Character Design Conference Pictoplasma Returns In-Person This Fall
Hotel Kalura by Sophie Kiki Gate from “Program 3: Psychedelic Midnight Mix”
Under the “Characters in Motion” banner, conference programmers have organized 70 short films thematically across four screenings: “Program 1: Solo,” “Program 2: Duet,” “Program 3: Psychedelic Midnight Mix,” and “Program 4: Chaos.” 50+ filmmakers are confirmed to be in attendance for post-screening Q&A’s, including Julian Glander (U.S.), Elenor Kopka (Germany), Peter Javidpour (U.S.), Sophie Koko Gate (U.K.), and Christopher Rutledge (U.S.).
Pictured Above: ‘Fight!’ by Emma De Swaef & Marc James Roels, the work of Alex Kiesling, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” by Dean Fleischer-Camp
Some standout shorts include:
On the final day of the weekend, the Character Market will offer attendees the option to book a free stall to showcase and sell their own prints, zines, comics, sculptures, editions, and other items.
Zoon by Jonatan Schwenk (DE) from “Program 4: Chaos”
The full programme of the 18th Pictoplasma will take place at Silent Green, a former crematorium. Three off-site exhibitions will be held at Rainbow Unicorn, neurotitan, and, to remain in thematic line with the main venue, in an abandoned building in the Alter St.-Marien- und St.-Nikolai cemetery.
The screenings will round out a line up of panel discussions, artist talks, exhibitions, and Pechakucha-style sharing opportunities offered through the conference’s Character Lab.
Confirmed conference speakers include, among many others, illustrator and animation director Alex Kiesling (U.S.), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On director Dean Fleischer-Camp (U.S.), artist and animator Shir Pakman (Israel), and Belgian animator and felt puppet maker extraordinaire, Emma De Swaef, whose most recent directorial credit is for Netflix’s The House “Segment I: ‘And Heard Within a Lie Is Spun,’” co-directed with her creative partner Marc James Roels.
The 18th edition of Berlin’s Pictoplasma Conference will mark a return to in-person activities for the annual event. Between September 14 and September 18, 2022, Pictoplasma’s focus will be “Whose Community?”, exploring the definition of the modern creative space through artist presentations, screenings, panels, networking opportunities, and a new-to-2022 marketplace on the last day of the conference.
