Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding, the founders of multi award-winning, London-based animation studio Lupus Films, have been awarded the Manchester Animation Festival Fellowship 2022.
In a special 90-minute session held at the festival last night, (Tuesday, November 15), Deakin and Fielding received the award as they reflected on 20 years of creating high-quality entertainment for families around the globe. They also celebrated the extraordinary stories and people behind the making of their best-loved films and gave a sneak preview of exciting projects in the production pipeline, including an animated adaptation of Benji Davies’ Storm Whale trilogy.
“We are incredibly excited to receive this prestigious honor from the Manchester Animation Festival in our 20th year,” the studio founders shared. “The Manchester Animation Festival is a huge supporter of the animation industry in this country and this award is a testament to the incredible talent and dedication of the people who have worked alongside us on our productions over the last 20 years.”
Festival director Steve Henderson said, “Whether it is building an original sequel to The Snowman and bringing The Snowman and The Snowdog to life or creating a feast for the eyes with The Tiger Who Came to Tea, or finding the perfect way to translate We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Lupus Films’ TV specials have delighted for two decades.”
Founded in 2002, Lupus Films has developed an international reputation for beautifully crafted film adaptations of classic works of literature which have been seen in cinemas and on major broadcasters and SVOD channels worldwide. Their much-loved, much-watched productions include The Snowman and The Snowdog, Ethel & Ernest, We’re Going on A Bear Hunt and The Tiger Who Came to Tea.
Based on the children’s picture book by author-illustrator Judith Kerr OBE and directed by Robin Shaw, The Tiger Who Came to Tea won a Jury Award at Annecy in 2020 and an International Emmy Kids Award. The film is nominated in the Animation category for the BAFTA Children’s & Young People Awards, which will be announced on November 27.
Projects currently in development and production include an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom, featuring the voices of Cillian Murphy and Sally Hawkins, a trio of films based on Benji Davies’ beautiful Storm Whale trilogy and Las Dos Fridas, a colorful feature film about the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Read more about Lupus Films’ 20-year legacy in Animation Magazine‘s interview here. Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) is taking place this week (Nov. 13-18) in the northwestern English city.
