STOP MOTION & PUPPETRY
Commercials, music videos, shorts + sequences for television & feature films
Joseph Wallace is a BAFTA Cymru nominated animation director, writer and producer. His award-winning work spans short films, music videos, commercials and sequences for feature films and television. He has written and directed more than a dozen short films since 2007 which have gained international acclaim and screened at festivals around the world as well as receiving Vimeo Staff Picks. Described as ‘one of the UK’s most extraordinary stop-motion directors’ by London International Animation Festival, his work has been praised for its cinematic quality and unique aesthetic.
In 2022 Joseph became a member of BAFTA through their ‘Connect’ scheme following on from participating in BFI Network x BAFTA Crew 2021 and was selected for the prestigious Berlinale Talents 2023. He was previously made a BBC Performing Arts Fellow in 2015 and named by the BBC as one of 32 British artists ‘to watch’. From 2009-2010 he attended the EU training course Animation Sans Frontières. Aside from his background as a theatre director, Joseph has also worked as a journalist, lecturer and curator. He has also served as Jury for the CEE Forum, Animatex Egypt, Primanima, London International Animation Festival and Brighton Animation Festival. He has given talks and held workshops at some of the top festivals and universities around the world. As a curator Wallace conceived the film programme of the 2015 Bristol Festival of Puppetry featuring the work of influential animators the Quay Brothers, OSCAR nominated Barry Purves and the late children’s animator Ivor Wood.
His music video for Sparks screened at over 50 international film festivals and was described as “sublime” by French site Allociné. The video won five awards including ‘Best Music Video’ at the Hollywood Art and Movie Awards, USA and was named as one of the ten best British animated music videos of all time by Anim18. 2021 saw the release of ‘The Sparks Brothers’ the feature documentary from Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver) for which Wallace created stop motion animated sequences. The film premiered at Sundance and Wallace’s animations were described as ‘hilarious’ by iNews, ‘dark wonders’ by Mark Kermode in the Guardian and were nominated for an award at the Cinema Eye Honours in New York 2022.
Wallace’s 2022 short film ‘Salvation Has No Name’ is Exec Produced by Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams and stars Itziar Ituño from Netflix’s Money Heist. The film is funded by the BFI, France Television and the Czech Film Commission and premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival 2022 where the refugee organisation Choose Love was announced as the film’s official charity partner. Salvation won the Grand Prix and Best Director at Animage Brazil as well as the Grand Prix at Animario in Spain, was longlisted for both a BIFA and a BAFTA and received the Jury Special Mention at the Unifrance Prix du Court Metrage at Cannes 2023.
His new live action puppet short film is currently in production with BFI network and is due to reach festivals summer 2024.
Photo Amanda Thomas
PRESS
Guardian / The Sparks Brothers
Focus Features / The Sparks Brothers
Deadline RAPT / Salvation Has No Name
Deadline Cast / Salvation Has No Name
Cartoon Brew / Salvation Has No Name
Zippy Frames / Salvation Has No Name
Animation For Adults / Salvation
Directors Notes / Chemicals
Dragonframe / Chemicals
Promonews / Chemicals
Stop Motion Geek / Chemicals
Animation World Network / Edith Piaf
Promonews / Edith Piaf
Dragonframe / Edith Piaf
Directors Notes / Edith Piaf
British Film Institute / Natural Disaster
Directors Notes / Natural Disaster
Skwigly / Natural Disaster
Skwigly / Dear John
Stop Motion Magazine / Dear John
Show Me The Animation / Dear John
Puppet Place / Dear John
Stop Motion Magazine / Afraid of Falling
Dragonframe / Afraid of Falling
Directors Notes / Afraid of Falling
INTERVIEWS
At the end of 2024 Joseph was interview by Mark Kermode about his work and thoughts on stop motion animation on BBC Radio 4’s Screenshot
AWARDS
Youth Jury Prize, Mecal, Jul 2023
Special Mention, Best International Short, Stop Motion Our Fest, Jul 2023
Golden River Award for Best Animation Film, River Film Festival, Jun 2023
Special Mention, Unifrance Prix du Court Métrage, Cannes 2023
Best Editing, Hastings Rocks 2023
Best Animation, Hastings Rocks 2023
Longlisted for British Short Animation, BAFTA 2023
Best Direction, Animage, Nov 2022
Grand Prix for Best Short Film, Animage, Nov 2022
Longlisted for Best Short Film, British Independent Film Awards 2022
Special Mention, Best Independent Short Award, Stop Motion Montréal, Sept 2022
Best Music Video & Best European Music Video, Anim!Arte, Brazil, 2019
Best Music Video, Hollywood Art & Movie Awards, 2019
Silver award for Best Animated Film & bronze award for Best Musical Film, Global Independent Film Awards, USA, 2018
Pitching Prize, Visegrad Animation Forum, 2017
Best Animation, Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, 2016
Best Animation, Kinsale Shark Awards, 2016
RTS Student Prize 2012
British Talent Award, Canterbury Anifest, 2011
Best Animation, Ffresh Festival, 2011
NOMINATIONS
Nominated for the McLaren Award for Animation,
Edinburgh Film Festival, Aug 2022
Honourable Mention, Los Angeles
Animation Festival, USA, 2018
Nominated for Best Music Video,
Short Shorts Festival, Japan, 2018
Best Music Video & Public Choice,
British Animation Awards, 2019 & 2020
Longlisted for 1.4 Awards, 2017
Shortlisted for DepicT! 2008 & 2014
Bafta Cymru Nomination 2012
RECOGNITION
Berlinale Talents 2023
BAFTA Connect 2022
BAFTA Crew 2021
Board Member for Animation Alliance UK
Selected for development residency at
Open Workshop, Denmark, 2017
Sparks video named one of the
10 best British animated music videos by Anim18
BFI Network Pick, 2018
Vimeo Staff Picks 2013, 2014, 2018, 2023
Made a BBC Performing Arts Fellow, 2015
Distributed by Future Shorts, 2013
COLLABORATORS
CLIENTS
WORK SUPPORTED BY
SCHEMES
QUOTES ABOUT JOSEPH’S WORK
“A stop motion masterpiece”
“Rising stop motion star”
“Through his intricate handmade puppets he balances much needed – and often depressing - honesty with equally important moments of laughter and lightness.”
“Such an original piece, it feels impossible to ignore.”
“Wallace has become one of the UK’s most adventuresome and imaginative animators.”
“Having worked dark wonders on the video for Sparks’s 2017 single Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me), Wallace mixes stop-motion puppetry with paper collage cutouts, ensuring that Wright’s film remains as cinematic as its subjects.”
“One of the UK’s most extraordinary stop-motion directors”
“One of our brightest talents”
“Visionary”
“We believe in Joseph’s great potential”
“The next Jim Henson”
“He is an artist on the rise”
“Joseph’s work is important because it’s pushing boundaries”
“Joseph certainly deserves his own place within the animation industry”
“A rising star of animation”
“The thematics of his productions are moving, philosophical and culturally important”