Female Figures

It’s almost time for the third edition of Female Figures at London International Animation Festival. This year I am focusing my attention on women making science fiction inspired, animated shorts, given the popularity of this genre and recent discussions around Love, Death and Robots, which I’m not even going to start debating here but you may be aware that some of the content was rather misogynistic and the talent was all male. Suffice to say it was an example of how Sci-Fi is still viewed to be a ‘male’ genre, made for a male audience, even though there are many women artists who are as excited by the potential of scientific and technological innovation, and moreover as artists excel at using technology in the creation of their work.

In my selection, the animators imagine brave new worlds whilst placing women at the heart of these speculative stories. Our contributors, from across the planet, choose to take their protagonist on interstellar travel, imagine the impact of an alien presence on our world or merge parallel universes, as a way in which to reflect on the way in which we navigate our own world. Given the tumultuous times we find ourselves in, where we are witnessing women’s rights being eroded, it is no surprise that in several fantastical and satirical works we’re presented with future scenarios where the more sinister side of authority, political ideology and surveillance are being challenged. And linked with this is the role that artificial intelligence, smart technology and synthetic biology might play in our futures, as considered in some of the perceptive and playful shorts you will find here.

Pioneer Mary Shelley wrote the sensational Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus back in 1818, which will always be one of my favourite novels, and earlier this year the phenomenal Margaret Atwood launched her latest Dystopian novel The Testaments. Women creating Sci-Fi is not a new phenomenon, but one we need to revere.

I’ll be discussing the themes of the programme with featured artist animators Katerina Athanasopoulou, Flóra Anna Buda, and Chiara Sgatti, plus experimental animation academic Lilly Husbands.

Book your ticket now, click here.

Programme:

Slug Life, Sophie Koko Gate

Desire Line, Ruini Shi

Vicarious, Danna Grace (Dan G) Windsor

The Thing I Left Behind, Chiara Sgatti

Burn Out, Cécile Carre

Stellar, Laura Højberg Kunov

The Law of Celly, Mariola Brillowska

Ursa Minor, Yearin Lee

Toxic, Patricia Luna

Spacedogs, Sophia Schonborn

Entropia, Flóra Anna Buda 

Her Voice, Katerina Athanasopoulou & Eleni Ikoniadou

With Special thanks to Balassi Institute: Hungarian Cultural Centre

Image: Ursa Minor, Yearin Lee