Deepen the US/France Collaboration via Animation First 2025

2025 marks the 8th year of the Animation First Festival, hosted by L’Alliance New York to showcase French and Francophone animation to U.S. audiences. This festival is especially dear to my heart, not only because it takes place in New York City, but also because of the programmers' thoughtful curation and their commitment to connecting the French and Francophone animation communities with my own SVA and Women in Animation communities. The festival features screenings of feature-length and short films, conversations with creators, VR experiences, sneak peeks of upcoming projects, and a Student Short Film Competition.

Every year, I am invited to moderate one of the filmmaker talks, and I had the honor for this year’s “The Legends of Paris”. Moderating this Q&A was a profound experience, as this animation production resonates deeply with me because it celebrates both history and the history of art. The parallels between the 19th century and today’s world, particularly with the rapid advancement of technology, women’s rights movement, media influence, etc., make this film especially timely. Hearing from director Amélie Harrault, co-writer Céline Ronté, and producers Judith Nora & Priscilla Bertin not only shed light on their creative process but also reinforced the importance of looking to history for insight. Ultimately, storytelling is about the people who bring these narratives to life, ensuring they endure for generations to come.

This year’s student film competition included five films from SVA: BUCKSHOT by Kaye Diaz (BFA Animation, 2024), Inter-Dimensional Girl & The Thing of No Real Cosmic Significance by Cris Mestre (BFA Animation, 2024), The Dream Factory by Jiyoon Oh and Hyojin Shim (BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects, 2024), Open Mind, Open Heart by Avery Pendleton (BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects, 2024), and LACRIMOSA by Aaron Sams (BFA Animation, 2024). Other student films represented work from the French schools Rubika, Gobelins, L’École Émile-Cohl, Ecole des Nouvelles Images, as well as the American schools CalArts, SCAD, and USC. Student representatives from each school formed a peer jury to select two top prizes. The French students awarded the prize for the American films, while the American students determined the winner among the French films. The two students representing SVA were Addison Fujimoto (BFA Animation) and Ellie Hui (BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects).

“It was such an honor to be a student juror for L'Alliance!,” Hui said about her experience. “I had so much respect for the jurors since they were all very passionate about film-making, and we had a lot of back-and-forth when it came to deciding which film should be Grand Prix. It oddly felt like a good brain exercise since we dove into a lot of visual, narrative, and musical analyses to try to come to a consensus. Overall, a very inspiring experience and I got to meet some cool people!” Fujimoto shared similar feelings about the opportunity, “ I had a really excellent time in the jury, and getting to connect with animation students from other schools and view completed thesis films as a current thesis student was a highlight for me. My favorite film of the bunch, unfortunately, wasn't selected for an award, however, I was given the time to plead its case. It unfortunately didn't make it into the final round. Overall it was a very exciting and enjoyable experience.”

On February 8, 2025, SVA’s BFA Animation and BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects programs will host a screening of films that participated in the Franco-American Student Short Film Competition, along with the premiere of the work from this year’s Animation Jam, at the SVA Theatre. This is the third year Animation First has hosted the Animation Jam, which brings together students from France and America to complete an animation sequence in 48 hours. The student teams created sequences in the animation mediums of their choice while incorporating an image provided by Boris Labbé. SVA had two teams participating and they were led by BFA Animation students, Laila Hollins and Micah Sanders. Hollins shared, “The experience was pretty fun. Going through the entire animation production process with my friends was very enjoyable and it definitely helped me imagine how the 3rd year group film could go.” and “I enjoyed the time spent with my team and meeting the underclassmen. The on-the-spot problem solving and mixed media exploration before our group film officially kicks up was also cool,” said Sanders.

SVA has always enjoyed collaborating with friends and colleagues in France. L’Alliance New York’s Animation First provides a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our relationships with French colleagues and deepen our appreciation of French Animation right here in New York City.