From May 8 to 12, the festival will screen three dozen experimental animation films.
The 14th edition of the Animation Festival of Halifax (AFX 14) is set to kick off at the Bus Stop Theatre, Carbon Arc Cinema and Halifax Central Library — thanks in large part to NSCAD alumni, faculty and students. From May 8 to 12, the festival will screen 36 films ranging in length from one minute to 97 minutes. It’s the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that the entire event will be in person.
Artist and filmmaker Siloën Daley (BFA 97) is the festival’s founder and film curator. While she’s now based in her hometown of Nelson, B.C., Daley lived for more than 30 years in Halifax after arriving to study at NSCAD. That’s where her path to film animation and curation began.
Although Daley started at the college by studying painting, “I got entangled in experimental animation,” she recounts. “My painting became many little paintings, which became moving paintings. I discovered that any medium can be a part of experimental animation, and you can express yourself through these moving art forms. It was really inspiring.”
At NSCAD, she was also introduced to the “behind-the-scenes stuff” and programming experience. “I would oversee putting together all the student works and doing end-of-term screenings. After I graduated, I carried on making films and working in the industry, and I was always programming films,” Daley says.
“Eventually, I put together a four-month tour of North America with a program of women’s animation. It was 30 minutes of films made by women animators from the Maritimes. I got a picture of how audiences got a taste of the Maritimes from seeing these works, and that was super inspiring,” she adds.
“When I returned to Halifax, I had a vision for how we could get an independent cinema going on a shoestring,” she says. That vision became Carbon Arc Cinema, which offered an annual animation screening in tandem with the National Film Board. “And a festival kind of evolved.”
That evolution has seen the festival spread to five days for the first time this year. In addition to the screenings, AFX offers workshops, open-studio drop-ins and hands-on art-making sessions leading up to the festival.
“I’m so thankful that we have a team of wonderful people”
Daley also points to the crucial role NSCAD and its faculty and staff play, such as by providing equipment and technical support. In turn, AFX contributes to the local film industry. “We show a number of the student films, and we definitely try to highlight as much local work as possible,” she says.
Daley credits AFX 14’s co-organizers for making it all happen. “I’m so thankful that we have a team of wonderful people,” she says.
One of those “wonderful” team members is Becka Barker (BFA ‘00), a regular part-time faculty member in NSCAD’s Media Arts, Foundation and Interdisciplinary Design divisions. Barker has been involved with AFX in various capacities since its early days. “This year is the 14th edition of our festival, and I’ve been around for most of them in one way or another, starting back when it was called Animation With Love,” she relates.
“I first became involved as an artist whose films were featured in the festival. I’ve also done things like write festival funding applications, run an animation mentorship/commissioning initiative, help with advertising and socials, curate an artist retrospective and mentor an emerging animation writer.”
Barker has worked on the free public art-making sessions, Drawings in Motion and Dots and Loops, since 2018. “Honest to Pete, these events are my favourite things,” she says. Drawings in Motion’s participants make frame-by-frame, hand-drawn animated sequences. “Dots and Loops is about exploring materials and movement made directly under the camera. Jessica Winton (BFA ’97, MFA ‘16), a fellow NSCAD alum and instructor, and I facilitate this together,” Barker explains.
“The dopamine hit you get when you see your puppet or drawings appear to move on their own for the first time — it’s just the best! And it’s so fun to share that excitement with other people, as we all see it come to life, together.”
Other alumni involved in the festival include Jenna Marks, (BFA ‘13), who taught animation alongside Barker at NSCAD in the winter 2025 semester. NSCAD faculty also help by promoting events, encouraging students and attending screenings. “There’s often overlap with experimental film, photography, painting and drawing, so the festival frequently attracts faculty,” Barker says.
NSCAD students play an important role at the festival
Like Daley, Barker acknowledges NSCAD’s vital involvement. “The role NSCAD students play in this festival is one important way we’re supporting community development. Students from my animation classes often take volunteer roles at the festival — and this past year they’ve been especially keen on getting involved, which is great to see,” she says.
“Getting this kind of direct experience in the local community, using the skills they’ve practiced in their coursework while forming new connections with artists and industry professionals outside of school, is invaluable. And as a small festival, there’s little in the way of hierarchy, which allows a lot of these students to interact directly with professionals,” she says. “And, of course, the on-the-ground experience helping run an arts event is invaluable.”
Daley says she’s already thinking of AFX 15. She’s also excited to have witnessed how her little festival has grown. “Seeing the ownership that other people are taking is really special,” she says.
“I love that sense of community building and art making — it’s just a beautiful combination. Our goal is just to make a welcoming space. So, ideally, people who are just curious about the art or maybe even if they’ve been doing it for years, will come together and celebrate this art form. We want to be a home for that.”
Visit the Animation Festival of Halifax site for details of films and program times.