I was recently invited to a festival in Cuernavaca, Mexico - which seemed like a fun place to go, but I already had a commitment to the Message to Man Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia (my blog on that trip will follow soon), so I had to say no to the festival organizers in Mexico. However, they still wanted me to go, so Jose Inesta invited me to come to Mexico City 2 weeks earlier, as a promotion for the Mexican Animation Festival in Cuernavaca.
I could show "CHEATIN'', hold a masterclass and meet with the press - it sounded like fun, so I soon found myself in their fantastic blend of ultra-modern and brick hotel called "The Downtown", situated exactly where that name implies. This hotel was so exclusive, it only had about 10 rooms, but it was quite a large hotel with a wonderful pool and a bar on the roof.
I started my stay in Mexico City with a tour and a master class at a film school, where I talked to 50 or so very eager students and showed them my new projects. Then later that night, I was escorted to a huge bunker-like museum of digital arts, underneath a large roundabout traffic plaza. There I held another master class for about 150 Mexican fans.
The purpose of my visit to Mexico City and the Cuernavaca Festival was to plant the seeds of animation in one of the world's largest cities (estimated population: 22 million). So I was there to introduce independent animation to the new generation of artists - and hopefully 10 years from now there will be a budding Pixar studio or perhaps a few Mexican Bill Plymptons making great animations about Mexican culture.
I hope that happens, and I'm looking forward to returning next year to continue my mission.
--Bill Plympton
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