The Tampa Animation Festival is beginning November 6 and goes until the 9th, 2025. All events for this festival are free. The festival will be taking place at the CHARLENE GORDON THEATRE Ferman Center for the Arts The University of Tampa 214 N Blvd, Tampa, Florida 33606.
The opening night animation ARCO is Directed by Ugo Bienvenu and has a star filled cast. Starring Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, Flea, Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg.
About the film:
In 2075, a ten-year-old girl, Iris, witnesses Arco, a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit, fall from the sky. Arco comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. Becoming fast friends, the two young children embark on a thrilling adventure to return Arco safely back to his home.
Speakers at the festival include:
- Rebecca Crose - Roblox / U Tampa Alum who began her career at Iron Galaxy Studios gaining experience in production and cross platform development. She is now a Senior Manager of Developer Relations at Roblox.
- Ricardo Bernardini - Tentra Studios as a Creative Director, Animator, and Motion Designer with 25 years' experience working and creating for Disney, Netflix, HBO EA Sports and Discovery.
- Shengwei Zhou - Assistant Professor, University of South Florida (USF) teaching animation in School of Art and Art History in College of Design Art and Performance in University of South Florida. He combines organic materials with a wide variety of digital forms to create multimedia animation and films.
Parking is available in the West Garage and the Thomas Parking Garage on campus. Additional parking can be found along North Blvd, Kennedy Blvd, Cass St, and North A Street, all within a short walk of the theatre.