spotlight: Queer Animation 4: From A-Z

We had a chat with Tristian Goik, the organizer of "Queer Animation 4: From A-Z" the fourth annual installment of one-night screening of queer animation shorts on Thursday, June 17th at Metropolitan Bar [559 Lorimer Street] in Brooklyn, NY.

[dandy:] Tell us a bit about yourself-
[Goik:] I'm a native New Yorker, independent animator, and a gay man.  I am currently working at ‘Stephen Colbert Presents: Tooning Out the News’.  I am also the President of ASIFA East, the American chapter of an international association of animators.  We are a non-profit volunteer group that supports independent animators, and puts together an annual animation-festival, which just ended recently, as well as screenings for our subscribing members in the New York City and Tristate area.  

What is "Queer Animation 4: From A-Z"?
It will be a sunset film screening of works celebrating Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders, Queers, Asexuals, Intersex, Questioning, even Demisexuals... they all animate too! Our first “Queer Animation” screening was in 2017.  Metropolitan is my favorite gay bar in New York, so I partnered with them to hold the screening. It’s a great space and a terrific opportnity to connect with the scene and the community. I named the show “Queer Animation: From A to Z'' because I had noticed a recent uptick in discussion about LGBTQ+ identity politics, and because I wanted to showcase a broader spectrum of work from all over the world.

Can you tell us about the online version, for readers who can't make it to the screening?
There will be an encore presentation of films on our Vimeo stream.  We'll keep it up for a limited period of time after the screening.  I may even swap out a few films, because we had such a large number of entries and I couldn’t include them all in the live show. 

How did you select the films you are showcasing?
Since it’s more of a niche genre we can include a diverse slate of animation. When I’m curating the evening I spend time thinking about the order of the films. I like to consider how it would play at a bar with people socializing and drinking. I like to include both upbeat films as well as more dramatic or emotional works.  I always start by researching other film festivals and animation programs, scouring the programs for the artist's name, tracking down their contact info, and inviting them to participate in our show.  Then I just sit back and see who responds.   

How many pieces are featured in the festival?
This year we have about 20 films from France, Denmark, the UK, the USA, Australia, China, and Singapore.  All made in the last 4 years.  Some of them are student thesis films, some are from independent artists, others from small studios.

What drew you to becoming a queer arts organizer?
I started off as an enthusiastic blogger for our animation group, attending industry events and film screenings and trying to share the experience of being there with my animation community.  Then I got more involved in volunteering at other festivals, like the NY International Children’s Film Festival and got to witness how these events were put together.  I brought that inspiration to my own volunteer work.  The Queer Arts came naturally, as I became more involved in gay night life.  I loved going to Drink-N-Draws in the city to drink beer and sketch hot models, and I knew lots of people who would love to hear a queer story in the form of a finely crafted animation.  

Yeah, I actually met you through a drink-n-draw connection. Want to tell us a bit about the personal projects you are working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on my next animated project TristToons.  In 2019, everyday for a year I drew a simple single panel comic of my day, and now I’m going back through the 365 drawings, picking one from each week and animating them.  I’m almost halfway there, with about 20 or so hand drawn cartoon loops.  Each one has a little Tristian doing either something crazy, like dancing in the club, or something more mundane, like mopping the floor.  You can find them easily on GIPHY by searching “TristToons’ (I’m a featured artist on GIPHY!) I try to pick scenes that illuminate something about my life, and would be interesting in animation.  When I finally finish, I want to edit them all together in an experimental, electronica video.  Or write them into a film noir.  Or something!

What do you envision for the future of "Queer Animation"?

My plans include expanding to Queens, expanding to LA, improving the virtual experience, and hiring a drag-queen to do a Disney Mashup. 

More “Queer Animation” Screening Info on Facebook :: Queer Animation: From A-Z
ASIFA East Site :: Queer Animation 4

Past Years of “Queer Animation” Festival :: Year 1 :: Year 2 :: Year 3
ASIFA East Info :: ASIFAEast.com
ASIFA East Instagram :: @asifa_east

Organizer’s Instagram :: @tkgolightly
Organizer’s Personal Artist Website :: tristiangoik.com
Organizer’s GIPHY :: Tristian Goik