Who We Are

Animated Exeter is the leading public animation festival in the UK. Initiated in 1999 and developed by Exeter City Council, Animated Exeter is now an independent festival, attracting an audience of around 20,000 annually. The festival takes place over February half term with the following aims, to excite and inspire young people, encourage and foster talent and showcase high quality animation.

These are achieved by a year round programme of workshops for schools and young people in the South West, with information about further education and career paths into the animation industry; competitions for animators; showcasing high quality international animation and curating exhibitions to entertain and inform the public.

The festival is directed by Susannah Shaw with project co-ordinator Sara Squire and education co-ordinator Kari Nygaard. Jayne Pilling, Director of the British Animation Awards, is an advisor for the film programme.

Brief History of Animated Exeter

Animated Exeter is the South West’s leading independent animation film festival and the longest running. It was founded in 1999 by Exeter City Council, going independent as a private company in 2009, and has expanded from an initial visitor attendance of 400 to well over 20,000 in 2010.

The festival now shows in the region of 140 animated films featuring work from the best in the business. Over the past 11 years we have attracted high-profile guests from the international animation scene, including Aardman Animations, Ray Harryhausen, Bill Plympton, Suzie Templeton and Michael Dudok de Wit.

Our strength lies in our informative exhibition and education programmes, so as well as attracting animation royalty and screening the best of national and international animation, we exhibit how the world of animation works through exhibitions such as The Folimange Adventure (2003), A New Canvas (2005) looking at the history of computer animation; Illustration to Animation (2006) and Tales from the Golden West (2009).

Our aims are met through our growing partnerships with schools, colleges, universities, arts organisations, galleries and venues in the South West, and with generous funding from Exeter City Council, Arts Council England and the British Film Institute.

The festival attracts a wide range of interest from students, professionals and the industry locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. As well as the vast film screening programme around 5,600 attendees partake in an extensive programme of workshops and free events. In 2011, 20,000+ visited the free exhibitions over the festival fortnight and wider exhibition periods.

In 2010 Animated Exeter commissioned Rose Bond, from Portland, Oregon to create a large-scale site specific animated event for the festival - based at Exeter Castle and supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Broadsided! took the form of a narrative concerning justice and equality inspired by the history of Exeter's Crown Court.

In 2011 the festival commissioned Tundra* to create a large-scale narrative projection, Isca Obscura, on Exeter's iconic 12th Century Cathedral. The narrative centered on the history of Exeter and myths and legends surrounding the city and it's cathedral. Around 8,000 viewed the projection in Cathedral Yard from 18th to 20th February.

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