Billed as a key meet-up for film, TV, gaming, animation and immersive art, it takes place on February 12-13 and will feature more than 30 speakers.
Supported by NI Screen, the Arts Council, Belfast City Council and Visit Belfast, RENDR hosts keynote talks, live demonstrations, digital art exhibitions, gaming experiences and a programme of industry workshops.
Among the headline guests is Belfast-born CG supervisor James Carson, whose latest work includes global hit KPop Demon Hunters for Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix. Since joining Sony Pictures Imageworks in 2015, Carson has worked on an array of major titles including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Angry Birds Movie 2 and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Also confirmed is Emmy-winning VFX supervisor Jay Worth, known for his acclaimed work on Westworld, Lost and Amazon Prime’s recent adaptation of Bethesda’s Fallout series.
Giovanna Ferrari of Cartoon Saloon — head of story and animation director on the Oscar-nominated My Father’s Dragon — will appear alongside Tobias Weisner, compositing supervisor at Wētā FX, who worked on The Last of Us season two.
RENDR will also highlight the craft of practical effects. Camille Balsamo-Gillis, co-founder of Los Angeles studio ProMachina, will discuss miniature creation for film and TV, including recent work on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. From Limerick’s Studio Odyssey, Mark Maher, whose credits include The Hobbit trilogy and Netflix’s Wednesdaywill speak about his role as head of prop making on the show’s second season.
Festival director Michael Weir said: “We’re really proud to be at the heart of our growing creative sector to help incubate new ideas. RENDR is for the artist, the developer, the student, and the industry veteran.”
Early-bird tickets for standard, concession and VIP entry are on sale now. Visit rendrfestival.com
