Norwich International Animation Festival has a new name, shedding the long-winded 'animation festival' title to become AURORA.

The change of the name is the annual festival's latest move towards a truly multidisciplinary program, and represents the opinion that 'animation' itself has become a restrictive tag, which rarely does justice to the myriad artistic activity that it encompasses. It follows, then, that an 'animation festival' is no longer capable of staying abreast of this enormous artistic diversity -- so in order to more freely reflect the way the programmers think animation is heading, we're dropping the label.

However, the festival is emphatically not abandoning animation - quite the opposite. The move away from an 'animation festival' will allow it to concentrate on what animation really is, on what it's truly capable of, without being constrained by arguments about definition or limited to presenting film work alone.

The festival's programs of live performance and installation work, initiated in 2006 to complement its film programs, seminars and symposia events, will develop further for 2007, presenting music and live art events throughout the festival, whilst its competition will widen its remit to appeal to artists and students of fine art and allied disciplines in addition to animators, presenting work - from artists' film to treated live-action and installation work - which challenges the traditional boundaries of animation.

For the first time, the festival will take place in the newly redeveloped Cinema City in Norwich - due to open in autumn, alongside Norwich Arts Centre and other venues established as festival locations last year.

For more information, visit http://www.aurora.org.uk