The Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design( CFAD) received an honorable accreditation from The Media Advertising Publishing Printing and Packaging–Sector Education and Training Authority (MAPPP-SETA) of South Africa. CFAD was started in 1994 by world-renowned cartoonist, illustrator and journalist Nanda Soobben who together with academic head Krish Moodley and a team of dedicated artists and designers have turned this art school into an industry leader in design and animation training. The accreditation also came with grant money that will be used to help the centre grow. “This will be used to establish a animation production studio to train animators, storyboard artists, editors, voice-over artists and the like in the art of producing commercial animation, animation for cell phone downloads and for games as well as animated series and long-form animation,” explains Krish Moodley. “Our vision is that the studio will be a commercial unit that will dramatically enhance the training and skills of animators, which fits perfectly with CFAD’s goal to establish Durban as the animation hub of the country. Being selected as an Institute of Excellence and receiving this grant is a significant achievement as it will allow CFAD to not only train the next generation of animators but also provide them real employment and career opportunities.”
Soobben and Moodley will be attending Ficci Frames in Mumbhai, India later in March this year, where they will be checking out international trends and networking with other animators. Soobben said,” In India we will make contact with successful animators for gaming and multimedia. Also, CFAD can offer a cost effective training option for overseas students who wish to study animation, gaming and multimedia.”
