The People's Republic Of Animation
Encyclopedia
The People's Republic of Animation (PRA) is an animation studio based in Adelaide
, Australia
. Since starting out on music videos for Australian bands in 2003, The People’s Republic of Animation (PRA) has grown into a highly prolific studio creating international award-winning short films, TV commercials and developing feature films.
Eddie White and James Calvert have just directed the first of the Mitsubishi Lancer
/Sony
Tropfest
'supershort' films titled 'Safer in a wild world', a one minute short that blends 2d animation and 3d animation in a pop-up storybook style. Eddie White & Ari Gibson of the PRA recently directed the short film ' The Cat Piano, featuring the narration by Australian music legend, Nick Cave
. The film was officially selected in competition at Annecy Animated Film Festival in 2009 and has gone on to be nominated for an AFI award for best short animation.
Recently The PRA made two shorts; 'I Was A Teenage Butterfly' and 'The Ghastly Gourmet Cooking Show' were also broadcast on Nickelodeon
's Sarvo
program in 2008.
Sweet & Sour
Carnivore Reflux
Mermaid Story
Fritz Gets Rich
The Bomb (Sixxx Legs)
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Since starting out on music videos for Australian bands in 2003, The People’s Republic of Animation (PRA) has grown into a highly prolific studio creating international award-winning short films, TV commercials and developing feature films.
Foundation
As 14-year-olds, in 1996, PRA founders Eddie White, James Calvert & Hugh Nguyen began experimenting with a super 8 camera under the name of ‘Dabble Animation’. Their first short film, Natural Born Animators (1998) was made two years later and achieved some national and international festival success on the student film circuit including a selection at the Student Animation Festival, Ottawa, Canada. In 2000 Eddie White renamed the team 'The People's Republic of Animation', a name coined after he flipped through an old Funk & Wagnall's encyclopedia looking for titles and saw the heading 'The People's Republic of China' and liked the empire-like and grand connotations it had. With the addition of animator/sculptor Brodie McCrossin in 2000 and producer Sam White in 2002, The People’s Republic of Animation was officially formed as a company in 2003. It wasn’t long before the young crew succeeded in gaining their first government grant for a stop-motion tv pilot and cg animation for a music video in the same year.Notable works
The PRA has produced two recent AFI (Australian Film Institute) nominated short films, Fritz gets Rich (2005) and Carnivore Reflux (2006). Carnivore Reflux was also voted best animated film by Australian audiences at the IF (inside Film) awards in 2006. Other notable productions include the international short film co-production with The Shanghai Animation Film Studio of China, Sweet & Sour. Internationally, PRA continues to win accolades for its work at major animation festivals around the world including Annecy, Stuttgart and Zagreb.Recent work
Having produced the first official Australian-Chinese animated co-production, Sweet & Sour (2007), The PRA studio is currently co-developing a feature film project with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.Eddie White and James Calvert have just directed the first of the Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Lancer
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hindustan Lancer, Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times,...
/Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Tropfest
Tropfest
Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival.Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people in a cafe in Sydney but has since become the largest platform for short films in the world. Tropfest Australia takes place in February each year in front of a live audience of approximately...
'supershort' films titled 'Safer in a wild world', a one minute short that blends 2d animation and 3d animation in a pop-up storybook style. Eddie White & Ari Gibson of the PRA recently directed the short film ' The Cat Piano, featuring the narration by Australian music legend, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
. The film was officially selected in competition at Annecy Animated Film Festival in 2009 and has gone on to be nominated for an AFI award for best short animation.
Recently The PRA made two shorts; 'I Was A Teenage Butterfly' and 'The Ghastly Gourmet Cooking Show' were also broadcast on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Sarvo
Sarvo
Sarvo was an after-school show for kids on Nickelodeon Australia, it was hosted by Maude Garrett and Kyle Linahan, until it was cancelled in Late 2007...
program in 2008.
Collaborators
- Benjamin SpeedBenjamin SpeedBenjamin Peter Speed is an Australian musician who composes scores for film, television and theatre...
- Composer / Musical Direction - Deane Taylor - Art Director
- Greg Holfeld - 2D Animation Director
- Barry Plews & Hu He - Reckless Moments - Co-production partner
- Shanghai Animation Film StudioShanghai Animation Film StudioShanghai Animation Film Studio is the animation division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese animations.-History:...
- Co-production partner - Jessica Brentnall - Magic Films - Producer
Short Films
- 2009 - The Cat PianoThe Cat PianoThe Cat Piano is an award winning animated short film directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson and narrated by Nick Cave.-Plot:The Cat Piano is narrated by the main character of the animated short, an anthropomorphic cat. It is clear that the narration is a poem, which the poet is typing on a...
- 8:00 - Directed by Eddie White & Ari Gibson, Narrated by Nick Cave, Poem written by Eddie White - 2007 - Sweet & Sour - Co-production with Shanghai Animation Film StudioShanghai Animation Film StudioShanghai Animation Film Studio is the animation division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese animations.-History:...
and Reckless Moments – 17:00 - Written & Directed by Eddie White - 2006 - Carnivore Reflux – 7:00 - Directed by Eddie White & James Calvert, written by Eddie White
- 2005 - Fritz Gets Rich – 12:05 - Directed by Eddie White & James Calvert, written by Eddie White
TV Specials/Interstitials
- 2008 - I Was a Teenage Butterfly 'Battle of the Bug Bands' - Directed by Eddie White & Ari Gibson, written by Eddie White
- 2008 - The Ghastly Gourmet Cooking Show 'Meat, Meat, Meat' - Directed by James Calvert & Eddie White, written by Eddie White
- 2006 - Dust Echoes "Whirlpool" - Directed by James Calvert
- 2006 - Dust Echoes "Mermaid Story" - Directed by James Calvert
- 2006 - Errorism: A Comedy of Terrors - Directed by Eddie White
Music videos
- 2006 - Hilltop HoodsHilltop HoodsThe Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , MC Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next. They have been at the centre of the Australian hip hop scene for the better part of two decades, originally forming back...
- Clown PrinceClown Prince"Clown Prince" is a single released by Australian hip-hop band, the Hilltop Hoods. The single, the first from their 2006 album The Hard Road, reached #30 in the ARIA charts, becoming the first Hilltop Hoods song to chart on the ARIA Singles Chart. The song also charted at #23 on the Triple J... - 2003 - The Fuzz - The Bomb (a.k.a. "Sixxx Legs")
Awards and honors
The Cat Piano- Winner IF (Inside Film) Award for Best Animation 2009
- Yoram GrossYoram GrossYoram Gross is an Australian producer of children’s and family entertainment. The company is best known for producing Blinky Bill and Dot and the Kangaroo.- History :...
Award for best short animation - Dendy Awards - Sydney Film FestivalSydney Film FestivalThe Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
2009 - Winner Best Animation Short - Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne International Film FestivalThe Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
2009 - Winner Best Animation - IF (Inside Film Awards) 2009
- Audience choice award for Best Short Film - Adelaide Film Festival 2009
- Official Selection - Short Film Competition - Annecy International Festival of Animated films 2009
- AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards - Nominated for Best Short Animation
- Jury Prize for animation & Audience Award for Best Short Film - 15 Short Film Festival 2009
Sweet & Sour
- Golden Monkey award for Best International Co-production - China Cartoon & Animation Festival - 2008
- Yoram GrossYoram GrossYoram Gross is an Australian producer of children’s and family entertainment. The company is best known for producing Blinky Bill and Dot and the Kangaroo.- History :...
Award for best short animation - Dendy Awards - Sydney Film FestivalSydney Film FestivalThe Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
2007 - SBSSBS TVSBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally...
Television Award - St. Kilda Film Festival 2007 - Winner - Best Animation - ATOM - Australian Teachers of Media Awards - 2007
- Bronze Shorts Award (3rd prize) - Shorts Film Festival, South Australia, 2008
Carnivore Reflux
- Istanbul Animation Festival 2006 - Jury Prize
- Holland Animation Festival 2006 - Movie Squad Award
- Inside Film AwardsInside Film AwardsThe Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
Best Short Animation (winner) 2006 - St Kilda Film Festival 2006 - Best Original Score (winner)
- Shorts Film Festival 2006 - Best Under 25 years
- Honourable mention - Zebra Poetry Film Awards, Germany 2006
- Top 16 Finalist - Sony Tropfest, Sydney, 2006
Mermaid Story
- Kalamazoo Animation Festival 2007 (USA) - Jury Award for excellence in visual storytelling
Fritz Gets Rich
- Best Film For Children - Bradford Animation Festival, UK 2005
The Bomb (Sixxx Legs)
- Best Visual Effects Award - Belowground Music Video Festival 2004