SEVEN animators including Henry Dunbar and Katie Lenton from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham have been nominated for the British Animation Awards which celebrates talent from across the UK animation industry.

Winners will be announced at a special ceremony at BFI Southbank on Thursday, March 10.

Graduates Henry and Katie both received nominations in the Best Undergraduate Student Film category, as well as the Public Choice Award.

Both were joined by fellow alumni Bexie Bush, Chris Shepard, Kristian Andrews, 2015 BAFTA nominee Marcus Armitage, and past Oscar-winner Daniel Greaves.

Henry, whose film ‘Pollock’ was nominated in two categories, said: “It feels really good. My film’s inspired by Jackson Pollock rather than being directly about him. I thought it would be really stressful if all of your ideas were immediately visible.

“I spent ages trying to work out what to put in the thought bubbles but everything I tried was so clichéd. Then my friend suggested vegetables and found it so funny that they were actually roaring with laughter. I thought it was so unfunny that it was kind of brilliant.”

The Public Choice Award, sponsored by post-production firm Glassworks, asks members of the public to choose their favourite animations. All of the films up for an award will be shown at a number of programmes throughout the UK, including on February 3 and 10 at UCA Farnham.

Lesley Adams, animation course leader, said: “It’s immensely gratifying to see so many of our graduates nominated for the British Animation Awards. The time and dedication required to make these films shouldn’t be underestimated, and we’re incredibly proud of all of our nominees.”

Animation at UCA Farnham has a long history of developing talented animators, with no fewer than three Oscar-winners having studied the course.