Shorts on Walls is back, and we want your animated short films to screen!

Animation Forum West Midlands' very own screening event, Shorts on Walls, gives West Midlands' animators and animation companies the chance to screen their latest animated efforts to their peers in a relaxed, bar atmosphere (where exactly will be announced closer to the time).

Animators everywhere are being challenged to bring to life a unique collection of silent movie scores recently been recorded by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) as part of The Silent Movies Animation Challenge from Animation Forum West Midlands, the CBSO and Birmingham Library & Archive Services.

The Silent Animation Challenge is open to anyone with a passion for animation. Using the scores recorded by the CBSO, animators are being asked to create a unique piece of work that will reawaken the spirit of the ‘golden era of cinema’ – between 1915 and 1929:

The best submissions will have their work screened – accompanied by the Orchestra – at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on Friday 20th April 2012 prior to the Friday Night Classics: Classic Chaplin concert at 7.30pm.

The winning animator will then receive a place on the Introduction to Final Cut Pro X course at Birmingham City University’s NTI Birmingham, as well as a money-can’t-buy placement at award-winning animation studio, The CharacterShop, in Birmingham.

Animation Forum WM have teamed up with Dice Productions and Flip Festival to bring you three consecutive nights of fantastic animated short films this February, for the British Animation Awards Public Choice Screenings.

Three seperate programmes of screenings the best UK animated films of 2010 and 2011 will be screened Thursday 9th, Friday 10th and Saturday 11th February, from 7pm each night at The Custard Factory Theatre.

Tickets can be bought in advance online for £5 per night using the Eventbrite form below and include a free drink courtesy of Flip Animation Festival. Attendees can also buy tickets for all three screenings if they prefer for a reduced rate of £12.

Our Shorts on Walls screenings will be returning once more to this year's Flatpack Festival (14th-18th March 2012), which naturally means one thing: we need your animated short films sharpish.

Shorts on Walls gives Midlands animators and studios the chance to screen their latest animated works and mingle with fellow animators over a beverage of their choosing.

Long-time Animation Forum WM members, The Brothers McLeod recently picked up a BAFTA Children’s Award for their work on a BBC Learning animation.

AFWM caught up with writer of the duo, Myles McLeod for a quick chat about the win. 

Current Animation Forum WM funders, Screen WM has now closed following nine years of support for the screen media industries in the West Midlands, with its responsibilities being passed onto new industry body Creative England.

"The closure of Screen WM follows the coalition government's decision to replace the UK Film Council's support for film-making, which core-funded the regional screen agencies, with funding through the British Film Institute," says Screen WM. "In November 2010 the Minister for the Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey [Con], announced that Creative England would be formed to build on the work of the regional screen agencies, becoming operational on 1st October 2011."

A new lobby group has been formed to call for "urgent support of independent animation in the UK."

Animation Alliance UK has today written to Lord Chris Smith, Panel chair of the independent review of Government film policy, to raise concerns about "the lack of public policy, strategy and support for independent animation."

Shorts on Walls is back for another evening of fantastic animated shorts handcrafted in the Midlands on Thursday 13th October 2011, at Light House, Wolverhampton.

Shorts on Walls gives local animators the chance to screen their latest animated efforts to their peers and meet likeminded animators in a relaxed, bar atmosphere.