Adventures in Animation is an animation programme curated by the New Zealand Film Archive and accompanied by Zappa-esque combo Surfing USSR. It will be held at the SOFA Gallery in the South Quad of The Arts Centre on Saturday 16 September, 8pm.

Surfing USSR comprising the talents of Greg Malcolm, Marc Howe and Chris O'Connor, draw upon the musical genres of surf, spaghetti western...psychedelic freak-outs and disco in their independent interpretations of klezmer and Eastern European folk melodies. New Zealand Musician magazine say, "It's a jaunty good time and Surfing USSR could well be the most Zappa-esque combo playing klezmer arrangements in NZ today." And from music critic Gary Steel for Metro magazine, "A riot of odd fun from start to finish. Featuring incredibly skilful fretwork and tightly controlled performances."

Adventures in Animation with Surfing USSR Sounds Saturday 16 September 2006, 8pm SOFA Gallery, The Arts Centre, Christchurch $5 / members free

Adventures in Animation is an animation programme curated by the New Zealand Film Archive and accompanied by the extraordinary musical feast that is Surfing USSR. Presented in association with the New Zealand Film Archive this event will be held at the SOFA gallery in the South Quad of The Arts Centre on Saturday 16 September, 8pm.

The animation backdrop will feature New Zealand films from 1958 to 2005 such as:

• SOVIET SPUTNIKS, 1958, George Eiby, 3.30 mins, DV from 8mm George Eiby was a world renowned vulcanologist who was also a keen astronomer, painter and mathematician. No doubt his various interests fuelled the making of Soviet Sputniks. Today the film stands as one of New Zealand's earliest surviving animations.
• MAD SCIENTISTS, 2005, Mike Heynes, 4 mins, DV Mike Heynes is a Wellington based animator. Mad Scientists is composed of images from his own children's books on mythological creatures and monsters and 1950's magazine 'Understanding Science'.
• SABRE DANCE, 1959, George Eiby, 3.30 mins, DV from 8mm A film of battling puppet cossacks shot by George Eiby.
• BOWL ME OVER, 1995, Lissa Mitchell, 6 mins, 16mm A mini-epic South Island travelogue / road movie and homage to artists Colin McCahon, Mina Arndt and Rita Angus. Bowl Me Over uses a 'direct' film process pioneered by Len Lye where the image is scratched and hand-painted directly onto the film. 9417597, 1994, Lissa Mitchell, 6 mins, 16mm A rarely seen stop-frame film animation by Lissa Mitchell.
• FLIGHT TO VENUS 1960, Fred O'Neil, 12.11 mins, 16mm Flight to Venus was made by Dunedin animator Fred O'Neil. Fred's films were typically bright colourful affairs with claymation figures grappling with issues ranging from nuclear war to the dangers of smoking. Flight to Venus won the Silver Trophy in the Amateur Cine Club's 'World's Ten Best Films' competition in 1960.