BEWITCHED

Entries are extended for Bewitched ************************* Call for submissions BEWITCHED Animated short films on the theme of witchcraft and ritual DEADLINE EXTENDED to June 8, 2018 (by midnight) The Toronto Animated Image Society seeks submissions for Bewitched, a touring programme of animated short films that focus on the potential for a decolonial future through the practice of witchcraft and ritual. __________________________________________________________________ First screening is scheduled for February 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Subsequent touring dates TBA. All artists/filmmakers selected will receive an artist fee for each screening. There is a $1.00 USD fee to submit (approx. $1.30 CDN). __________________________________________________________________ This project is premised on the idea that within the current global political and sociocultural climate there is a stronger presence of occult practices in everyday conversations and the media. Bewitched aims to delve into the politics of the occult and the role it plays in the process of healing and decolonizing one's mind and body. Crystal healing, cleansing rituals, Reiki, witchcraft, and other practices have risen in popularity. Guest curator Geneviève Wallen is seeking animated works that address, directly or indirectly, how these practices allow for spiritual connections and reclaiming ancestral gifts. Wallen is especially interested in exploring how the occult and magical practices function outside of colonial histories, and tap into ancestral knowledge. Historically, witchcraft and healing rituals have helped to sustain communities and fight against oppression. The spiritual impacts of these activities offer agency to those seeking cultural reclamation and reconciliation across a wide spectrum of oppressed communities. The practices are also tools for self-love and empowerment, and source of communal sustenance. This call prioritizes artists that are Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, cis women, gender diverse people, LGBTQ2+, people with disabilities, or from other underserved communities. TAIS recognizes that all individuals are intersectional. ABOUT THE CURATOR Geneviève Wallen is a Toronto-based independent curator and writer interested in issues of ethnocultural representational spaces in Canada. Wallen's focus on diasporic narratives, intersectional feminism, intergenerational healing, and alternative BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) futurities inform her practice. She is a curator and board member at Younger than Beyoncé Gallery, and programming coordinator at Xpace Cultural Centre. ABOUT TAIS Founded in 1984, the Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) initially began as a group for animators and animation enthusiasts to connect and share in an art form they love. Over 33 years, TAIS has evolved into an artist-run media arts production centre with a growing membership that supports animation production, presentation, and skills development. As a production centre, TAIS supports creation by our members and guest artists. We commission new animation through special projects and residency programs, present curated programs of animation art by artists from Toronto, across Canada, and around the world, and each year we invite guest artists to screen their work, give lectures, and teach workshops. TAIS prioritizes the involvement of artists from diverse practices, backgrounds, and communities. As part of our commitment to reaching new audiences for animation, we have presented over a dozen projects of community engagement by artists in the last 15 years. Today and into the future, TAIS seeks to present and support work by artists who reflect upon and investigate artistic (social, political, and creative) concerns and prioritize experimental production techniques inherent to contemporary forms of animated art making. Visit us online at www.tais.ca