An online premiere screening of 'The Animated World of Halas & Batchelor' was organised by the Hungarian Cultural Centre on 23 July 2020; the new film directed by Richard Shaw is exploring the work and life of John Halas and Joy Batchelor.
John Halas (János Halász) was a Jewish refugee from Hungary, Joy Batchelor was a working-class girl from Watford; together they revolutionised British animation, creating a string of innovative shorts to support the war effort and the fledging welfare state, as well as the first cartoon feature film in British cinema history, Animal Farm of 1954.
The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the famous couple's daughter Vivien Halas, Curator of Animation at the BFI National Archive Jez Stewart and film director/animator Joanna Quinn, chaired by Martin Pickles, director of the London Animation Club.
This event was held in association with the Insiders/ Outsiders Festival