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Alex Widdowson
2D Animator, Director, & Researcher

Alex Widdowson is a freelance 2D animator, director and researcher based in Viborg, Denmark.

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Alex has been creating animations for non-fiction storytelling since 2010 and has won 13 awards for his films. Most of his independent shorts use animation to explore psychology and address topics such as neurodiversity, critical psychiatry, learning disability, and addiction.  

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As a freelancer, he provides a full 2D animation service, often producing animated sequences for live-action documentaries, but he has also directed adverts, music videos, and worked as a character animator.

Alex is currently developing his first animated feature film with GotFat Productions, a documentary about the Neurodiversity Movement. 

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As a scholar Alex specializes in research-by-practice. In 2023 he completed his PhD on neurodiversity studies and animated documentary ethics as part of the Wellcome Trust Autism through Cinema project at Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this, in 2015, he attended the AniDox:Lab at the Animation Workshop in Denmark and, in 2018, gained his master’s degree in Documentary Animation from the Royal College of Art in the UK. Since completing his doctorate, he has worked as a post-doc on a serious game project at Université de Moncton and was a guest researcher at the Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University. Before moving to Denmark, Alex lectured on animation and documentary at a number of British Universities and has delivered guest lectures across Europe and North America.

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Alex lives in Viborg, he is a member of Danske Filminstruktører and has an office at Plastic Collective.

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Contact: alexwiddowson[at]hotmail.com

Awards

  • Rising of Lucitania AnimaDoc Film Festival 2022, Poland. Best AnimaDoc Blue Ribend Award, Student Jury (Drawing on Autism)

  • UKRI Research in Film Award 2021, UK. Best Doctoral or Early Career Film (Drawing on Autism)

  • Vimeo Staff Pick ‘Best of the Year’ 2023, USA. (Drawing on Autism)

  • Short of the Week, UK. (Music & Clowns)

  • Vimeo Staff Pick 2020, USA. (Music & Clowns)

  • British Animation Awards, 2018-2020, UK. Best Post Graduate Animation (Music & Clowns)

  • Royal Television Society 2019, UK. Judges' Award (Music & Clowns)

  • Royal Television Society 2019, UK. Best Post-Graduate Animation (Music & Clowns)

  • San Francisco Independent Film Festival 2019, USA. Audience Award for Best Animation (Music & Clowns)

  • NAHEMI Eat Our Shorts Awards 2019, UK. ARRI Best Film (Music & Clowns)

  • NAHEMI Eat Our Shorts Awards 2019, UK. Audience Award (Music & Clowns)

  • Papaya Rocks International Film Festival 2018, UK. Best Director (Music & Clowns)

  • Spark Animation 2018, Canada. Diversity Award (Music & Clowns)

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Other Accolades:

  • BAFTSS Film Practice Awards 2023, Doctoral Category. Honourable Mention (Divergent Minds)

  • Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022. Nominated for Norman McLaren Award for Best British Animation (Drawing on Autism)

  • BAFTSS Film Practice Awards 2020. Runner-up in Best Practice Research Portfolio (Music & Clowns)

  • London International Animation Festival 2018. Jury: Highly Commended (Music & Clowns)

  • Cinanima 2018. Special mention for Best Student Film Gaston Roch Award (Music & Clowns)

  • NYC Independent Film Festival, 2020, USA. Nominated best animation (Music & Clowns)

  • British Independent Film Awards 2019, UK. Best British Short, long list (Music & Clowns)

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