KingstOOn Animation Conference and Film Festival 2021, slated to take place on April 21-25, will be utilizing cutting edge technology for its first ever virtual staging. Organizers hope that this will aid in their mission to position Jamaica as the animation and technology hub of the Caribbean. The conference has also partnered with FLOW as its official technology partner.

“We truly pulled out all the stops this year, to ensure that our first ever virtual staging of Kingst00n Animation Conference and Film Festival, will be our best one to date. We will be harnessing the very best technology and utilizing a first class production team. Our viewers will certainly be impressed by all that we have in store for them,”

said Robert Reid.

The event will utilize a hybrid approach. Marquee events such as the Opening Ceremony, Pitch Competition and Awards Ceremony were pre-recorded using world-class set designs that included multiple screens to display speakers, awardees and judges speaking from over 20 countries across the globe.

Phase 3 Productions is also on board as the Production Company and will be using V-Fairs, which is a virtual and hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences using cutting edge 3D Experience. 

“Phase 3 feels privileged to have been selected to be part of this novel approach to presenting the KingstOOn 2021 Animation Conference. We will be using a state-of-the-art 4K production truck as well as Innovative animation techniques such as motion capture for our animated hosts,” said Delano Forbes, Creative Director & CEO of Phase 3 Productions. 

He also shared that his team will be utilizing the latest video conferencing tools for a seamless marrying of virtual and physical components which has allowed his team to easily have international and regional hosts, coaches and judges partake in this year’s conference.

The event will be co-hosted by Caleb, an animated character created by Jamaican, Coretta Singer, who is a self-taught 3D Character Modeler and Digital Artist. She is known by many as one of Jamaica’s animation pioneers and has won a number of international accolades for her craft. 

Esirom is also a proud sponsor of the animation festival event. Being an animation festival it’s necessary to add an element that can be accessed online and from participants worldwide, according to Alex Morrissey, Director of Esirom. ‘’Having participated in numerous international conferences over the last two years, we have taken from the best and incorporated it into this year’s staging of KingstOOn.We’re going digital and this means that as a participant you will have access to all the sessions online, rewatch anything you might have missed and connect with all other participants, sponsors and speakers in our networking lounge.’’ He noted. This KingstOOn is not just about the festival going virtual, it’s about being able to deliver a world class event and provide opportunities for every aspiring animator to learn, promote and connect with key stakeholders in the industry. 

KingstOOn Animation Conference and Film Festival 2021 is organized by the Government of Jamaica through the Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industries (YEDAI) Project, in collaboration with the World Bank. This project, funded by a US$20-million World Bank loan to the Government of Jamiaca, targets the training of young Jamaicans in the digital and animation industries.

It aims to provide Jamaican animators and industry stakeholders with ways to continue learning about the global industry; create opportunities for producers to generate profits from their projects; and showcase diverse content, including film and animation products from around the world.

The first day will feature keynote addresses from Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, Tahseen Sayed, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as Storyteller extraordinaire Matthew Luhn – whose story credits include the Toy Story films, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Cars, Monsters University, Ratatouille, and UP.

It will also feature keynote presentations by globally renowned industry professionals from companies such as Disney, Netflix, Sony Animation, Nickelodeon, Hit Entertainment, Pixar, Sesame Street Workshop, HiT Entertainment and Lion Forge.

Participants will also benefit from masterclasses on topics such as financing and co-productions; a boot camp on creating the perfect pitch for investors, distributors and broadcasters; and discussions on global industry trends. Animators and creatives are expected to benefit from other activities such as panel discussions; business matchmaking and networking; a virtual expo; and a film festival featuring diverse animated content.

Registration is still open and is free of cost. Interested parties are being encouraged to visit www.kingstoonfest.com for the full line up as well as to Register.