For this year’s ‘Figures in Focus’ programme, we are going on an adventure. The selected films examine the urge to explore the world, to travel, to feel the delight to roam.
Hand in hand with this sense of wanderlust is the restlessness felt by some, the need to escape their situation, or to return to places in their memories. Our daring explorers find the courage to take a leap into the unknown and to seek something better.
The artists featured in this programme and who will speak to the theme and their process in the post-screening discussion are Jessica Ashman, Efa Blosse-Mason, and Silvana Roth.
Figures in Focus was devised in 2017 by Abigail Addison in recognition of the under-representation of female and non-binary animators and their stories within the independent animation sector. The programme spotlights some of the incredible work crafted by contemporary animators, both in the UK and internationally.
Running time: Approx 115 mins total (85 mins screening + 30 mins screentalk)
Content warning: Flashing imagery, strong language, nudity, ableism, mental illness, drug use, racism, misogyny
Ticket prices
Students £11
Unwaged £11
Over 60s £11
Under 18s £6
Wheelchair spaces, free companion seats may now be booked online.
Please select the relevant preferences on the access registration page during your booking, so we can provide you with the correct information and discounts.
Booking a wheelchair space
Select a seat displaying the wheelchair user icon and then select 'wheelchair user' ticket type. The ticket will be priced at the lowest price for that event. If you need an essential companion, please select the E icon next to the wheelchair space you have selected.
Booking essential companion tickets
Please select at least two tickets and one of them will be automatically discounted to zero in the basket.
Booking British Sign Language or Captioned Seats
Select seats in the area appropriate to your needs.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
London International Animation Festival
The UK’s largest and longest-running animation festival, dedicated to screening the best of the world’s independent films and celebrating the diversity and creativity of this unique art form.
22 Nov - 2 Dec
Let our screens bring you closer
Speakers
Abigail Addison
Abigail is a Producer and Programmer. She is a Director of Animate Projects, an arts agency that champions experiments in animation. Abigail recently produced Oscar shortlisted The Debutante with Elizabeth Hobbs, as well as the multi-award winning And Granny Would Dance by Maryam Mohajer. In 2024 she was invited to become a member of the Short Films and Feature Animation branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Jessica Ashman
Jessica is a multi-disciplinary artist working in animation moving image, music (under the name Spirit Sigh) performance and installation. Ashman combines traditional drawn, collage and multi-plane animation techniques with digital animation and mobile phone footage in her work, creating frenetic, textured and abstract narratives that explore gender, identity and race. She is a BAFTA Scotland award winning animator, and MA Animation graduate from the Royal College of Art. Her work has been supported by Focal Point Gallery, New Art Exchange, Animate Projects, Jerwood Visual Arts Bursary, Arts Council England, UK Film Council and Channel 4's Random Acts.
Efa Blosse-Mason
Efa Blosse-Mason is a Welsh speaking animator and illustrator. She graduated from Bristol School of Animation and her graduation film 'Earthly Delights' won The Royal Television Society Award for best student animation film in 2019. Efa has worked on projects with Winding Snake Productions, a documentary about The Female Voice in Wales, and community based projects celebrating artists from India and from Wales. She has also collaborated with creatives making music videos, poetry films and animation for theatre productions.
Silvana Roth
Silvana is a German animation director and illustrator based in Edinburgh. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2023 with a BA(Hons) in Animation. She loves creating 2d animation - especially textural and atmospheric hand drawn animation. When Silvana is not hunched over a lightbox you can find her sketching her surroundings or planning her next road trip. Currently she is working on her second short film which explores the relationship of a young woman with her phone.
Programme
Childhood Memories
Combining 16mm colour footage of Lagos, Nigeria from the 70s with stop-motion and 2D hand-drawn animation, this multilayered, autobiographical animation explores personal memories and the cultural elements of our earliest childhood reminiscences.
UK 2018 Dir: Mary Martins 4 min
In Her Boots
Heidi is experiencing strange things. While her granddaughter is visiting, she suddenly embarks on a hiking journey to the deepest parts of the Alps, revealing the reason for her devoted attachment to her hiking shoes.
UK 2019 Dir: Kathrin Steinbacher 6 min
Such Miracles Do Happen
One day all the statues in the town come to life and set off in the same direction. A captivating world in which ugliness is attractive and otherness is mysterious and magical.
Poland 2023 Dir: Barbara Rupik 14 min
Waldeinsamkeit
An old lady feels alienated from modern city life, but when she embarks on a magical dreamlike journey, she finds wonder and a newfound appreciation for the place she lives in.
UK 2023 Dir: Silvana Roth 4 min
Via Dolorosa
Between drug addiction, first discoveries of sexuality and a permanent state of war, the filmmaker searches for her lost youth by wandering the streets of Jerusalem.
France 2023 Dir: Rachel Gutgarts 11 min
Our Bed is Green
A young woman seeks digital refuge from an overwhelming world and a bewildering obsession.
USA 2021 Dir: Maggie Brennan 7 min
Utopia Portals
An exploration of utopian ideas of belonging and unbelonging, inspired by Ashman's first visit to her ancestral homeland, Jamaica. The film blends animated loops, mobile phone footage, and soundscapes recorded on the island to craft a series of short filmic "glitches" that peel back layers of reality, uncovering surreal hidden worlds.
UK 2022 Dir: Jessica Ashman 4 min
Cwch Deilin / Leaf Boat
Learning to love someone can be scary, but it can also lead to the most marvellous adventure. Heledd and Celyn navigate the undiscovered and murky waters of entering a new relationship.
UK 2020 Dir: Efa Blosse-Mason 8 min
The Illustrated Woman
In Ahmedabad, Isabel gives an animation workshop to a group of temporary tattoo artists, the Mehndi. She interviews them about their dreams: to fly, a women's parliament, travel to Switzerland, and claiming independence through rap.
Spain 2022 Dir: Isabel Herguera 8 min
Maybe Elephants
Three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in Nairobi. What could possibly go wrong?
Norway, Canada 2024 Dir: Torill Kove 17 min
Cinema 2
Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue.
Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Access
Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.
Mobility
Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
