After years away due to the pandemic, Epic ACG Fest returned to the Bay Area on Oct 28 & 29. This event celebrates animation and features films from animators around the world. 

This year, EACG partnered with the “O!PLA” National Animation Festival in Poland. A special “Poland Block” opened the festival, featuring winners from O’PLA’s 2023 competition. It was exciting to see the breadth of animation talent in this country. 

Another exciting presentation was the web series ‘RAID: Call of the Arbiter’. It is based on the video game RAID: Shadow Legends and directed by Jay Oliva, known to animation fans for his work on the Netflix Original Series ‘Trese’. It was wonderful to see a professionally work alongside more independent films. 

Director Skye Bailey visited from Maryland to attend the premiere of her multimedia documentary ‘A Peace of God’. A Q&A session followed in which she discussed how she was inspired to make the film and the process of creating her first film. A group of elementary school children were in attendance and asked many insightful questions. They also participated in a drawing class lead by comic artist Darin Chibi. It was inspiring to see the next generation so enthusiastic about art. 

Children were an important part of this festival. 12-year old Bryn Wright wrote and animated ‘Metamorphosis’, a stop-motion short film. British teen Abi Behe created the graphic novel “Christiania”. She was able to get a publishing deal for her comic and it is now available for purchase on Amazon. These kids show that it is never too early pursue your dreams. 

Sunday featured a panel with representatives from several corners of the entertainment industry. Mattie Scariot, Festival Director for the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, spoke about her passion for international cinema. Producer Yishu Chen, visiting from China, introduced her upcoming project, an animated series inspired by Chinese ink painting. Local internet personality Anthony S. Crumpler III, known online by his handle “litlike96”, talked about his experiences collaborating with other content creators on Tiktok. 

At the closing ceremonies, attendees of all ages celebrated Halloween on the red carpet. Everyone was excited to hear the winners of this year’s film contest. Awards winners included ‘RAID: Call of the Arbiter’ (Best Animated Series), ‘Liam & Dex’ (Best Comedic Film), and ‘A Peace of God’ (Best Mixed-Media). The full list of award winners is available on the festival website: https://eacgfest.org/.