The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival (MSMFF) will hold its 8th edition on 16, 17 and 18 of September 2016. The call for entries is now open and will end at midnight EST on 30 June 2016.
Entry to the festival is free, and there are no fees for submitting a film. The films have to be under 30 minutes long and, of course, use stop-motion animation or, as recently added in last year’s festival, pixilation. Pixilation is defined as a stop-motion technique using persons to create animation frame by frame. In the case of mixed media, a content of 75% of stop-motion animation or pixilation is required for eligibility. More details and information on film submissions can be found on the MSMFF website.
The festival was created in 2009 by Érik Goulet, a stop-motion animation teacher at Concordia University. The event aims to gather professionals and independent creators alike as well as enthusiasts and fans of all ages for a truly unique cinematic experience. There are screenings, talks and awards for best academic, independent and professional film, and also best the public prize. Each winner receives an award called “The Little Henry” (above), which is a fully functional ball and socket armature. Goulet, the festival’s director, has been constructing these armatures since 1988.
To find out about 2015’s winners, read more about the festival here. Last year’s festival was a great success, with an estimated 9% increase in attendees. Its popularity is clearly growing and helping this form of intricate animation stay alive.
Check out the fascinating variety of stop-motion in their promo video below:
Would you like to visit the festival? Are you interested in submitting your stop-motion film?
Edited by: Kajsa Rain Forden