AnimationWorld Magazine — September 19, 2018
Q&A: Encounters Festival’s Kieran Argo Presents Six Top Picks for 2018 Edition
Based in Bristol, the U.K.’s Encounters is the leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival in the region, providing a unique platform for emerging and established filmmaking talent. Alongside its highly-regarded Oscar-qualifying annual international film competition, Encounters offers year-round support, personalized training courses, and a variety of touring programs. This year’s edition kicks off September 25 and runs through September 30 with a full lineup of screenings, special events, networking and more.
Animation Programmer Kieran Argo has worked in animation for more than 25 years, with a résumé that firmly establishes him as Encounters’ very own guru of all things animation. That includes 15 years working at Aardman, where he promoted a number of favorites including Wallace & Gromit and established the studio’s international events and exhibitions department, as well as year-long stint at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo.
Argo helped establish Encounters and served as a Board Director for 12 years, and has been the festival’s Animation Programmer since 2010. In recent years he has been responsible for delivering a number of professional development events, including the Encounters Producers Courses and a range of training events for the Random Acts (Channel Four/Arts Council England) filmmakers in the Southwest of England.