May 16th 11th Anniversary of ELAC International Animation Day , NFB Animation

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, East Los Angeles College and Cinema Without Borders will hold the 11th anniversary of the annual ELAC International Animation Day Festival, dedicated to Nationl Film Board of Canda Animation (2016 – 2026)

This event will be held at East Los Angeles College, located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754.

To attend please RSVP by sending an email to  rsvpanim@gmail.com and let us know if you plan to attend the morning screening or afternoon screening or both and if you will have a guest with you

The goal of the ELAC International Animation Day Festival is to provide an in-depth and engaging introduction to contemporary international animation. The program includes screenings of short animated films from around the world, critical analysis, Q&A sessions with a panel of well-known animation experts, and a tribute to an international animation artist working in the U.S. animation industry.

Program Schedule

12:30 PM – Reception

1:15 PM – Screening
A selection of five Oscar-winning or nominated animated short films from the National Film Board of Canada (2016–2026):
The Girl Who Cried Pearls (2026 Oscar winner), The Flying Sailor (2022), Affairs of the Art (2021), Animal Behaviour (2018), and Blind Vaysha (2016)

2:20 PM – Spotlight
Screening of a short animated film by Ali Murat Erkorkmaz, a pioneer of computer animation from Turkey, followed by a video message from the filmmaker discussing the creation of the work

2:40 PM – Tribute to a Legendary Animation Artist
John Garrett Andrews will introduce the work of Grant Munro, the legendary Canadian animation artist. Two of his short films, Two Bagatelles and Canon, will be screened

3:10 PM – Panel Discussion
A panel of animation experts will discuss the various sections of the program and the films presented

4:00 PM – Closing Remarks

A selection of five Oscar-winning or nominated animated short films from the National Film Board of Canada (2016–2026):
Blind Vaysha –  By Theodore Ushev – 2016
NOMINATED FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM • 89TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Vaysha is not like other young girls; she was born with one green eye and one brown eye. But her odd eyes aren’t the only thing that’s special about her gaze.

Her left eye sees only the past. Her right, only the future. Like a terrible curse, Vaysha’s split vision prevents her from living in the present. Blinded by what was and tormented by what will be, she remains trapped between two irreconcilable temporalities. “Blind Vaysha,” they called her.

In this metaphoric tale of timeless wisdom and beauty, filmmaker Theodore Ushev reminds us of the importance of living in present moment.

Animal Behaviour – By Alison Snowden & David Fine – 2018
NOMINATED FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM • 2019 ACADEMY AWARDS
Dealing with what comes naturally isn’t easy, especially for animals.

In Animal Behaviour, the latest animated short from the Oscar®-winning team of Alison Snowden and David Fine (Bob’s Birthday), five animals meet regularly to discuss their inner angst in a group therapy session led by Dr. Clement, a canine psychotherapist.

Affairs of the Art – By Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
2021
NOMINATED FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM AT THE 94TH ACADEMY AWARDS

With Affairs of the Art, director Joanna Quinn and producer/screenwriter Les Mills continue the series of beloved, hilarious and award-winning animated UK films starring Beryl, a 59-year-old factory worker who’s obsessed with drawing and determined to become a hyper-futurist artiste. We also meet her grown son, Colin, a techno geek, her husband, Ifor, now Beryl’s model and muse, and her sister, Beverly, a fanatical narcissist living in LA. Affairs of the Art provides glimpses into Beryl’s, Beverly’s and Colin’s peculiar childhoods, and we see that obsession is in this family’s DNA.

The first co-production between Beryl Productions International and the National Film Board of Canada, Affairs of the Art features Quinn’s signature hand-drawn animation with attitude and Mills’ raucously humorous scenarios, in an endearing romp through one family’s eccentric addictions.

The Flying Sailor – By Le matelot volant Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis – 2022
Academy Award® nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category 2023

Two ships collide in a harbour, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. With ears ringing, blood pulsing and guts heaving, he soars high above the mayhem and towards the great unknown. A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy, The Flying Sailor is an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls – By Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski – 2025
Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards 2026

In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.

From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the magic of stop-motion animation. With handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Colm Feore and a haunting score by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception and the price of innocence.
Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards 2026

SpotLight
Focusing on the work of a pioneer of computer-generated animation and now a master of artificial intelligence, Ali Murat Erkorkmaz was born in Istanbul in 1948 and trained as both an engineer and architect at Istanbul Technical University. Early in his career, he worked as a designer for advertising agencies and construction companies before founding his own studio, where he began exploring animation alongside architecture. By the early 1970s, he had established one of Turkey’s leading advertising agencies and started producing films, television content, and publishing ventures, marking the beginning of a prolific and multidisciplinary career.
data-start=”818″ data-end=”1340″>Erkorkmaz expanded his work internationally, producing animated series, commercials, and large-scale projects across the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. He collaborated on major productions, including the Arabic version of Sesame Street, and created content that was broadcast in dozens of countries. Over the decades, he founded multiple studios worldwide, worked with global brands, and contributed to architectural and cultural projects, while continuing to innovate in animation, television, and media production.

In parallel with his artistic output, he became a pioneer in integrating artificial intelligence into creative industries. He developed software for animation, music composition, and human simulation, producing thousands of films, series, and multimedia works. His later career has focused on AI-driven creativity, robotics, and interactive media, positioning him as a rare figure bridging art, science, and technology, with hundreds of projects, patents, and international recognitions to his name.

Tribute To a Lagendary Animation Artist
In this section of International Animation Day, we will honor the remarkable work of legendary Canadian animation artist Grant Munro. His work will be introduced to the audience by John Garrett Andrews, followed by screenings of two of his short films.

Grant Munro (April 25, 1923 – December 9, 2017) was a pioneering Canadian animator, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for his collaboration with Norman McLaren, including co-starring in the Academy Award-winning film Neighbours (1952). His film Christmas Cracker (1963) was nominated for an Academy Award.

Munro first gained recognition in 1945 for his innovative animated cut-out films set to songs such as “My Darling Clementine.” He played a key role in developing the technique of pixilation and worked extensively with the National Film Board of Canada. Throughout his career, he collaborated with McLaren on films such as Two Bagatelles, Christmas Cracker, and Canon, later shifting his focus to documentaries exploring art and performance. He retired from the National Film Board in 1988 and passed away in Montreal at the age of 94.

Panel Members:
Sarah Baisley served as editor in chief of AWN, 2003 to 2007. In charge of all content creation for popular monthly professional online magazine, three weekly newsletters and daily online news service serving the animation and visual effects industries worldwide (155 countries). Previously editor in chief of Animation Magazine for five years, she is a specialist in animation publicity and journalism and is freelancing now in the wine industry as a journalist and marketing specialist. She headed publicity at Hanna-Barbara, Ruby-Spears, Southern Star and Film Roman studios during the previous 17 years of her career. She is founding member of Women in Animation. She also is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and participates on panels concerning topics about the animation and visual effects industries. Currently she is a retailer and journalist about wine and spirits.

John Garrett Andrews is a writer, producer and musician. He was most recently an executive producer on the hit animated feature Dick Figures:The Movie. In the 90’s he ran MTV Animation where he produced several series including Beavis & Butt-Head, Aeon Flux, Daria and MTV’s Oddities featuring The Maxx and The Head. He was also co-producer of the feature Beavis & Butt-Head Do America. He is currently an adjunct professor at USC’s John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts and the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University. He is also the co-director of the annual Los Angeles Animation Festival. Prior to that he ran commercial production for five years at Six Point Harness and twelve years at Klasky Csupo. In the late 80’s he won three Emmy Awards for his comedic animations for the PBS series Adam Smith’s Money World. His feature script Straw Hat Detective was a prize winner in the Producer’s Guild of America’s 2011 ProShow Competition.

Rosa Farre is a VFX Technical Director, animator and educator with many years of experience in both production and education. She has been at the forefront of the computer graphics industry since its inception. She holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.

As a Technical Director, she has supervised a range of projects for such platforms as feature films, park rides, broadcast and games, and has developed technical pipelines, designed software solutions and supervised productions teams. As an educator, she has been a faculty member of several higher-end institutions and has developed well-rounded curriculum for emerging 3D artists preparing to enter the production field. Currently as one of the partners of ElektraShock, she is responsible for developing technical pipelines and supervising the production process.

Mike Libonati, a 2d/3d animation artist and professor, has been an animation and visual effects instructor for over 15 years. His students have had their work presented at Siggraph, CTN Animation Expo and various film festivals throughout the country. In addition to teaching, Mike works in 2D and 3D development in Los Angeles for various clients for both film and television including projects for Disney, Universal and Fox. Mike has also worked on renderings for architectural lighting design on projects such as the Coex Mall in Korea, Asia’s largest underground mall, and Tesla Motor Company in Los Angeles. Mike has a Master’s Degree from CalArts in Experimental Animation. He currently teaches animation at ELAC.

Yegane Moghaddam:  Born and raised in Iran, Yegane is an Iranian filmmaker and illustrator with a strong passion for nature, culture, and bouncing between different realities.

Her first animated short “Our Uniform” was a hit in 2023, recognized by the most prestigious animation festivals such as Annecy, Zagreb, Ottawa, Cinanima, etc and finally earned her an Oscar nomination in the same year. Currently she is based in L.A working on multiple animation projects, including her second short film which will be ready for distribution by summer 2026. Yegane wishes to expand the animation boundaries not only by mixing different media, but also by translating “meaning” into “form”.

Organizers: