College of DuPage to Host Ninth Annual Animation Night May 14

Animation students in College of DuPage’s Motion Picture/Television program will screen their work during the ninth annual Animation Night, a free event on Tuesday, May 14, in the Belushi Performance Hall at the McAninch Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and screenings begin at 7 p.m.

Animation Night is a capstone celebration where advanced students showcase projects they have completed throughout the semester and during their time in the program. Thirteen students will screen their work, which includes hand-drawn animation and computer-generated imagery. Students also will be required to submit their projects to a minimum of three film festivals.

MPTV Professor Tony Venezia said he is excited for these students to have this opportunity.

“I really like the progress I’ve seen,” he said. “Early on, the students didn’t know how good their projects could be. Now that they’ve put in the effort, they’re beginning to see their work come to life.”

Students Mirza Annas (Indonesia) and Abbas Hussain (Wheaton) will screen their projects at the event. Hussain’s animation, a hand-drawn depiction of a boxing match between a robot and a monster who have very different fighting styles, was inspired by a personal passion.

“I box and I really love the sport,” said Hussain. “It represents the idea of true conflict and, in a sense, represents problem-solving.”

Annas, who is attending COD through the Community College Initiative student exchange program, will present a 3D-generated animation of a three-wheel drone navigating a post-apocalyptic city on a mission to find a location to charge its dying battery. During its journey, it becomes fearful of being captured and recycled by a group of flying drones.

“The concept is a ‘Wall-E’ style animation,” Annas said. “I’m a big fan of Pixar, so that inspires the work I do.”