Toyhood matches stop-motion animated toys with non-scripted interviews with immigrants living in the UK, making it appear that the toys are being interviewed about their children and pets, and how much they’d miss them if they were gone. Made loosely in response to Brexit, Toyhood is a lighthearted celebration of our neighbours.
The making of this film is part of a wider initiative to provide a platform for local artists, where new collaborations can be made between makers, writers, and animators. Using CHFA as a living resource, we hope to maintain traditional stop motion techniques while supporting new and exciting projects.
This project has been commissioned by CIT and Cosgrove Hall Films Archive with support from Arts Council England and Waterside.
Artist Bio
Zoë Hutber is a BAFTA-nominated stop-motion animator with a degree in animation from Edinburgh College of Art. Her graduation film Short Changed received international acclaim and screened at festivals around the world including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Animation Nights New York selection at Cannes and was nominated for RTS Student Scotland and BAFTA Scotland Awards for Best Animation. Since the critical success of Short Changed, Zoë has directed her first independent short film Toyhood, which received support from the Cosgrove Hall Archives, and was selected for pitching at Animarkt. Zoë enjoys writing and directing socially relevant stories told through stop-motion quirky aesthetics, with a focus on sustainable practice.
Zoë Hutber Animator, Character designer, Director
Harriett Bradbury stop-motion puppetry and animation
Bethan Crimmins fabricator