The Animation Showcase

Traveling screening of animated short films

The Animation Showcase

Status	Active
Genre	Screening
Frequency	Quarterly
Venue	Soho House, Pixar, DreamWorks, Laika, Disney Animation Studios, Google, Cartoon Network, Nexus Productions, Blur Studio
Established	2016 (2016)
Founder	Benoit Berthe Siward
Most recent	1 February 2022 (2022-02-01)
Website	www.animationshowcase.com

The Animation Showcase is a travelling film screening collection, showcasing animated short films.

Background

With the support of the private members club Soho House,^[1] the showcase started in 2016 with the goal of finding upcoming creative talents in the animation industry and promoting animation in the creative industry.^[2]^[3]^[4] The Animation Showcase hosts a yearly "Best of the Year" screening, highlighting films that are likely to become shortlisted and eventual nominees for the Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film category.

The Animation Showcase has been screened in major animation studios, startups, and locations, including Pixar Animation Studios, Laika, Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Google San Francisco, YouTube London,^[5] Blur Studio, Cartoon Network, and Soho House (London, New York, Berlin, Shoreditch East London).

The Animation Showcase became available worldwide for members of the film industry via its own streaming platform,^[6]^[7]^[8] which was created during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[9]

Screening format

The screening lasts around an hour and ends with a question-and-answer session with invited filmmakers. From 2015 until 2018, the screenings were free entrance and/or by invitation.

Screening selections

Best of the year

Traveling mostly in Europe and the US, the "Best of the Year" showcase highlights animated short films, months before the official announcement of Academy Awards nominations.^[3]

Best of 2016

(Premiered in September 2016 Soho House Dean Street.)

Inner Workings by Leo Matsudas, (Shortlisted at the 89th Oscars)
Borrowed Time by Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj, (Nominated at the 89th Oscars)
Blind Vaysha by Theodore Ushev, (Nominated at the 89th Oscars)
The Head Vanishes by Frank Dion, (Shortlisted at the 89th Oscars)
Piper by Alan Barillaro, (Academy Award Winner at the 89th Oscars)
Peripheria by David Coquard-Dassault, (Qualified at the 89th Oscars)
To Build a Fire by Fx Goby, (Qualified at the 89th Oscars)

Best of 2017

(Premiered in October 2017 at Soho House Dean Street.)

Garden Party by Illogic Collective, (Nominated at the 90th Oscars)
Negative Space by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, (Nominated at the 90th Oscars)
Dear Basketball by Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant, (Academy Award Winner at the 90th Oscars)
Lou by Dave Mullins and Dana Murray, (Nominated at the 90th Oscars)
In a Heartbeat by Esteban Bravo and Beth David, (Shortlisted at the 90th Oscars)
Wednesday With Goddard by Nicolas Menard, (Qualified at the 90th Oscars)
The Burden by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, (Qualified at the 90th Oscars)

Best of 2018

(Premiered in October 2018 at Blue Sky Studios USA.)

Bilby by Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, and JP Sans (Shortlisted at the 91st Oscars)
Late Afternoon by Louise Bagnall (Nominated at the 91st Oscars)
Weekends by Trevor Jimenez (Nominated at the 91st Oscars)
Bao by Domee Shi (Academy Award Winner at the 91st Oscars)
Grandpa Walrus by Lucrèce Andreae (Shortlisted at the 91st Oscars)
La Noria by Carlos Baena (Qualified at the 91st Oscars)
One Small Step by Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas (Nominated at the 91st Oscars)
Hybrids by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Yohan Thireau, Matthieu Pujol, and Romain Thirion (Qualified at the 91st Oscars)

Best of 2019

(Premiered in October 2019 at Blue Sky Studios USA.)

Maestro by Bloom Pictures (Qualified at the 92nd Oscars)
My Moon by Eusong Lee (Qualified at the 92nd Oscars)
The Ostrich Politic by Mohammad Houhou (Qualified at the 92nd Oscars)
Mémorable by Bruno Collet (Nominated at the 92nd Oscars)
Kitbull by Rosana Sullivan (Nominated at the 92nd Oscars)
Coaster by Amos Sussigan (Qualified at the 92nd Oscars)
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry (Academy Award Winner at the 92nd Oscars)
Les Mans 1955 by Quentin Baillieux (Qualified at the 92nd Oscars)
Uncle Thomas by Regina Pessoa (Shortlisted at the 92nd Oscars)
Hors Piste by Oscar Malet, Léo Brunel, Camille Jalabert, and Loris Cavalier (Shortlisted at the 92nd Oscars)
Sister by Siqi Song (Nominated at the 92nd Oscars)

Best of 2020

(Premiered in November 2020 at Aardman Animations Studios UK. via The Animation Showcase Streaming Platform)

Kapaemahu by Joe Wilson, Dean Hamer, and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Shortlisted at the 93rd Oscars)
The Snail and the Whale by Max Lang & Daniel Snaddon (Shortlisted at the 93rd Oscars)
Wild Love by Corentin Yvergniaux, Quentin Camus, Paul Autric, Léa Georges, Maryka Laudet, and Zoé Sottiaux (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)
My Life in Versailles by Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat and Nathaniel H'limi (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)
Opera by Erick Oh (Nominated at the 93rd Oscars)
Float by Bobby Rubio (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)
KKUM by Kim Kang-min (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)
If Anything Happens I Love You by Will McCormack & Michael Govier (Academy Award Winner at the 93rd Oscars)
Genius Loci by Adrien Mérigeau (Nominated at the 93rd Oscars)
Just a Guy by Shoko Hara (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)
Yes People by Gísli Darri Halldórsson (Nominated at the 93rd Oscars)
Burrow by Madeline Sharafian (Nominated at the 93rd Oscars)
Something to Remember by Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Qualified at the 93rd Oscars)

Best of 2021

(Premiered in November 2021 at Netflix via The Animation Showcase Streaming Platform)

Affairs of the Art by Joanna Quinn & Les Mils (Nominated at the 94th Oscars)
Souvenir Souvenir by Bastien Dubois (Shortlisted at the 94th Oscars)
Robin Robin by Dan Ojari & Mikey Please (Nominated at the 94th Oscars)
The Windshield Wiper by Alberto Mielgo & Leo Sanchez (Academy Award Winner at the 94th Oscars)
Bestia by Hugo Covarrubias (Nominated at the 94th Oscars)
Namoo by Erick Oh (Shortlisted at the 94th Oscars)
Mum is Pouring Rain by Hugo de Faucompret (Shortlisted at the 94th Oscars)
Louis' Shoes by MoPA School (2021 Student Academy Award Winner & Qualified at the 94th Oscars)
The Boob Fairy by Léahn Vivier Chapas (Qualified at the 94th Oscars)

Best of 2022

(Premiered in November 2022 at Pixar USA)

Black Slide by Uri Lotan (Shortlisted at the 95th Oscars)
My Year of Dicks by Sara Gunnarsdóttir (Nominated at the 95th Oscars)
Steakhouse by Špela Čadež (Shortlisted at the 95th Oscars)
Pasajero (Passenger) by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Shortlisted at the 95th Oscars)
Ice Merchants by João Gonzalez (Nominated at the 95th Oscars)
Christopher at Sea by Tom C.J. Brown (Qualified at the 95th Oscars)
The Flying Sailor by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby (Nominated at the 95th Oscars)
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy (Academy Award Winner at the 95th Oscars)
An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It by Lachlan Pendragon (2022 Student Academy Award Winner & Nominated at the 95th Oscars)

Best of 2023

(Premiered in November 2023 at Pixar USA)

Letter to a Pig by Tal Kantor (Nominated at the 96th Oscars)
Starling by Mitra Shahidi (Qualified at the 96th Oscars)
Wild Summon by Karni Arieli & Saul Freed (Shortlisted at the 96th Oscars)
27 by Flóra Anna Buda (Shortlisted at the 96th Oscars)
Electra by Daria Kashcheeva (Qualified at the 96th Oscars)
War Is Over! by Dave Mullins (Academy Award Winner at the 96th Oscars)
Armat by Élodie Dermange (Qualified at the 96th Oscars)
Once Upon a Studio by Dan Abraham & Trent Correy (Shortlisted at the 96th Oscars)
Rosemary A.D (After Dad) by Ethan Barrett (Qualified at the 96th Oscars)
Scale by Joseph Pierce (Qualified at the 96th Oscars)

Themed programs

The Animation Showcase screenings started as a series of themed selections, premiered every three months at Soho House and Shoreditch House

The promising Generation Y - (Premiered in August 2016 at Soho Works)
What the F#ck - (Premiered in 2016 at Soho Works)
Art in Motion - (Premiered in 2017 at Shoreditch House)
Love at First Sight - (Premiered in 2017 at Shoreditch House)
Our Animal Friends - (Premiered in 2018 at Shoreditch House)
The French Touch in Music Video - (Premiered in 2018 at The Animation Workshop)
Best French shorts successes - (Premiered in 2018 at The Animation Workshop)

References

^ "Soho House & Co Jobs and Projects". The Dots. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
^ "Animation Showcase on LinkedIn". LinkedIn.
^ ^a ^b Clement, Nick (15 February 2018). "Animation Showcase Boosts Profiles of Shorts". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
^ Vourlias, Christopher (2020-06-17). "UniFrance Panel Puts Spotlight on Post-Pandemic Animation Industry". Variety. Retrieved 2020-06-17. The session, "Successful Strategies to Promote French Animation Worldwide," included Benoit Berthe Siward, of the curated screening event The Animation Showcase (U.K.)
^ "The animation Showcase Event In YouTube Space London". 2017 YouTube Space. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
^ Zahed, Ramin (2020-12-02). "Animation Showcase Launches Free Industry Streaming Platform". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
^ Shadows (2021-10-29). "The Animation Showcase: watch the best-animated shorts, for free!". 3DVF. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
^ "Animation Showcase on freely streaming shorts to animation artists". Toon Boom Animation. 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
^ Wit, Alex Dudok de (2021-10-20). "Exclusive: Industry Pros And Students Can Stream Oscar-Contending Shorts For Free With The Animation Showcase". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2022-04-23.