small time inc.

THIS WEBSITE IS CLOSED!!

2021-03-12T14:54:00.035+00:00

P L E A S E G O T O :

T H A N K Y O U x

BOY OH BOY (study no. 1 - early words and scribbles)

2021-03-06T16:36:00.001+00:00

BOY OH BOY - the first in a series of non-narrative films - is playing at festivals now! Catch it at:
- Animac Spain (In Competition) 25 February – 7 March
- Kaboom Animation Festival, 31 March – 4 April
- Anifilm (In Competition), 4-9 May

Links and future screening details over there on the left...

2021-02-13T14:08:00.000+00:00

WOOD CHILD RECEIVES HONOURABLE MENTION @ MINIMALEN

2021-01-22T16:55:00.000+00:00

Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother has received an Honourable Mention at the 33rd Minimalen Short Film Festival.

Jury statement:

Exceptionally surprising and darkly funny, this animated curiosity loops and warps a message of monochromatic destruction and rainbow creation into a warning about nature - our own and Earth's. In an orchestral explosion of collapse and colour, this hypnotic trip shows life and death as a queer, surreal and grotesque pattern of regeneration and degeneration that affects both land and body. The jury is compelled to honor a zany singularity that defies category and expands form.

Thanks to jury members Jerry Carlsson, Angie Driscoll and Jonas Brenna!

Full list of awards here

WOOD CHILD & HIDDEN FOREST MOTHER DOUBLE WIN @ LIAF

2020-12-12T14:48:00.002+00:00

Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother won two awards at the London International Animation Festival. Thanks to Nag and the team, and the jury Sophie Koko-Gate, Chris Shepherd and Max Hattler.

"The festival juries (several of the world most prestigious members of the animation community) locked horns over 10 days of screenings as they battled it out to decide which films were chosen as the Best of the Festival. For the first time in the history of LIAF a film won both the best British film and the best film of the festival. That was Stephen Irwin's Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother."

Jury statements:

"Nature in technicolour, a savage, who is savaged by their own kin. We loved this wild unpredictable storyline full of colour and darkness. Survival, motherhood, death and beyond to alternate dimensions, parallel lives – we’ve never seen anything like it before, truly unique. Think twice before shooting a rainbow goblin in the woods."

"This film confused and delighted us in equal amounts. Propelled by a triumphant orchestral score it takes us into the depths of weirdness where birth and death meet in an endless cycle of rainbows, blood and breast-milk."

My thank you message, screened at the awards ceremony...

More at Zippy Frames and Skwigly

WOOD CHILD AWARDED THE GRAND PRIZE @ NEW CHITOSE

2020-11-27T10:31:00.002+00:00

Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother won the Grand Prize at the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival! Many thanks to Nobuaki Doi and Tomoko Ono, as well as the jury Naohiro Ukawa, Hiroko Tasaka and AC-Bu.

"The Grand Prix went to Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother by Stephen Irwin (UK). The award includes a 1 million yen prize (US$9600).

The festival received 2,174 entries from 91 countries this year. From that, 100 short films and 5 features were selected. The international jury - Naohiro Ukawa, Hiroko Tasaka and AC-Bu - also presented numerous other awards, including those for new talent and Japan competition categories."

WOOD CHILD REVIEW - MIFF 2020

2020-11-25T11:49:00.001+00:00

FILMDAZE Melbourne International Film Festival review

WOOD CHILD AWARDED ROOFTOP FILMMAKER GRANT

2020-09-19T11:35:00.002+01:00

BIG thanks to Rooftop Films who awarded Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother one of their filmmaker grants.

"The Kayla Thomas Filmmaker grant, in commemoration of our dear friend and teammate, will be rewarded every year to one or more Rooftop Films alumni filmmakers to help them to complete a short or feature film that communicates the power of hope, collaboration and togetherness to make positive change. As we were creating this grant we knew we wanted to help new films get made, and particularly to support films that we thought would make Kayla happy."

Full list of awards in this Variety article.

They gave The Obvious Child a grant a few years back, helping get the film finished and out there. Now they've done it again with Wood Child. Great bunch!

WCHFM @ Melbourne International Film Festival

2020-08-22T11:37:00.001+01:00

Full article at Broadsheet.com

VIENNA SHORTS (28.5-2.6)

2020-05-31T11:19:00.003+01:00

Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother screens in the Animation Avantgarde Competition (The Little Things... programme) on 1 June.

Watch here: VIENNA SHORTS

SPECIAL SCREENING: WOOD CHILD & QUAY BROTHERS @ IFFR

2020-01-18T15:57:00.001+00:00

Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother is playing in a special program alongside the new Quay Brothers film at IFFR 2020.

Hunting Scenes presents 3 films that investigate the concept of 'the hunt', including The Doll's Breath by the Quays, Reconstitution d'une scène de chasse by Patricia Allio, and WCHFM by me.

25 & 28 Jan - LantarenVenster 6, Otto Reuchlinweg 996, Rotterdam.

SUNDANCE SCREENINGS

2020-01-12T11:06:00.000+00:00

Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother is playing in the Animation Spotlight program at the following times:

- Friday, January 24th 7:00 PM Redstone Cinema 2 Park City Theaters
- Saturday, January 25th 12:45 PM Broadway Centre Cinema 3 Salt Lake City
- Monday, January 27th 11:45 PM Park Avenue Theatre Park City Theaters
- Friday, January 31st 5:30 PM Egyptian Theatre Park City Theaters

NEW FILM AT SUNDANCE 2020!

2019-12-10T21:27:00.001+00:00

My new film Wood Child & Hidden Forest Mother will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, 23 Jan - 2 Feb 2020.

Full list of times and venues coming soon. In the meantime here's the trailer...

74 short films will screen at the Festival from 27 countries and chosen from 10,397 submissions – 4,992 from the U.S. and 5,405 international.
Visit sundance.org for details of all the selected films.

coming soon...

2019-12-09T15:13:00.000+00:00

WIP - WCHFM

2019-07-16T16:03:00.000+01:00

THE BLACK DOG @ THE BFI

2018-04-21T16:40:00.000+01:00

The Black Dog's Progress returns to the big screen for one night only at the BFI.
British Animation Meets the 21st Century.
23 April at 18.10
Curated by Jez Stewart
Details and tickets HEERREEE

IN DEVELOPMENT

2017-05-17T14:47:00.000+01:00

I've been writing a feature recently - my first live action screenplay. It's being developed with the support of Creative England and the BFI.
They've set me up with a great script editor, and I'm a couple of drafts in.
Here are some exciting behind-the-scenes photos, documenting the writing process...

network.bfi.org.uk
creativeengland.co.uk

HONG KONG SUNDANCE SCREENINGS

2016-04-19T13:43:00.002+01:00

more info here

2015-12-21T16:33:00.000+00:00

The Obvious Child on VICE.com
(thanks Jeffrey!)

And some of my work is featured in this new book by Heather Freeman
Available here

'THE OBVIOUS CHILD' NOW ONLINE

2015-10-03T14:58:00.000+01:00

My film THE OBVIOUS CHILD is now available online!

and here's a very serious MAKING OF...

the making of is screening at KLIK Amsterdam on 29/10 and 1/11 as part of Rock,Paper,Scissors:
klik.amsterdam/festival/program-details/146
(its one and only festival screening hopefully)

:) xx

GO SHORT FESTIVAL BAG & T-SHIRT

2015-05-10T14:27:00.004+01:00

I designed the bag and t-shirt for this years Go Short Film Festival.
here are a few pics!

2015-03-03T18:06:00.000+00:00

vimeo.com/81491128

new york times sundance review

2015-02-07T13:35:00.002+00:00

The New York Times online version

ANIM'EST AWARD

2014-12-27T13:27:00.001+00:00

My award for Best Short Film arrived from the Anim'est Festival this week.

The jury (Amid Amidi, Christian Pfohl and Robert Morgan) said:
"A film that imaginatively re-interprets old cartoon iconography into a nightmarish and comical depiction of childhood angst."

And here's how the jury came to their decision. Amid included these notes in this Cartoon Brew article (the filmmakers don't normally get to see this stuff!):

TOP ANIMATED SHORTS OF 2014

2014-12-20T06:30:00.000+00:00

The Obvious Child has popped up on a Best of 2014 list voted by 17 international festival programmers and critics.

See all the top 10 lists here

Full Cartoon Brew article here