VTSU Lyndon Hosts 9th Vermont Animation Festival

This year is the 9^th annual Vermont Animation Festival, a festival hosted by Vermont State University Lyndon’s art program in partnership with Catamount Arts. Creators Dustin Grella and Dan Bandit will be welcomed to VTSU as a part of the 2024 Vermont Animation Festival.

Dustin Grella is an animator and documentary filmmaker and will be the Keynote Speaker for this year’s Vermont Animation Festival. His films have been shown at the International Cannes Film Festival in France. They have also been screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States. He has won the Walt Disney Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival and his film “Prayers for Peace” has won almost 50 awards worldwide.

Dan Bandit, also known as Ghostshrimp, was recently nominated for a Grammy for his album art and package design for the Gravity Falls soundtrack. He has worked on a variety of animated shows on Cartoon Network, Disney, Netflix, and Nickelodeon. Some of his works include Adventure Time, Spongebob, Gravity Falls, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and MF DOOM.

The Vermont Animation Festival (VAF) will be held on the VTSU-Lyndon campus and will offer many activities for both beginners and experienced animators. These activities include workshops, a film screening, and artist talks with both Dan Bandit and Dustin Grella.

“We are thrilled that our students now have the opportunity to learn from legends like Dustin Grella and Dan Bandit on our own campus through the Vermont Animation Festival,” said Kate Renner, the Vermont Animation Festival director, and VTSU Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Art, “This years’ workshops are especially friendly to participants of all ages and experience levels and we look forward to welcoming a large turnout from the NEK and beyond.”

Animated films may be submitted by anyone for viewing and judging as part of the festival. Submissions close at 5 PM on March 15^th.

The VAF will be held on Friday, March 22^nd and Saturday, March 23^rd. For more information about submissions or the festival itself, you can visit the VAF website.