Kubo and the Two Strings (a Laika production/Focus Features) has been nominated for two Ocars–Best Animated Feature, and Achievement in Visual Effects. The film marks the directorial debut of Travis Knight (president/CEO of Laika) and tells the story of a boy (voiced by Art Parkinson) named Kubo who must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father, a famous samurai warrior, in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. Along the way the lad picks up sidekicks, a talking monkey (Charlize Theron) and a beetle (Matthew McConaughey).
Credits
A Laika Production/Focus Features
Oscar nominees:
Travis Knight, director
Arianne Sutner, producer
Steve Emerson, VFX supervisor
Brad Schiff, animation supervisor
Oliver Jones, animation rigging supervisor
Brikan McLean, director of rapid prototyping, overseing 3D printing technology and facial performances
Director Ezra Hurwitz, Artistic Director Francesca Harper Team On Short Film “Echoes of Ailey”
Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for this short film titled Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “Edges of Ailey” is currently on view at the Whitney until February 9.
Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place,” dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history--physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.
“As a child, my grandmother took me to Ailey’s Revelations once a year,” said Hurwitz. “No matter how often I saw it, the work captivated me. There isn’t one specific thing I hope viewers take away from the film--or one way to interpret its images. It’s meant to be an abstract work, like Ailey’s creations.”
Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from "I’ve Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary "Revelations." Carrying a watershed moment back to its own medium, Echoes of Ailey captures the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization. The short film first premiered on Nowness.
Hurwitz is... Read More
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