Tuesday, April 30th, 2013
Official Selection 2013 / Winner of Best Animated Film
I Am Tom Moody is a film about the creative struggle, it is about self-doubt, the source of these doubts and overcoming our past. We meet tom Moody in his first moment on stage, struggling to open his mouth and sing. Plunged into his subconscious mind we discover two voices, battling to narrate the viewer through the film. Tom is caught in the crossfire, pulled and pushed, tormented by his own duplicity. Ultimately we join Tom in his seeking to discover their source, and unify the two.
Director: Ainslie Henderson
Producer: Ainslie Henderson
Writer: Ainslie Henderson
Key cast and other credits:
Voice of older Tom – Mackenzie Crook
Voice of younger Tom – Jude Cook
Director’s Statement
‘I am a film-maker, animator. In particular I am drawn to the medium of stop–motion animation. I love both the making and the watching of life in otherwise inert objects. I love to study humans and their stories through puppets. The physicality of stop motion, and all it shares with the ‘real’ world give it a particular magic. I came to animation through being a songwriter, which is an unusual route, however I look for the same things in both arts; I want to hear someone say something personal, and true, and I want it sung in a way that makes me notice a beauty I might otherwise have missed.’
Ainslie Henderson
Director’s Bio
While still a student at ECA Ainslie Henderson won the Scottish Bafta New Tallent Award for animation. He co wrote ‘The making of Longbird’ with director Will Anderson which has gone on to win many awards including best short film at Warsaw, Leipzig and Edinburgh Film Festival. His latest film “I Am Tom Moody” Has won Best British short at Encounters film festival in Bristol, Best student film at Krok in Russia and Both the Disney best student film and the Ottawa Media prize at Ottawa animation festival.
Online Links
http://www.ainsliehenderson.com
Judges’ Comments
“A touching story beautifully rendered through animated characters.” – Sarah Godfrey
“Fantastic stop motion, dark and masterfully done. I like Tom Moody!” – Olivia Coleman
“The attention to detail really brought the characters to life and I simply loved it.” – Jane Gull
“I Am Tom Moody stood out as an incredibly strong emotional piece that couldn’t have been told in any other medium. A mature, clever and insightful film, it used precisely the filmmaking techniques necessary to tell its story and was perfectly pitched.” – Jon Harris
“I liked all of these animations but this just blew me away. It is a perfect combination of animation technique, script, delivery and witty story-telling. Tim Burton would not only like this I think he’d be proud to have made it. I could watch it time and again. Perfect. Amazing. The acting is also great.” – Tim McInnerny
Posted in: Official Selection, NFF2013, Nominated Films, 2013 Films In Detail