On May 3, 2024, the Animator's Accelerator was launched with the organization of the Center for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and the Association of Turkic Animation (ATA), and with the support of the Azerbaijan Animation Association.
Animator’s Accelerator is organized to support the development of the Azerbaijani animation sector, with the primary goal of promoting creative and professional local animators on an international level.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Beyali Mursalov, director of the the Center for the Development of Cultural and Creative; Oktai Iusibov chairperson of ATA; and Elchin Hami Akhundov and Rashid Aghamaliev, co-founders of the Azerbaijan Animation Association. They spoke about the path and development stages of Azerbaijani animation, as well as the directions of animation art development. Emphasizing that the future of animation art depends on professional staff, the speakers expressed their belief that the Animator’s Accelerator will be a first and successful step towards training, specialization, and recognition of professionals.
It was noted that registration for the course was held from September 29 to October 8, 2023, receiving over 90 applications, with 15 students selected for the training.
The 8-week training program is aimed at enhancing the professionalism of local animators and equipping them with professional skills in accordance with international standards. At the end of the training, the most successful participants are expected to be employed and involved in international projects.
This training will be conducted under the leadership of Matthew Lyon, the creative director of the "Lakeside" animation studio. His internationally acclaimed works have been successfully showcased on global streaming platforms, including "Netflix" and "Apple TV," and have been well-received by audiences worldwide.
The project is implemented based on sub-item 1.1.14 of the Action Plan of the "Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026," approved by the Decree No. 3378 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated July 22, 2022.
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