Framed Industry Day

Thu 7 May from 13:00 till 17:30

On Thursday, May 7, Forum Groningen is organizing the Industry Day of the animated film festival Framed – by makers, for makers, students, and other interested parties!

Dive deeper into the world of animation and be inspired by professionals from home and abroad. Take a look behind the scenes and learn how various aspects of the animation world come to life. Discover more about this topic through talks and networking.

Scroll down for more information about the guests.

12:45	Walk-in with animations by students Media Design
13:05-13:50	Talk 1: Max Taylor en Tim Mccourt: Gorillaz, behind the scenes
13:50-14:40	Talk 2: Cristina Formenti : The current state of AI in animation
14:40 – 15:00	Talk 3: Happy Ship: Fruppets
15:00-15:20	Minerva animations with live music. The animated shorts are accompanied by a temporary ensemble formed specifically for this project, brought together by a shared affinity for animation and experimentation. The ensemble consists of conservatory students from the Master’s programme New Audiences Innovative Practices and a psychiatrist in training. The ensemble features Mathis Schlegel (double bass), Robyn Marshall (cello), Matti Kutzner (experimental drums), Tsvetina “Vythess” (vocals), Richard Greenwood (clarinet) and Luz Mercedes (experimental electronics).
15:30-16:30	Choice program: -VR demo Happy Ship (Square 6 East) -Rabbit in the Attic (Course Room 1, next to the square at 6 East) -Museum tour by curator (Storyworld, 6 East) -Film program in cinema hall
16:30-17:30	Drinks

Student Fee

Students visit the Industry Day for €10.00

Agenda

Thursday 7 May

1:00 PM - 5:30 PM

€ 30.00

Rabo Studio

Tickets

Speakers

Max Taylor en Tim Mccourt: Gorillaz, behind the scenes

Max Taylor and Tim McCourt have been directing the Gorillaz music videos for years. For the latest video, The Mountain, the Moon Cave and the Sad God, they opted for an ‘old school’ look and accompanying animation techniques. It was a deliberate choice to do this at a time when AI tools are on the rise. The characters were animated by hand, and the backgrounds were largely created by painting on paper. It is not without reason that the directors called their music video ‘a love letter to craftsmanship’. Max and Tim will take us behind the scenes of the production process. The music video is a success and has already been viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube.

Cristina Formenti: AI and animation, the state of affairs

Cristina Formenti is a lecturer and researcher in Film Studies at the University of Groningen and Chair of the Society for Animation Studies. As an animation expert, she closely follows the latest developments in the field of AI. Cristina discusses how this technology is currently making its way into the art of animation. How are major studios and independent animators dealing with AI? What are the consequences of the changes that have already been set in motion? And what are the prospects for creators and enthusiasts who believe that animation should always have a personal character?

Happy Ship: Fruppets, a new way to create 3D animation

Are you still creating 3D animations with a mouse in your hand while staring at a screen? Soon, there will be a completely new way to do this, and faster too. The Groningen-based studio Happy Ship is currently developing Fruppets. This app allows you to step into your animation set using VR. You rig and animate by literally taking your characters by the hand.

Fruppets is still in development, but today you have the unique opportunity to get an early glimpse of its possibilities. Later this afternoon, Happy Ship is offering a number of participants the chance to explore the system themselves with a VR headset. If you haven't signed up for this but are still curious, you can watch along on a large screen.

Happy Ship: Fruppets, a new way to create 3D animation

Isabela Gay en Magnus König: Rabbit in the Attic

Isabela Gay and Magnus König show us how beautiful and detailed a stop-motion set can be. This house, which they worked on for two years, will soon serve as a movie set. In this film the attic and the rabbit that lives there are key factors. On their Instagram channel Isabela and Magnus shared photos and videos illustrating how they worked on the house with craftsmanship, creativity, and an eye for detail. With this project they graduated from Minerva Academy in Groningen in 2025. Soon, they will move the house to France to begin the stop-motion filming there. Framed offers you the unique opportunity to admire the set up close. Moreover, the creators themselves will be present, and you can talk to them.

Photos & 2025 Program Retrospective

Curious what to expect during a Framed Industry Day? In 2025, the 4th edition of Forum Groningen's own animation film festival, Framed, took place. The Industry Day was a fantastic day full of curiosity, inspiration, and creativity. Guests included Sandro Cleuzo, Boris Hiestand, Blender, and Rachelle Joy Slingerland.

Sandro Cleuzo: Sandro Cleuzo (1960) is a top animator who has witnessed all major developments in the animation industry up close. In his native Brazil, he started at the age of 15 as an animator of TV commercials. He then fought his way into Don Bluth Studios in Ireland and Disney Studios in Los Angeles. Cleuzo briefly had his own studio in Sao Paulo, but currently works as a freelancer for producers such as Dreamworks, Sony, Laika, Paramount, and Netflix.
Boris Hiestand: Boris Hiestand is not only an animator and director, but also a voice actor. He is currently working on new animation projects in London. As an animator, Boris Hiestand worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, Angry Birds, Hotel Transylvania, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, among others.
Blender: Fiona Cohen is a producer and development manager at Blender. During Framed, she spoke about the history of the software, its current position, and expectations for the future. Blender is open-source animation software that enables users worldwide to create 3D animations. It is widely used in the animation industry and in the production of computer games.
Rachelle Joy Slingerland: Rachelle is a visual development artist and character designer. She prefers spending her time in the fantasy worlds she creates rather than in our ‘real’ world. She also designs these worlds on commission, for example for television commercials such as those for Unox, Trekpleister, Etos, and ASN Bank. In doing so, she takes into account the message and the story that needs to be told. How does that work? She demonstrated this at the Industry Day.

Framed

May 7, 8, 9 and 10, 2026

A festival bursting with animation films, master classes and talks by local and (inter)national creators. Whether you're a diehard animation fan or just curious, Framed is the place to be!

More Framed