UTV TO SCREEN ANIMATED FILM ‘THE KING’S WAKE’

‘The King's Wake’, an animated short film by Derry's Nerve Centre will be screened on UTV on November 21 at 10:45 pm.
‘The King's Wake’ is a dark adult animation that takes an eager and powerful approach to the myths and legends that form the basis for Northern Ireland's present day reality. This exciting animation combines the traditional character animation of award winning animator John McCloskey in a spectacular 3-D environment created with the latest computer technology.
Producer of ‘The King’s Wake’, Martin Melarky, said: "The real star of ‘The King's Wake’, is chief animator and director John McCloskey. Together with his team of animators at the Nerve Centre he has combined traditional 2D animation with computer generated imagery to create an entirely convincing world for the story. With his very individual style, he creates images that are often beautiful, sometimes shocking, but always powerful. The King's Wake is an attempt to take animation into the world of serious, adult filmmaking - perhaps eventually into the world of the full-length feature."
Developed from a concept by Martin Melarkey and Gillian Lower, ‘The King's Wake’ was specifically designed as animation for adults. The film contains moments of brutal violence that are none the less powerful for being rendered in animation. The film won the Best Animation at the 22nd annual Celtic Film and Television Festival this year.
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: "The Arts Council are proud to be associated with the team that has brought such distinction to animation in Northern Ireland. ‘The King's Wake’ is a film of real importance, culturally challenging and of high artistic merit."
UTV will screen the film with an introduction from producer, Martin Melarkey, and director, John McCloskey. (CD)