Base14

This past weekend was AMAZING. As you all know, The Girl and The Fox had been nominated for a College Television Award in Animation and the big event was set for Saturday night in Hollywood. So I packed my bags and flew to Los Angeles, really having no idea what the day may have in store. I met up with TGTF producer Nicholas Allred and we strolled over to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel where the award show was being held. To our surprise, not only did TGTF place second in Animation, but we also won the Geena Davis award for Diversity and Gender Equality in Children’s Media. Simply put, it means we were recognized for balancing our portrayal of male and female roles, and rejecting common gender stereotypes in storytelling.

The director of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media later asked me why I chose the characters and story that I did. These were my thoughts:

“I always have enjoyed exploring adult issues through the eyes of children. Our protagonist, Ilona, is a nine-year-old girl who lives with her parents and siblings in a cold, lush forested region. While she takes after her mother in appearance, Ilona also inherited her father’s fervor and tenacity. Having been brought up as the daughter of fur trappers, she is unafraid to face the dangers of the wilderness alone. Choosing a female as my protagonist allowed me to effectively show how children are influenced by the roles of their parents, and how as we grow, we learn to find balance between who our parents are and who we are as individuals. Ilona dresses like her father because she admires him and wants to hunt like him, but her journey causes her to realize she has a unique role in the world defined by her own insights and experiences.”

Considering the significance of both awards, this is certainly the biggest honor that a Base14 project has received to date! It’s really terrific to be given such recognition for as much hard work. Special thanks goes to the entire crew of “The Girl and the Fox” for really making all of this possible. We look forward to more festivals and contests yet to come!

Last Saturday’s fashion show went off without any mishaps. I couldn’t be happier with the performance of my beautiful models and with the help from my incredibly talented assistant, Tyler Dillon.

Even though the show is over I still have some wrap-up to do. In the coming weeks I will be doing a proper photo shoot of the clothes for your viewing pleasure. Also, I still need to decide which products to produce for sale. See anything you would like to buy? Let me know and I can make it happen. One-off tote bags and jewelry are already available for sale by emailing me at www.alyshakupferer.com.

To view the entire collection from show day click here. I still can’t believe it’s already over! I’m going to miss my models so much.

Today is the Purdue Fashion show! Right now I am backstage getting my gorgeous models ready to go. My collection that will show today, “Stay with me, go places” is a homage to my Midwestern roots and everything I love about my past. It features hand dyed organic fabrics, silk screened topographic maps, illustrations of plants from field guides, and a whole lot of vintage boyscout equipment.

If you didn’t get tickets to today’s show, no worries. There will be pictures posted online in the weeks to come. If you are at the show right now reading this, thanks for visiting the site! And a special thanks to all my fantastic models and all of my friends and family for their support leading up to today.

1,2,3… Showtime!

Well the time has arrived to announce the official world premiere of “The Girl and the Fox,” since as it is only two weeks away! Already we have been accepted to a few festivals, but it turns out that the Citrus Cel Animation Film Festival will be the first one out of the gates. A big event for animation enthusiasts across the South,  the Citrus Cel Animation Film Festival will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, April 8th through the 10th.

“The Girl and the Fox” will be showing as part of the Tangerine Dreams showcase, which features animation that deals with the fantastic and supernatural, and will take place Saturday, April 9th at 4:00pm in the 5 Points Theatre in Jacksonville. I would be there to see the premiere in person if I wasn’t already spending that weekend in Los Angeles for the College Television Awards! But if you’ll be in or around Florida that weekend, be sure to stop by and support a great animation event!

To go along with the announcement, I’ve relaunched the Base14 Tour Page, which will track and display every festival that “The Girl and the Fox” visits. I’ll be updating it regularly as more festivals get back to us, so be sure to watch for a screening near you sometime in the next year!

So I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from the animation side of Base14, and all my sincerest thanks to my sister Alysha for keeping fresh posts rolling out in our absence. But the reason we’ve been so silent is also because we’ve been so busy. And all that effort has finally paid off! I am hereby proud to officially announce that “The Girl and the Fox” is a finalist in the 32nd College Television Awards, sponsored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation.

This is actually a pretty big deal. On April 8th, myself and producer Nick Allred will be flying out to Los Angeles for the Gala award show to held on the evening of April 9th. There, we’ll get to find out if we placed first, second or third and claim our prizes. In addition to the award show there’s a reception where we get to mingle with other award-winners and industry professionals. It should be pretty amazing.

We’ve been fervently sending out “The Girl and the Fox” to other contests and festivals every chance we can get, and have already gotten a few acceptance letters. I’ll be back soon to announce the official world premiere of the film along with other international screenings that have already been confirmed.

And we’re not taking a break when this is over, either. Base14 is already about halfway through production of our next animated film which, as usual, pushes our art and technology farther than ever before. We’ll have more on that the closer we get to completion. But rest assured it’s gonna be big, too.

So stay tuned! This is going to be an important year for Base14!

A year ago today I drew this celebratory Pi Day greeting. It was the beginning of what is now an obsession with random, poorly illustrated messages of endearment and goofiness that I feel the need to occasionally bestow upon those who are most important to me. And you, my loyal blog reader, are a person of utmost importance to me. pIe Love you!

It’s been one year now since I first introduced the “Kissy Kiss” necklace. To celebrate this significant anniversary, I am now happily offering it for sale! After all, ’tis the season for little tiny kisses and big time lovin’. Each eensey person (only 7/8″ tall) is handmade out of clay, painted and glazed. Because every piece is made individually, each necklace is unique. You can get your own little pair of lovers for only $40 USD, but make sure to hurry because this production run is as tiny as these cuties!