“Animation Collaboration†to highlight importance of organ donation
James Redford, writer, director, producer and son of Robert Redford, will attend the Red Stick International Animation Festival this year to emphasize the importance of organ and tissue donation through his organization, the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness, or JRI. Red Stick International Animation Festival is an annual event in downtown Baton Rouge that brings together artists, animators, filmmakers, computer scientists and also people who just like cartoons to showcase the latest developments in Louisiana's digital arts and technology sectors, which are leading to economic development for the state and the city. The festival will take place April 18-22 in the Baton Rouge Arts District at a variety of historic venues in the capital city. JRI is a supporter of the 2007 Red Stick Animation Festival with the Animation Collaboration for a Cause segment. This portion of the festival is where artists work closely with school-age children from Louisiana to help them use animation to express their feelings and share their stories about various social issues. The 2007 Animation Collaboration will focus on organ transplant awareness and will include two days of workshops, on Wednesday, April 4, and Thursday, April 5, for the children. During the 2007 Red Stick International Animation Festival, Redford will sit on a panel on Friday, April 20, to discuss his organization and the importance of donor awareness. Redford is a recipient of two liver transplants and created his foundation to raise awareness about the need for more people to choose donation. The Inaugural Animation Collaboration at Red Stick 2006 was with FilmAid International, AnimAction and Listen Up! Youth Media. That collaboration, which took place as a three-day workshop at the Shaw Center, was designed to empower students affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to tell their stories of hope and inspiration. The films created by the 2006 collaboration are still being screened at festivals worldwide. Red Stick Director Stacey Simmons said the event was so inspiring last year, she has now slated the Animation Collaboration as a permanent addition to the annual Red Stick International Animation Festival. “We hope that we can use this part of the festival each year to not only raise awareness of different causes, but to show participants how animation is an innovative means of communicating about today's important social issues,†Simmons said. Animation Collaboration takes place at Red Stick through a partnership with AnimAction, a company that focuses on youth expression through animation. AnimAction projects emphasize working collaboratively and expressing creativity. AnimAction has worked with youth media and the “DIY Youth Culture†globally for more than 17 years and has trained thousands of young people and teachers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. Youth-produced animated shorts from AnimAction workshops have been shown worldwide on network television, in movie theaters, schools, hospitals and on Web sites, and have been award finalists in international animation festivals, competing side-by-side with industry leaders. “Our audiences get larger every year, and we look for collaborative opportunities, such as this feature at Red Stick, to reach out to more youth who can benefit from using animation as creative expression,†said Clifford Cohen, AnimAction director. “We hope to continue having a presence at Red Stick to raise awareness about a new cause each year.†AnimAction is a supporter of the 2007 Red Stick Animation Festival with the Animation Collaboration for a Cause segment. For more information, please visit www.redstickfestival.org or call CCT Manager of Public Relations Kristen Meyer Sunde at 225-578-3469.
James Redford, writer, director, producer and son of Robert Redford, will attend the Red Stick International Animation Festival this year to emphasize the importance of organ and tissue donation through his organization, the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness, or JRI. Red Stick International Animation Festival is an annual event in downtown Baton Rouge that brings together artists, animators, filmmakers, computer scientists and also people who just like cartoons to showcase the latest developments in Louisiana's digital arts and technology sectors, which are leading to economic development for the state and the city. The festival will take place April 18-22 in the Baton Rouge Arts District at a variety of historic venues in the capital city. JRI is a supporter of the 2007 Red Stick Animation Festival with the Animation Collaboration for a Cause segment. This portion of the festival is where artists work closely with school-age children from Louisiana to help them use animation to express their feelings and share their stories about various social issues. The 2007 Animation Collaboration will focus on organ transplant awareness and will include two days of workshops, on Wednesday, April 4, and Thursday, April 5, for the children. During the 2007 Red Stick International Animation Festival, Redford will sit on a panel on Friday, April 20, to discuss his organization and the importance of donor awareness. Redford is a recipient of two liver transplants and created his foundation to raise awareness about the need for more people to choose donation. The Inaugural Animation Collaboration at Red Stick 2006 was with FilmAid International, AnimAction and Listen Up! Youth Media. That collaboration, which took place as a three-day workshop at the Shaw Center, was designed to empower students affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to tell their stories of hope and inspiration. The films created by the 2006 collaboration are still being screened at festivals worldwide. Red Stick Director Stacey Simmons said the event was so inspiring last year, she has now slated the Animation Collaboration as a permanent addition to the annual Red Stick International Animation Festival. “We hope that we can use this part of the festival each year to not only raise awareness of different causes, but to show participants how animation is an innovative means of communicating about today's important social issues,†Simmons said. Animation Collaboration takes place at Red Stick through a partnership with AnimAction, a company that focuses on youth expression through animation. AnimAction projects emphasize working collaboratively and expressing creativity. AnimAction has worked with youth media and the “DIY Youth Culture†globally for more than 17 years and has trained thousands of young people and teachers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. Youth-produced animated shorts from AnimAction workshops have been shown worldwide on network television, in movie theaters, schools, hospitals and on Web sites, and have been award finalists in international animation festivals, competing side-by-side with industry leaders. “Our audiences get larger every year, and we look for collaborative opportunities, such as this feature at Red Stick, to reach out to more youth who can benefit from using animation as creative expression,†said Clifford Cohen, AnimAction director. “We hope to continue having a presence at Red Stick to raise awareness about a new cause each year.†AnimAction is a supporter of the 2007 Red Stick Animation Festival with the Animation Collaboration for a Cause segment. For more information, please visit www.redstickfestival.org or call CCT Manager of Public Relations Kristen Meyer Sunde at 225-578-3469.
Publish Date:
03-14-2007
