Student animation Fake ID screened at Chester Animation Festival
A short animation created by a Film and Media Studies student at the University of Chester has been screened at the Chester Animation Festival at Storyhouse, as part of the Chester International Film Festival (CIFF).
Second-year student Ruben Gibbons produced Fake ID for his Digital Media Creation and Storytelling module. The two-minute comedic, hand-drawn animation follows an anthropomorphic bouncer outside a dingy nightclub as he decides who is, and is not, permitted to enter. The film was completed in just under ten weeks, from initial concept to final production.
Ruben, from Chester, was encouraged to submit his work by Kevin Furlong, Senior Lecturer in Art and Design, who teaches animation to media students.
Kevin said: “Ruben’s film emerged from his engagement in excellent and thorough research. He produced an engaging film with meticulous attention to visual detail and observational humour. The animation was beautifully illustrated, timed and executed.”
Ruben said: “It was a really exciting and a unique experience getting to see my own film up on the cinema screen at the Storyhouse alongside all the other great entries."
The festival also featured involvement from University of Chester students beyond the screening. Third-year Media and TV Production student Justin Hughes, from Northwich, served as a judge, following the success of his own animation COB, created for coursework in the previous academic year.
The Chester Animation Festival forms part of the Chester International Film Festival and is produced in partnership with Storyhouse, Chester Film Society, and the University of Chester. Returning for its 12th edition in 2026, the festival continues to showcase outstanding short animations from filmmakers around the world, celebrating a wide range of styles, techniques and voices.
This year’s competition brought together shortlisted films from the United Kingdom, Spain, Iran, the Netherlands, Canada and Russia. Audiences were invited to vote for their favourite in the 2026 programme, with an encore screening of the 2025 winning film, The Pearl (Let’s Make Peace), also featured.
Justin said: “To be able to not only watch and enjoy but also play a part in platforming and sharing so many incredible creative works was an honour.”
Dr Katie Barnett, Course Leader for Film and Media Studies, added: “Kevin and I were so impressed with the animations that the media students created this year and it’s great to see one of them screened to a sold-out audience at an international event like this.”