Manchester Animation Festival

Joanna discovered animation at Middlesex University London while studying for a BA degree in Graphic Design. Her graduation film Girls Night Out, a brilliantly simple and humorous riposte to machismo and a celebration of uninhibited female sexuality, introduced audiences to the character of Beryl and kick-started Joanna’s animation career by winning 3 major awards at the Annecy International Animation Festival in 1987. The uniquely memorable character of Beryl became the focus for two more films Body Beautiful and Dreams & Desires – Family Ties and the politics of gender and oppression together with Joanna’s obsessive fascination and delight with exploring the eccentricities of the human body became the central themes of her work. In 2022 the most recent Beryl film Affairs of the Art earned Les and Joanna an Oscar nomination. Joanna’s films have won numerous international awards, including 4 Baftas, 3 Emmys and 2 Oscar nominations. Joanna is a committed educator and has received an Honorary Doctorate from 3 UK universities and is an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London.