves’ films take on an unprecedented humanity.
The mastery of Purves has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Crystal of Honor at the latest edition of the Annecy Festival. He has published two books on stop motion animation technique, holds an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University and received the John Owens Prize from the University of Manchester. Cas an unavoidable reference in animation, he worked in the initial phases of two important Hollywood productions: “Mars Attacks!” (United States, 1996) by Tim Burton and “King Kong”(United States, 2005) by Peter Jackson.
His filmography more personal is made up of the films “Next”(United Kingdom, 1989) the complete works of Shakespeare in five minutes; “Screen Play” (United Kingdom, 1992) the story of Willow Pattern told through Kabuki, nominated for best animated short film at the 1993 Oscars; “Rigoletto” (United Kingdom, 1993) a version of Verdi’s opera; “Achilles” (United Kingdom, 1995), a very adult portrait of the Iliad; “Gilbert and Sullivan” (UK, 1998) using his words and music to re-explain his stormy relationship; “Hamilton Mattress” (UK, 2001) a film about an antbone’s attempt to survive the corrupt world of showbiz; “Plume” (United Kingdom, 2010); “Tchaikovsky” (Moscow, 2012) an elegy using Tchaikovsky’s music and pieces from his diary and letters, and “No Ordinary Joe” (United Kingdom, 2021), inspired by the life of Marion Barbara “Joe” Carstairs, the film explores the most extraordinary and longest relationship between a daring and colorful lesbian and Toddie, the young man who was the love of her life and who turned out to be a neat little hand puppet.
In addition to its More personal films, Purves has participated, mainly through the Cosgrove Hall animation studio, in the best British puppet animation series and children’s programs for television channels such as the BBC and Channel Four. These works include “Rainbow” (1972-1997), “Chorlton and the Wheelies” (1979), “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” (1980), “The Wind in the Willows” (1981-1986), “Rupert Bear” (2007), “Postman Pat” (2005-2007), “Bob the Builder” (“Bob, the handyman”) (2011) and “The Sound Collector”(2023 ), either as an animator or director.
ANIMAC 2024 “DIVERSITY”
Animac will have as The theme is diversity in animated cinema under the motto “Diversity”. In recent years the animated film industry has been taking steps towards greater diversity in terms of voices, stories and characters. Studies have recognized the importance of reflecting the richness of human experiences, representing not only diverse cultures, but also a variety of gender identities, sexual orientations, and physical and cognitive abilities.
Diversity will be the leitmotiv of a program that will be announced later to receive in Lleida the best of animated cinema with monographic and retrospective sessions, in addition to a careful selection of recently created short and feature films from around the world, conferences and masterclasses for all types of public.
In addition to being Presenting the theme of diversity in films, the next edition of Animac is open to integrating groups that have been working for years and demand inclusion from different perspectives. The spaces will be adapted, there will be a Punt Lila, and relaxed sessions designed for people with special needs will be scheduled, among other new features.