The 18th Annual Animation Show of Shows

ACME FILMWORKS PRESENTS
THE 18TH ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS

The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS returns for its second year in theaters with 12 charming family-friendly films. Highlights include “About a Mother,” a new folktale with echoes of Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” Disney/Pixar’s sweet “Piper,” and the latest in 360º storytelling in Google’s touching father-and daughter-journey “Pearl” by Academy Award® winner Patrick Osborne. The show also features a late-night bonus of four provocative shorts exclusively for mature audiences.

This year’s show includes an expanded selection of fresh student films from leading animation schools in the U.S., Belgium, Canada, Korea and Russia. This is not surprising, since the most interesting and groundbreaking work is being done at these hotbeds of creativity.

Featuring techniques ranging from hand-drawn to stop-motion to the latest computer-generated imagery, the 16 extraordinary films in this program were created by animators from Belgium, Canada, France, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Scotland, the U.K., and the U.S. Their themes range from gay issues and civil rights, to deeply felt personal stories, to the wacky humor that animation does so well. Many have garnered awards from prestigious festivals around the world.

For the first time this year, in addition to regular shows, there will also be a number of special daytime screenings specifically designed to be family-friendly and appropriate for viewers of six years and up. Those who attend the later evening screenings will have the opportunity to see four films – Corpus, Blue, Manoman and All Their Shades – that approach their mature subjects in more graphic detail.

Largely crowd-funded through a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, this year’s Animation Show of Shows represents the enthusiasm and commitment of 550 individual contributors from around the world. We are extremely grateful for their support and it is thanks to them that we are able to share these treasures with the world.

For 16 years, The Animation Show of Shows, founded and curated by Ron Diamond, has been presenting new and innovative short films to animation studios, societies, schools and festivals around the world. Over the years, 32 of the films showcased in the Show of Shows went on to receive Academy Award® nominations, with nine films winning the Oscar®. The only downside was that only a relatively small number of people, primarily in the professional animation community, had the opportunity to see these cinematic gems in a theatrical setting.

Then, in 2015, the 17th edition was expanded to include public screenings in cities around the world, allowing general audiences to experience these singular works of art on the big screen, as they were meant to be seen. This first public program was the biggest in the show’s history, including 435 screenings in 50 cities in the U.S., Canada, Spain, South Africa, and Australia. Also for the first time, the films were paired with revealing documentary portraits of a number of the directors that illuminated the motivation, process and experiences that led them to make their films.
THE 18TH ANNUAL SHOW OF SHOWS is curated by Ron Diamond and presented by Acme Filmworks. This showcase will premiere in Providence beginning on September 30th at the Cable Car Cinema and then will go to over 40 cities across the nation.

THE 18TH ANNUAL SHOW OF SHOWS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created for the expressed purpose of expanding awareness of exemplary animated Short Films and Animated Short Film restoration and preservation. Donations are tax deductible. Earnings from the distribution of the Animation Show of Shows will be used for the sustainability of our mission and compensate the participating animators/rights holders. More information is available at www.AnimationShowofShows.com.