The Future of Animation - Brisbane
Animation and Gaming: The Future of the Industry
Fahim boukhelifa - John Aitchison - cosmic dino (person tbd)
Moderated by Laurent Auclair
In this panel we have Fahim, John from Gameloft, and Cosmo Dino as our special guests. They will discuss their thoughts about the current market on animation and gaming and what will the future will look like for the industry.
GUESTs
Fahim boukhelifa
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
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.