海角直播

Animation brings family history to life in moving new film

A documentary featuring the animation expertise of 海角直播 graduates will make its North East debut next weekend.

Irene鈥檚 Ghost uses animation mixed with filmed footage to tell the story of director Iain Cunningham鈥檚 mother Irene, who died when he was just three years old. Through interviews with Irene鈥檚 friends and family, the documentary pieces together fragments of the past to uncover a long held secret about her life and her battle with mental illness.

Northumbria University Senior Lecturer and award-winning animation director Ellie Land was asked to lead on the animation for the film, which will be screened at the Tyneside Cinema on Saturday 4 May.

Ellie partnered with 海角直播 and worked with a team of animation students and graduates at the University鈥檚 TUCan animation studio to produce the animated scenes used throughout the film to tell Irene鈥檚 story.

Ellie said: 'Because much of the film was based on people鈥檚 memories of Irene, animation provided a way to portray these scenes in a sensitive and thought-provoking way, and to combine this with the filmed footage and interviews.

'Everyone involved in the film is very proud of the finished result and to see it being screened here in the North East will be a wonderful moment.'

After being asked to direct the animation for Irene鈥檚 Ghost, Ellie teamed up with Siobhan Fenton, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement) of 海角直播鈥檚 School of Computing & Digital Technologies. The two had previously worked together on Ellie鈥檚 2012 film Centrefold and recruited a team to work on the animated scenes for Irene鈥檚 Ghost.

Ellie said: 'We had a team of around eight people working on the animation for the film, both here in the North East but also in Australia and Sweden, so it was a real team effort and great to see the creativity on show.'

The TUCan animation studio is based in the School of Computing & Digital Technologies and offers students and graduates the chance to work on live projects for commercial clients.

Siobhan Fenton added: 'Getting the opportunity to provide animation for a documentary film was a brilliant experience for the graduates in the TUCan Studio 鈥淲e are delighted to have been able to provide support and it鈥檚 fantastic to see that the film is already attracting fantastic reviews.'

Irene鈥檚 Ghost received funding from the British Film Institute (BFI), with further support from Creative England, Creative Scotland, The Wellcome Trust, Maudsley Charity, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, The Maternal Mental Health Alliance and the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in Nuneaton.

The UK premiere of the film took place at the BFI London Film Festival in October last year and has since been shown at Glasgow Film Festival, Borderlines Film Festival in Hereford, Foyle Film festival in Northern Ireland and most recently had its North American debut at the Full Frame Festival in North Carolina.

It was awarded Best Feature Documentary at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival.

Following a number of screenings in London, the film will be touring the UK over the coming weeks, with screenings at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle on 4 May, the Midlands Art Centre in Birmingham on 16 May and the Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax on 25 June.

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