KEYNOTE SPEAKERS


We are delighted to announce that the following guests have agreed to participate in keynote events as part of the conference proceedings.

MALCOLM COOK

Malcolm Cook is Associate Professor of Film at the University of Southampton. He is the author of Early British Animation: From Page and Stage to Cinema Screens (2018) and co-editor (with Kirsten Moana Thompson) of the collection Animation and Advertising (2019). His current research focuses on useful animation, especially in relation to petroleum industries, with recent articles on this published in Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal (2023), Media+Environment (2024), and Open Screens (2024).

JOANNA QUINN

 British animator Joanna Quinn discovered animation at Middlesex University in London while studying Graphic Design. Her graduation film Girls Night Out, kick-started Joanna’s career by winning 3 awards at the Annecy Animation Festival in 1987. She is renowned internationally for her drawing skills, wonderful characterisations and her humour. Joanna’s films have won many awards including 4 BAFTA’s, 3 EMMY’s and 3 OSCAR® nominations. Joanna is a committed educator throughout the world and has an Honorary Doctorate from 3 UK universities and is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London.
MICHAEL DUDOK DE WIT
Michael Dudok de Wit (1953) grew up in the Netherlands, studied animation in Farnham, and has lived in London since 1980, directing independent animated films and TV commercials. Specialising in hand-drawn animation, his shorts have received numerous international awards, including the Annecy Cristal, a BAFTA award, and an Oscar® in 2001 for Father and Daughter. His most recent project, the feature-length film The Red Turtle, was a Wild Bunch - Studio Ghibli co-production, made in France with Prima Linea Productions. This film won the Special Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, at the Cannes Film Festival (2016), and it was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017.
In addition to his film work, Michael also illustrates books for both children and adults, and he gives talks on animation, creativity, and related subjects at universities in the UK and abroad.
DAVID SPROXTON
David Sproxton is the co-founder of Aardman with co-founder Peter Lord. He has overseen the development of the company from a two-man partnership to one of the pre-eminent animation houses in the industry. Their first professional creation was the character ‘Morph’.
David Sproxton spent 3 years on the Board of the UK Film Council, many years on the board of the NFTS and is currently on the board of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, We The Curious, Bristol’s hands on science centre, and is also a director of the Bristol Bike Project Cooperative.
In 2018 David oversaw the transition of Aardman into an Employee Owned company, stepping back from the role of MD in 2019. David is now a trustee of the Aardman Employee Ownership Trust.
If you have any questions, email us at info-sas2025@arts.ac.uk.