Selfie

I will be doing some sequences for the new short film "The hole of the beast" by Ely Dagher. The movie will be finished by the end of 2014 and is financed by the state of Lebanon. I will update this post from time to time, showing the process.

Dwaler

Visual development for the cross-media project Dwaler.

skip school

illustrations for Maks magazine

Youngsters and budgetcontrol

illustrations for Maks magazine
 

Visual development for the short-movie "a battle for peace"

Poster for the Award winning animated documentary I co-developed and Art-directed.

co-working

illustrations for the magazine Justice.

In I Love Hooligans we enter the world of a homosexual hooligan. Football is what he lives for. His sexual orientation is a well-kept secret. As a hooligan, his club is everything to him.

The match against the arch rival is the highlight of the year. On the day they turn to booze and drugs, looking for excitement with whatever presents itself. Like hungry lions they search out their potential prey: mounted policemen, fans of the other side, and all the rest of the wimps, faggots and pansies.

Loosening the vocal chords inside the stadium, until the ref blows his whistle and the match begins. The game, the artistry of the players, the camaraderie, the rhythm of the sounds from the stands: he becomes totally immersed. This is his world, his life. With each nasty foul, there's booing: “Queer. Faggot”. He shouts as loud as the fans, fully aware of putting on an act. It is his survival strategy.

The fans club house is a universe of passion, noise and action. Any sensual thoughts about men are life-threatening. He would be an easy target if the shit hit the fan and they found out he was gay.

All matches end and he has to go home, where no one is waiting. In this silence, this fan admits that he too longs for warmth, security and love. When the walls start closing in on him, football calls. It is only among his football mates that he doesn't feel lonely. Until the end of time.

At the end of the day, this homosexual hooligan has but one dream: “To die in the arms of my loved one.”

Festivals: Golden Calf Competition Short Documentary & Debuting Directors, Netherlands Film Festival 2013 | Finalist International Competition Category up to 20 Minutes, shnit International Short Film Festival, Bern 2013 | Hamptons International Film Festival, New York 2013 | Animadoc Competition, DOK LEIPZIG International Film Festival for documentary and animated film 2013 | Second place Documentary Competition, interfilm International Short Film Festival Berlin 2013 | World Animation Competition, Leeds International Film Festival 2013 | Documentary Competition, Mecal International Short Film Festival Barcelona 2014 | ‘Best of DOK Leipzig’ Bamberger Short film festival | Short Film Competition, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2014 | International Competition, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2014 | International Competition, International Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart 2014 | One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2014 | Sphinx, LGBT Film Festival Gent 2014 | Short Movie Competition Roze Filmdagen, LGBT Film Festival Amsterdam 2014 Winner Short Movie, second place audience award | Competition, BE FILMS New York 2014 | Sate of Affairs program, ZagrebDox Documentary Film Festival 2014 | Shorts Competition Holland Animation Film Festival Utrecht 2014, Winner Professional Award Dutch Animation, Winner MovieZone HAFF Award | Short Film Competition, Football Film festival 11Millimeter, Berlin 2014 | Short Film Competition, Cartoons on the Bay Venice 2014 | Short Film Competition, Pink Apple Film Festival Zurich, 2014 | Short Film Competition, Cartoons on the bay, Animation Festival Venice 2014 Asterisco Film Festival Buenos Aires 2014 | Competition Animayo Gran Canaria 2014 | Docville International Documentary Festival Leuven 2104 |

Students with burnouts

Illustrations for Maks magazine
 

Visual development / art-direction for the animated feature "Sunjata".

SANCTA’s youngest animation IP tells the story of Sunjata, the cursed crownprince of Mandé. Albeit entitled to the crown, Sunjata is pushed aside by his father’s first wife, to become a hunter instead of a king. The story’s main tension is rooted in the question when – or even whether – ‘reluctant hero’ Sunjata will correct this injustice, leave his beloved savannah and free his homeland from tyranny.

Sunjata, aka ‘the son of the lion’, is based on the eponymous epic from the oral ‘troubadour’ tradition of western Africa, where the legendary hunter-king who brought lasting peace, is well known to this day.

It was a pleasure to create the motion-graphics for Steven Dhoedt his new film “State of Play". This state of the art documentary tells a story about professional gamers in Korea.

This "leader" is a small part of the content I created for the film.

CHECK OUT THE MOVIE!

stateofplaydoc.com
facebook.com/StateOfPlayDoc
visualantics.net

Art- direction / development for the animatted feature "ZOOks"

At the very heart of ZOOks beats the story of a self-willed young girl, braving a forbidden forest to find her missing mother. Against all she’s been taught, she relies on a feral boy, who seems to know about her mom. If this odd couple succeeds, both their families will be reunited and harmony will be restored. If they don’t, nature will be destroyed forever.

The first cartoon fossiles have been found, hope to be able to present some new ones soon. The exploration goes on!

SPONGEMAGNET releases his gimp

Spongemagnet’s debut EP raises a few questions. To begin with, its title: is it a commendable recommendation to let your inner gimp come out of the closet? Or is it the expression of a more Judaeo-Christian approach to the matter: “hate the gimping, but love the gimp”? The titles of the tracks are also subject to debate. “Bum Damage” sounds like something one might wake up to after a night of heavy drinking and insufficient amyl nitrite consumption. “Poon Quiver” refers to the shaking motion sometimes exhibited by female genitalia when reaching climax during some form of sexual activity. I’m not quite sure who the narrator of “Gimp Bisquit” is: the “gimper” or the “gimpee”? And is the “bisquit” of the gimp or for the gimp? As for “Plutonium Catwrap”, I would prefer abstaining from any attempt at explaining what it might mean in this chemically-preserved, plastic-wrapped world (but it sounds undeniably dirty). Now I don’t know about you, but I see a definite trend appearing. Bromance gone wrong.

Lets get lost in the Isometric wildernis. A series of personal illustrations on A1. 
 

Shameless selfpromotion