The Future of Animation - Brisbane
Animation and Gaming: The Future of the Industry
Fahim boukhelifa (Paris Gobelins School)
John Aitchison (Gameloft)
Ricard Cussó (cosmic dino Studio)
Moderated by Laurent Auclair
Our distinguished guests will discuss their thoughts about the current animation and gaming markets and what will the future will look like for the industry.
GUESTs
Fahim boukhelifa - Paris Gobelins School
Head of the Animation Department at Paris GOBELINS School
About Fahim:
Fahim has nearly 20 years of experience in the animation industry, having worked with leading studios such as Watchnext Media, Je Suis Bien Content, Millimages, GoN, and Normaal.
He is passionate about education, and he is currently Head of the Animation Department at GOBELINS Paris, where he oversees curriculum development and guides students toward professional careers. He also serves as Vice President of RECA (Réseau des Écoles du Cinéma d’Animation), contributing to the structuring and advancement of animation education in France. Internationally, he collaborates with French embassies to promote cultural and educational exchanges, supporting academic excellence and nurturing the next generation of animation talent.
About Gobelins:
GOBELINS Paris is recognised as an international leader amongst higher education institutions dedicated to the visual arts fields, including animation; photography and video; graphic, motion, game, sound, and digital design. With 60 years of experience in visual arts education, GOBELINS Paris specializes in all aspects of the creative process, from conception to preproduction to the finished product in fixed, animated, interactive or immersive images. Training nearly 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students annually, as well as 1,500 continuing and executive-level students, GOBELINS Paris champions its proximity to the creative industries and its professionals with 40% of the student population training within apprenticeship, work-study programs.
Resolutely in tune with the contemporary world, GOBELINS Paris is committed to the utmost freedom of creative expression; to combatting discrimination of any kind including a Charter for Gender Equality and sexism / sexual-violence prevention programs; to diversity initiatives with over 60 nationalities present within the cursus and inclusion-based scholarship programs; and to equal opportunity measures equating to 23% of students holding assistance-based scholarships.
Enrolment at GOBELINS Paris welcomes students from diverse backgrounds from all over the globe, with over 200 international students currently enrolled. GOBELINS Paris is affiliated with the Paris regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
John AITCHISON - Gameloft
ANIMATOR
About John:
John is a passionate and experienced animator who has been breathing life into gameplay and cinematic characters for over 20 years. With a long career as a digital artist, John has experience working on various large scale projects in numerous studios. John joined Gameloft Brisbane in 2014 and has worked on multiple AAA mobile titles, most recently, the critically acclaimed “The Oregon Trail” and “Carmen Sandiego”. When not animating for games, John has created 3D zoetropes exhibited at ACMI for Cuphead and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, further demonstrating his love of games and animation
About Gameloft:
Gameloft Brisbane crafts award-winning video games that blend storytelling with innovation, powered by some of Australia’s top gaming talent, delivering unforgettable experiences to players globally. We’re the team behind The Oregon Trail, My Little Pony: Mane Merge, Carmen Sandiego and exciting new titles in development. With over 100 full-time team members, we’re proud to contribute to Queensland’s creative economy and foster a workplace where talent thrives. From artists to engineers, producers to marketers, our diverse team is united by a passion for games and a love for what we do.
Ricard Cussó - Cosmic Dino Studio
animation director, co-founder of Cosmic Dino Studio
About Ricard:
Ricard Cussó is a Spanish/Australian, award-winning director and co-founder of Brisbane animation powerhouse Cosmic Dino Studio. Fresh off back-to-back wins for Best Direction in Animation at the Australian Directors Guild Awards (Scarygirl in 2023 and The Sloth Lane in 2024), Ricard is cementing his place as one of Australia’s leading animated feature film directors.
At Cosmic Dino, he’s directed a string of acclaimed features, including Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back (2024) and co-directed the Annecy-premiering The Sloth Lane. His journey began with the Tales from Sanctuary City trilogy: The Wishmas Tree (2020), Combat Wombat (2020), and Daisy Quokka (2021), before leaping into star-studded adventure Scarygirl (2023), featuring Sam Neill and Tim Minchin.
Up next, Ricard is bringing festive cheer with Mission Santa: Yoyo to the Rescue (2025) and tackling the highly anticipated screen adaptation of the New York Times bestseller The Pout-Pout Fish (2025), starring Nick Offerman, Amy Sedaris, and Jordin Sparks.
About Cosmic Dino Studio:
Cosmic Dino Studio is an award-winning, full-service animation studio based in Brisbane, founded by Ricard Cussó and Ryan Greaves. Specialising in features, series, and specials, the studio delivers projects from script to screen. Its credits include the AACTA-nominated Scarygirl, Annecy-selected The Sloth Lane, Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back, and The Pout Pout Fish. Currently, Cosmic Dino is animating one of the decade’s biggest motion-picture events—The Bluey Movie—providing full services from visual development through to final delivery.
Brisbane: Sunday 28th September, 1pm, Griffith Film School