To mark this year's London International Animation Festival (LIAF), Film London Animation Consultant Julian Scott sat down with Nag Vladermersky, the festival's founder, director, and chief programmer, to discuss the latest trends and highlights.

JS: Nag, you have been deeply immersed in the world of animation for most of your life. What influences and triggers led you to found the festival?

NV: The simple answer is that I have always truly believed animation to be the most creative artform there is, especially in the world of independent animation where there are so many staggeringly creative and imaginative artists from all around the world that generally don’t have a huge platform to screen their work. I set up LIAF to screen these amazing films and to try to reach a larger audience with them. Our aim is to show the wider public that animation is not just for kids (still a common assumption) and that the films we screen and the filmmakers who make them are making big bold statements about the world, dealing with ‘difficult’ and rarely talked about subjects AS WELL AS producing personal stories that can connect with the audience, make them laugh and cry and maybe even think differently about themselves and the world we live in.

JS: LIAF features an ever-expanding programme of screenings, screen talks, Q&As, and workshops. Can you tell us what you’re most excited about this year? Is there a particular focus for the festival?

NV: It’s hard to pick out specific programmes and there is never just one specific focus as we want to provide something for everyone, hence the backbone of the festival is the competition screenings which consists of the 83 best, most recent films from all around the world - a mix of abstract, documentary, funny films, darker films and a bit of everything in-between. But we are also striving to put a focus on some filmmakers whose films don’t usually get screened, even at other animation festivals. Three such programmes this year that we are very excited about are ‘Figures in Focus’ (films made by female and non-binary animators), ‘Disrupting the Narrative’ (films made by Black British and ethnically diverse filmmakers) and ‘Are You OK’ (a programme of films de-stigmatising mental health issues).

JS: LIAF has been running for an incredible 21 years and has adopted a very successful hybrid format. Who are the festival attendees nowadays, and where are they from?

NV: We are very proud that we have such a mixed audience, people of all ages, genders and nationalities attend. This will be the fourth year we have offered a hybrid format, so now people from all over the world can access the festival via our streaming platform and enjoy and discover the films we screen from the comforts of their own home. Streaming online has been a huge success for us as it’s increased our audience enormously and opened LIAF up to a truly worldwide audience.

JS: Over those 21 years, you must have seen many changes in animation production and styles. AI and its use in animation is a very hot topic. There was controversy when four films that had used AI in their creation entered the Annecy Festival this year. What is the LIAF policy on films made using AI technology?

NV: We are against AI in terms of the films we screen! Some people might find that a controversial statement and some might call us dinosaurs and think we are burying our heads in the sand about it. But LIAF is all about films that are made by filmmakers using their own creative abilities and imaginations. You’ll see probably every single animation technique you can think of in the 250 films that are screening at LIAF from stop-motion, hand-drawn, pixilation, collage, paint-on-glass, sand, abstract, mixed-media, CG and everything in-between. These are films made by people - not machines!

JS: Last year, we presented a panel about neurodiversity in animation as part of the industry weekend, which was well attended and received. Why do you think that was?

NV: We were so happy about this! People who are neurodiverse have unique experiences, challenges, and strengths and generally think outside of the box. This is perfect for animation! By showing neurodiverse characters as complex individuals, it helps to normalise conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. Hopefully by continuing the conversation about neurodiversity in animation this year, it will not only benefit the LIAF audience but also push the animation industry toward a future that values diversity in both its content and its creators.

NV: Let me ask you a question! Your other industry panel, ‘Fish Where The Fish Are’ is focusing on animation adapting to create material for social gaming platforms and YouTube. Why is that an important topic to look into to?

JS: It’s a fair question! Undoubtedly, older children have left the traditional broadcast and streaming platforms and are engaging with animated content on platforms like ROBLOX and YouTube. I firmly believe that anyone involved in producing animation who doesn't recognise this is in for some challenging times. What I hope we will be able to do is give the LIAF audience an overview of what’s happening to the traditional broadcast audience and give them examples of how some people are already adapting and tools and advice for those who feel is daunting.

JS: Back to me asking the questions! This year, the LIAF will screen 250 independent animated films of every technique, style, and genre across London venues and has an ever-expanding UK Animation Industry Event, filmmaker retrospectives, themed programmes (such as the Late Night Bizarre, Music Video Sessions, and Figures in Focus, to name but a few), audience voting, and awards. There really is something for everyone. Is there anything you wished you could have done but couldn’t?

NV: There is so much amazing content being made by animators from every corner of the world that we could almost double the amount of films we screen, and packing what we do screen into 10 days is still a bit of a squeeze. But we are literally brimming with new programme ideas all the time. The wonderful thing is that animation is constantly evolving and yet there are still as many animators using traditional techniques to make their films as there are those who work with CG and the latest technologies. Having said that it would be nice to show a few more independent animated features. However we are screening 3 features this year from Chile, Hungary and the USA - Boys Go to Jupiter (opening night at the Barbican), the Hyperboreans (at the Horse Hospital) and Pelikan Blue (also at the Horse Hospital). They are all great examples of bold storytelling that push beyond traditional animation’s boundaries.

NV: My turn again….Earlier this year, the U.K. government introduced a more generous package of tax credits for film, television and video game production in the country. Have the U.K.’s new Independent Film Tax Credit and the AVEC increased interest and opportunities for working and co-producing with London’s animation studios and producers?

JS: Undoubtedly! The UK, and especially London, has always had a lot of incredibly talented animators and studios. Still, we have struggled sometimes to compete commercially with countries that had more competitive tax incentives. With the introduction of the AVEC and Enhanced AVEC this year, we not only have that same talent pool and entrepreneurial spirit within the industry, but now we have a tax incentive that is very competitive, really easy to apply for and both the BFI and the Treasury are being very supportive in helping the UK’s animation sector grow and compete on the international stage. I genuinely believe that when you have the talent that we have and fiscal incentives to support that, the future is looking very rosy.

Film London and Film Hub London are proud to support LIAF.

Julian Scott will chair two Animation Industry Events at this this year's festival:

Saturday 30 November, 16:00: Fish Where the Fish Are

Sunday 1 December, 10:00: Neurodiversity in Animation

The full LIAF event programme can be found here

Nag Vladermersky is the founder, director and chief programmer of the London International Animation Festival (LIAF). Over 20 years LIAF has grown to become the UK’s longest-running and largest stand-alone animation festival, each year screening 250 shorts and features from 40 countries over 10 days and nights in several London venues and online for a worldwide audience. Throughout the year LIAF also tours festival highlights and other screening programmes around the UK and to several international festivals and events across the world. LIAF has attracted increasing international respect and recognition while progressing the unique visions of talented animators worldwide. He frequently travels to festivals, colleges and institutions across the UK and worldwide as a festival juror and delivers lectures and presentations on all aspects of animation.

Julian Scott is a BAFTA-nominated Executive Producer. He has been developing, financing and co-producing feature films and television in the international arena for over 25 years. As animation consultant for Film London, his focus is on generating inward investment for London’s animation studios, by finding partners outside the UK seeking creative and financial soulmates and advising on the UK animation tax credits. Other areas of his work include tackling skills and creative gaps in the animation industry and lobbying to get proper recognition for animation in the UK creative sector and advising studios on business and creative development.