Affairs of the Art
TITLE
Affairs of the Art
DIRECTOR
Joanna Quinn
COUNTRY
UK, Canada
YEAR
2021
DURATION
16′
GENRE
Animation
Affairs of the Art
With AFFAIRS OF THE ART, director Joanna Quinn and producer/screenwriter Les Mills continue the series of beloved, hilarious and award-winning animated UK films starring Beryl, a 59-year-old factory worker who’s obsessed with drawing and determined to become a hyper-futurist artiste. We also meet her grown son, Colin, a techno geek, her husband, Ifor, now Beryl’s model and muse, and her sister, Beverly, a fanatical narcissist living in LA. AFFAIRS OF THE ART provides glimpses into Beryl’s, Beverly’s and Colin’s peculiar childhoods, and we see that obsession is in this family’s DNA. The first co-production between Beryl Productions International and the National Film Board of Canada, AFFAIRS OF THE ART features Quinn’s signature hand-drawn animation with attitude and Mill’s raucously humorous scenarios, in an endearing romp through one family’s eccentric addictions.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Joanna Quinn
Joanna Quinn is one of Britain’s most distinctive animators. Her first film, GIRLS NIGHT OUT (1987), featuring working-class heroine Beryl, was a humorous riposte to machismo and a celebration of uninhibited female sexuality that won three major awards at Annecy. Since introducing audiences to Beryl, Quinn and her writing and producing partner, Les Mills, have created three more personal films about her: BODY BEAUTIFUL, DREAMS AND DESIRES: FAMILY TIES , and Beryl’s newest adventure, AFFAIRS OF THE ART . The politics of gender and oppression, along with Quinn’s obsessive fascination and delight with exploring the eccentricities of the female body, remain the central themes of their work together. Quinn’s dynamic, fluid style makes her animation vibrant, energetic and unique. Her films including BRITANNIA , a savage indictment of British imperialism—have won just about every major international award, including BAFTAs and Emmys, in addition to receiving two Oscar® nominations. A committed educator, Quinn lectures at major colleges and universities around the world.
- Director Joanna Quinn
- Screenplay Les Mills
- Cinematography
- Editing Mia Rose Goddard
- Cast Menna Trussler, Brendan Charleson, Joanna Quinn, Mali Ann Rees
- Producer/s Michael Fukushima, Les Mills
- Production Company Beryl Productions International, National Film Board of Canada
- Distributor/s The Animation Showcase, The New Yorker
- Project Title Affairs of the Art
- Project Type Animation
- Completion Date December 9, 2021
- Country of origin United Kingdom, Canada
- Country of filming
- Language English
- First-time Filmmaker No
- Student Project No
Joanna Quinn
Joanna Quinn is one of Britain’s most distinctive animators. Her first film, GIRLS NIGHT OUT (1987), featuring working-class heroine Beryl, was a humorous riposte to machismo and a celebration of uninhibited female sexuality that won three major awards at Annecy. Since introducing audiences to Beryl, Quinn and her writing and producing partner, Les Mills, have created three more personal films about her: BODY BEAUTIFUL, DREAMS AND DESIRES: FAMILY TIES , and Beryl’s newest adventure, AFFAIRS OF THE ART . The politics of gender and oppression, along with Quinn’s obsessive fascination and delight with exploring the eccentricities of the female body, remain the central themes of their work together. Quinn’s dynamic, fluid style makes her animation vibrant, energetic and unique. Her films including BRITANNIA , a savage indictment of British imperialism—have won just about every major international award, including BAFTAs and Emmys, in addition to receiving two Oscar® nominations. A committed educator, Quinn lectures at major colleges and universities around the world.
Academy Awards
Nominee for Best Animated Short Film, 2022
BAFTA Awards
Nominee for Best British Short Animation, 2022
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
Best Animation, 2021
Tirana International Film Festival
Special Screening, 2022
