AURORA 2007 illuminates Norwich

AURORA is the new name for Norwich International Animation Festival.  A uniquely art-focused, progressive event, it fuses artist retrospectives and thematic film programmes with incisive debate, live performance and installations, alongside the very best new work from across the world in wide-ranging competition programmes.

AURORA will present artist programmes, panel discussions, screentalks and special thematic film programmes - in addition to an extensive selection of installation work, live performance and the best new films from across the world, under the theme POSSIBLE WORLDS this year in Norwich, from 7 - 10 November.

Having changed its name from Norwich International Animation Festival to throw off the limiting ‘animation festival' label, the festival is committed to presenting a truer picture of what constitutes animation - uniting ‘traditional' animation with artists' film, installation work and treated and manipulated live-action film, and blurring the boundaries between film festival and art show.

From the fractured, rotoscoped world of legendary experimental filmmaker Robert Breer (New York) and the effervescent, celebratory explosions of colour in Jeff Scher's (New York) films to the dreamlike and often disturbing interior created by Naoyuki Tsuji (Tokyo), the frank but unsettling bestiary imagined by Jim Trainor (Chicago) and the virtuosic, formal beauty of work by Takashi Ishida (Tokyo), this year's featured artists all present possible worlds; environments shaped by experience and emotion rather than physical phenomena alone.

Five thematic film programmes examine aspects of the festival theme, including guest programmes from curators Edwin Carels (Antwerp), Gareth Evans (London) and Pleasure Dome (Toronto), whilst we present installation work by photographer and video artist Axel Antas (London), filmmaker Yuiko Matsuyama (Toyko), software artist-collective Igloo (London) and a new commission bysculptor CJ Mahony (Cambridge), in venues around Norwich.

Edwin Carels (Antwerp), Gareth Evans (London) and Pleasure Dome (Toronto), whilst we present installation work by photographer and video artist Axel Antas (London), filmmaker Yuiko Matsuyama (Toyko), software artist-collective Igloo (London) and a new commission bysculptor CJ Mahony (Cambridge), in venues around Norwich.