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CAFF: The Cultural Animation Film Festival

CAFF, the Cultural Animation Film Festival is designed to showcase unique animated films based on the cultures of who we are. Our hopes is that these films will shed a better light on who we are as a people. We also hope that CAFF will inspire animators both new and seasoned from around the world to create films and share their stories.
The origins and inspiration of CAFF are simple and inspired by both children and audience reactions to cultural based animated shorts that were created in Hawai’i. These reactions made us think what if there was a festival devoted strictly to cultural animation? This simple question led us to discussions with the Doris Duke Theatre at The Honolulu Museum of Art who in turn, gave us a big thumbs up to proceed.
We are grateful that with each passing year we have had incredible help from both organizing and community partners such as Aloha medical Mission, the Cultural Animators Network, The Center for Pacific island Studies, The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Pacific Islanders in Communication, the CG Bros, Brian Chee and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Miyu Distribution, Hawai'i Women in Filmmaking, DreamFloat Hawai'i, University of Hawai’i Academy for Creative Media, Lady Pasifika, Kapi'olani Community College New Media Arts Program, Access To Independence and Raatior Ventures. We humbly thank each of them, for without their help and assistance we would not be looking forward to next years fest.
CAFF is produced by Twiddle Productions Inc. events and screenings are held in association with The Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre and Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori.

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Submissions for CAFF 2024 is now closed!
Guidelines for submission are pretty straight forward. Animated films can be of any length but must tell a cultural based or culture of story.
Animation/live action combo, video game demos and experimental films are also accepted for submission however Live Action films, AI based animated films or short and Animation Reels will not be accepted.

Aside from submission judging this is a non competitive festival.

When submitting films please include the following:

Directors name or names
Animators name or names
Synopsis of film
A film viewing link
Culture or Culture of represented
Is this a school or student project?
Company's name (if applicable)

Please submit through Filmfreeway

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CAFF ANIMATOR RESOURCES

CAFF TALK STORY PANELS

CAFF Springfest 2023 Talk Story Panel: Animation Empowerment from Twiddle Productions Inc. on Vimeo.

Don't miss out on an amazing Talk Story Panel titled “ANIMATION EMPOWERMENT” with top animation professionals as they discuss the industry, how to break in, and share fascinating stories from some of the most beloved animated shows. Best of all, this free event can be streamed online through our social media pages or via http://caffest.com and www.honolulumuseum.org, starting from April 14.

Panelist: Carol Wyatt
"My greatest joy in animation comes from being able to tell stories through art. Working toward a common goal with a group of multi-talented artists is the best job I ever could have imagined.
With training in graphic design and illustration from Otis/Parsons, I was free to pursue animation design and painting. Over the years, I have worked on award-winning TV series and films, always expanding my skills and learning from the talented people I work with.
Along with animation, I have exhibited in galleries around Los Angeles, illustrated publications, and worked with ad agencies."
Carol
http://www.carolwyatt.com/

Panelist: Robert F. Hughes
“One fall day a long time ago, as I was drawing my way through a lucrative job as an apartment building manager, I decided to see if I could draw my way through an actual drawing job. The next week I started as a cel painter at a small commercial studio in Chicago. While bouncing around the studios in Chicago and Los Angeles, I worked my way into assisting camera, layout, animation in-betweening , clean up, effects and finally, animating. I couldn’t believe I was actually getting paid for drawing.
In the early 90’s I started directing for Nickelodeon on Rocko’s Modern Life. I stayed with Nickelodeon for the full run of Rocko and The Angry Beavers (For which I won the best director for a daytime series at the World Animation Celebration in 1998.) When Beavers ended, I moved over to Family Guy. In between those jobs, I picked up freelance timing and storyboarding on any show that would have me. … and there were a lot of them!
In the early 2000s I took a position with the Berlin Film Group in Germany as an animation consultant, where I oversaw several projects. It was loads of fun to see how animation was done European style.
In 2006 I was asked by Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh to direct and produce Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. This was a great show for me. Besides the duties of a director, I had the opportunity to do a lot of things I had never done before like, song writing and acting. After Phineas and Ferb, I went over to Warner Bros. Television to direct on Bunnicula. At Warners I had a very talented and funny crew. After that I went back to Disney to produce and direct Milo Murphy’s Law. Since that time I have worked on other shows ranging from Preschool to Primetime.
So, which show do I like the best? Did I mention that my favorite show is whichever one I find myself working on? I don’t know how, but it always ends up that way.”
Rob
https://robertfhughesanimation.com/index.html

Panelist: SUE PERROTTO (noun)
/sü pe-rá-to/
1. A small, dark-haired woman inclined to make cartoons, craft limoncello and train in martial
arts.
2. Four-time Emmy-nominated animation industry professional, working in various capacities
(e.g. Supervising Director, Director, Board Artist, Animator, Voice Actor), on various
television shows (e.g. 'Phineas and Ferb', ‘Sesame Street’, ‘Beavis & Butt-head’, ‘The Grim
Adventures of Billy & Mandy’), and feature films (e.g. ‘Beavis & Butt-head Do America’,
‘Pooh’s Heffalump Movie’).
3. Most recently Supervising Director on ‘Mira: Royal Detective’ for Disney Jr.
4. Currently Co-Producing, Directing and Animating a 2D animated short for release in mid-
2023.
http://www.tinybutmightee.com/

Panelist: Keith Kaczorek
Writer and Producer with over 30 years experience in film and TV. He has an M.F.A. in dramatic writing from New York University and began his career writing for MTV’s groundbreaking comedy game show “Remote Control.” He has written animation. comedy, drama and video games in NYC and Los Angeles for ABC, NBC, CBS, FBC, PBS, CBC, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, Disney TV Animation, Warner Brothers Animation, Jim Henson Productions and others. He developed and was head writer for Nickelodeon’s “The Angry Beavers” and wrote for NBC’s primetime drama “Las Vegas.” He’s a member of the Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. and Broadcast Music, Inc. In addition to writing and producing, he is an adjunct professor of mass communications for the University of New Haven and Sam Houston State University.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0434240/

Moderator: Michael Q Ceballos
Michael Q. Ceballos is the CEO/Founder/Director of Twiddle Productions Inc. With over 25 years of experience in the animation and game industries, he has worked on projects like Duckman, Nickelodeon's The Angry Beavers, and Comedy Central's Kid Notorious based on the life of legendary producer of the Godfather, Robert Evans. In 2005, he relocated to Hawaii and created educational games and films, including the award-winning Maisa the Chamoru Girl who saved Guahan and the E Hoʻomau! series. His recent projects include Moho, The Booze Fairy series of books, Titration: Radioactive Waste, Princeton, and the Navajo Nation, an award-winning short animated film created in association with Princeton University and Nā Kama Kai's Maka‘ala Bay: Lessons from the Sea. Currently, Michael is working on the Peek-a-Bows and Tales of Armenian Hope: The Kids Crusade. Additionally, he is passionate about education and has created the Keiki series of STEAM educational classes, including Keiki Animation, Keiki Drawing, Keiki Robotics, and Keiki Coding, a program that teaches kids how to create and code video games. Michael is also a founder and producer of CAFF, The Cultural Animation Film Festival, which takes place yearly at The Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre. For more information, please visit www.twiddleproductions.com.