They said it couldn’t be done, but GLAS Animation Festival has proved the naysayers wrong by establishing a major international animation festival in the United States, and turning it into a must-attend event on the festival circuit. The northern California festival will return to its Berkeley home for a fourth edition from March 21-24, 2019.

One of the key highlights every year has been GLAS’s eclectic line-up of international guests. It’s a guarantee that you’re going to meet interesting creators and artists from around the world at the festival, and this year promises to be no different.

The festival today made its first guest announcements, and the list comprises 11 people who represent a wide spectrum of independent filmmakers, animators, educators, show creators, curators, and distributors. Some of the recognizable names include the filmmakers pictured at the top of this post: Superjail! co-creator Christy Karacas, Oscar-nominated Japanese director Koji Yamamura (Mt. Head, A Country Doctor), and Julia Pott, creator of the Cartoon Network series Summer Camp Island.

The other guests announced in this first round include:

  • Jim Trainor (USA), Chicago-based filmmaker
  • Michèle Cournoyer (Canada), director of The Hat and Soif
  • Marc James Roels (Belgium), co-director of Oh Willy… and This Magnificent Cake!
  • Luce Grosjean (France), CEO of animation distribution company Miyu
  • Meghan Oretsky (USA), Vimeo curator
  • Irene Kotlarz (USA), educator and animation producer of He Named Me Malala
  • Dennis Tupicoff (Australia), filmmaker of Chainsaw and A Photo of Me
  • Kim Laughton, Shanghai-based artist

The festival also released its 2019 signal film this morning, directed by Manshen Lo with music and sound by Skillbard.

The deadline to buy regular passes is January 31. For passes and other information, visit GLASAnimation.com.

GLAS 2019 guests.
GLAS 2019 guests.

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