The IPO represents, protects and promotes the interests of independent South African film, television and digital media producers and, in turn, all who work in and are suppliers to the industry value chain.

NEWS Productions 

Africa’s best animation of 2018 now on YouTube

ipoadmin

After winning seven international awards and screening at over 60 international festivals, Triggerfish’s short film Belly Flop is now on YouTube.

Directed by Jeremy Collins and co-directed by Kelly Dillon, Belly Flop is the story of Penny, a fearless young girl learning to dive, unperturbed by a talented diver who keeps stealing the spotlight.

The heart-warming short film was named Best Animation at the Africa Movie Academy Awards last month and also won the Gryphon Award at Giffoni, one of the world’s premiere children’s festivals, Best In Show at Longwood Animation Festival, the Czech TV Audience Award at Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth, and the Children’s Jury award at Cinemira, among other accolades.

Belly Flop also screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals like Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, Anima Mundi, and the world’s top animation festival, Annecy, where it was shown during the closing ceremony, alongside DreamWorks’ latest short film, Bilby, and two others.

Belly Flop is based on a screenplay by Dillon which won an internal scriptwriting competition at Triggerfish in 2011, with the five-minute short being made as a passion project during downtime at the studio over the last seven years.

“The character of Penny was inspired by a girl I au-paired for when I was at university,” says Dillon. “I remember when she started taking swimming lessons, I admired her persistence in learning to dive properly, oblivious that she kept belly flopping. This short film has taken seven years, so being named Africa’s best animation really reinforces Belly Flop’s message that perseverance does pay off, eventually.”

With Marc Dey, Dillon also co-wrote Ninja Princess, one of the winners of the pan-African Triggerfish Story Lab. The series is now in development with Triggerfish and global A-list partners.

Collins is a freelance animation director based in Cape Town, who has over 20 years of experience creating short-form animation and motion graphics.