Spark Animation Festival

Event Description

Founded to promote and foster Vancouver’s computer graphics community, Spark CG has organized the SPARK ANIMATION and SPARK FX (visual effects) conferences and festivals since 2008. In addition to the two annual signature events, Spark CG also hosts events that attract internationally renowned speakers and local industry professionals. To serve and support the dynamic local animation and computer graphics community, Spark CG is constantly highlighting leading artistic and technological advancements through conferences, film festivals, and events that provide insight into the evolution and latest techniques in animation and visual effects. Since its inception, the SPARK CG Society has been committed to equality and better inclusion.

2024  Festival Coverage

This year’s SPARK ANIMATION Conference will feature the following key speakers and highlight sessions:

• Shannon Tindle, Director of Ultraman: Rising – Bringing his vision for the upcoming Netflix film, Tindle and team will share insights on reviving the beloved Japanese superhero for a global audience.
• Vicky Jenson, Director of Spellbound – Known for her work on Shrek, Jenson and her team will delve into her latest project exploring the art of balancing fantasy and emotion in animation.
• Josh Cooley, Director of Transformers One – The Academy Award®-winning director of Toy Story 4 will offer a behind-the-scenes look at his work.
• Simon Otto, Director of That Christmas – Otto, best known for his work on How to Train Your Dragon, will discuss his heartwarming holiday feature.
• Moana 2 – a first look at the upcoming feature film.
• Dice Tsutsumi, Director of Bottle George – A former Pixar art director, Tsutsumi brings his unique artistic approach to his latest project, his first stop-motion short film.
• Brandon Vietti, Director of Watchmen: Chapter 1 – Vietti will explore the challenges and creative freedom of bringing the critically acclaimed Watchmen universe to life in animated form.
• Carrie Hobson, Co-Director of Win or Lose – Hobson, co-director of Pixar’s upcoming original series, will share her journey in co-creating the first-ever animated series from the acclaimed studio.
  These sessions will be joined by many more leading voices from across the animation industry, covering everything from visual storytelling techniques to the latest trends in animated filmmaking.

Keith Blackmore, Conference Chair: “The SPARK ANIMATION Conference continues to be a beacon for animators, artists, and fans alike. This year’s speakers represent the best in the industry, bringing a wealth of knowledge and creativity that will inspire the next generation of talent.”

The SPARK ANIMATION Conference will take place in Vancouver on 2 and 3 November in conjunction with the festival’s in-person events. The festival remains Western Canada’s largest animation event, recognized globally as both Oscar®-Accredited and Canadian Academy-Accredited. 

Call for Entries (Archive)

The festival is looking for local, national, and international animated projects including:
• Animated Feature Films
• Animated Short Films
• Animated Student Films
• Commercials (including PSAs & Self-Promotion)
• Music Videos
• Game Cinematics, Teasers & Trailers (real-time or pre-rendered)
• VFX Narrative Short Films

Accepted Styles:
• Computer Animation (2D & 3D)
• Traditional Animation
• Stop-motion Animation

 Projects must have festival premieres in British Columbia, Canada. Projects already available online or on streaming platforms still qualify as long as the platform is not a British Columbia, Canada-based festival.. To be considered for competition, projects must have been completed after 1 January 2023.

• Festival Regulations & Entry form via FilmFreeway
• Deadline: 25 August 2024

2020 Festival Coverage

• Full award winners' list

2019 Festival Coverage

A multi-stream event, SPARK ANIMATION thrives on bringing together industry experts with newcomers, and that principle extends into the festival which provides a showcase for both established filmmakers and fresh new talent. Since opening the festival to submissions in 2014, SPARK ANIMATION has attracted top animation from around the world and many of the projects recognized at the festival have gone on to win numerous awards — including Oscars. Notable titles include “The Dam Keeper” (Academy Award nominee), “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos” (Academy Award nominee), “Bear Story,” (Academy Award winner in 2015), “Dear Basketball” by Glen Keane and most recently this year’s Oscar winner, Domee Shi's "Bao."

2018 Festival  Coverage

• Full Spark Animation 2018 schedule

NB: 2025 Festival Dates are tentative