Courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
The hybrid event offers in-person and online access, celebrating diverse storytelling, artistry, and innovation in animation.
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
Flushing Town Hall is set to host the 5th annual Crazy Talented Asians & Friends (CTAF) Animation Festival on Friday, December 6 at 6 p.m. This hybrid event, which will be held both in-person at Flushing Town Hall and live streamed on YouTube, promises to be an exciting evening of extraordinary short films and motion graphics created by Asian and Asian American artists from around the world.
The festival will feature a curated selection of the top 3% of over 1,000 submissions from across the globe, showcasing some of the most innovative and visually stunning animation and motion design work of the year. The films, which range in length from just a few minutes to about five minutes each, include a variety of genres and styles, each offering unique perspectives on storytelling, animation techniques, and sound design.
“Flushing Town Hall is proud to support emerging artists of Asian heritage and help amplify their voices and stories,” said Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. “This festival aligns with our mission to foster arts equity and celebrate diverse perspectives. In collaboration with Crazy Talented Asians & Friends, we are thrilled to provide a platform that celebrates unique, innovative storytelling and showcases the incredible talent in our community. Audiences can expect an inspiring evening filled with imagination, resilience, and cultural pride.”
The event will kick off with a screening of several award-winning films, including Express Photo, Sheep Shapes, and Sprout. These films, selected for their exceptional artistry and storytelling, will be followed by a lively post-screening mixer at 7:30 p.m., where attendees will have the chance to meet the filmmakers, engage with industry professionals, and discuss the creative process behind these remarkable works.
Still shot from one of the winning films, “CHAIN” by Lin Han
Flushing Town Hall will host the 5th annual Crazy Talented Asians & Friends Animation Festival on December 6, featuring top global short films and motion graphics by Asian and Asian American artists.
“New York City, the epicenter of creativity, is the best place to experience the wonder of animation on the big screen and mingle with other animators and motion designers,” said Ming-I Huang, Guest Producer at Flushing Town Hall. “Motion graphic design is a powerful tool for creatives and all businesses. We are thrilled to also present the winners in this new category selected by the industry experts on the CTAF jury.”
The CTAF Animation Festival was founded in 2019, coinciding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the event was held entirely online, giving it a global reach but limiting the opportunity for in-person community building. Over the past five years, the festival has grown in scope, with increasing participation from emerging animators and motion designers. The 2023 festival saw hundreds of attendees at Flushing Town Hall, and this year’s hybrid model, combining live screenings and online access, is expected to draw an even larger audience.
“They are short films, usually around five minutes or less, and it’s just such a fantastic way of telling stories,” Huang said. “We have stories about personal journeys all the way up to something cute. Like this year, we have a work based on a famous tourist place in China, where the monkeys are notorious for snatching tourists’ cameras. It’s called Express Photo, and in just two minutes, it captures the funny, silly interactions between the tourists and the monkey family of five.”
The festival is not only about celebrating artistic achievements but also about fostering community and providing a support network for up-and-coming artists. Many of the participating animators are still in the early stages of their careers, and the festival offers them valuable exposure and the chance to connect with industry professionals who can help guide their careers forward.
“One of the winners this year is called Chain. It’s a take from a very ancient Chinese proverb, over 2,000 years old, about struggling as a student in the U.S. while pursuing animation art,” Huang said. “It’s something a lot of other immigrants can relate to—how you struggle, triumph, and face more challenges, but ultimately have personal victories.”
The films featured in the Crazy Talented Asians & Friends Animation Festival are selected through a rigorous, multi-step process. Submissions are judged in five key categories: storytelling, artistry, animation techniques, sound design, and editing. Each film is evaluated by a panel of professional animators and industry experts, including faculty members from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City.
“Animation is such a versatile art form,” Huang said. “It’s a way to tell stories that resonate with people of all ages. Parents can watch with their kids. A lot of high school students are very interested in animation art because of all the superheroes, but it’s another way to use animation to express themselves.”
This year’s festival includes films in several categories, including best 3D animation, best motion design, best stop-motion animation, and best sound design. Each category features innovative work that demonstrates the growing diversity and talent within the Asian and Asian American animation community.
In addition to the films, the festival will also highlight the growing role of motion graphic design, an art form that combines animation with graphic design to create powerful visual narratives for both commercial and artistic purposes.
“Motion design is such a versatile and impactful medium,” Huang said. “From branding to advertising to digital media, it’s used everywhere. It’s exciting to see so many talented animators exploring this space and using it to tell compelling stories.”
The Crazy Talented Asians & Friends Animation Festival is particularly significant in its focus on amplifying the voices of Asian and Asian American artists. Huang, who is deeply involved in the animation community, emphasized the importance of providing a platform for these artists to share their work in an industry that has often overlooked their contributions.
For Huang, the festival is also a way to build a stronger, more connected community of Asian and Asian American animators.
“We really want people to come and have fun, to see a fantastic hour in sound and motion,” Huang said. “The artists are so talented, and it’s such a fantastic experience. We had 175 people at the Town Hall last year, and no one wanted to leave!”
The Crazy Talented Asians & Friends Animation Festival will take place on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing, N.Y. Tickets for the in-person event are available for purchase through the Flushing Town Hall website at tinyurl.com/AnimationFest.
For those who are unable to attend in person, the festival will be live streamed for free on YouTube, making it accessible to more viewers.
