Ainslie Henderson
Directing
Known For

Fame Academy was a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist and part of the international franchise Star Academy known under various titles in various countries. In the UK version, the prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one year. It was broadcast by the BBC and co-produced by an Endemol company called 'Initial'. The first series was won by David Sneddon and the second and final series by Alex Parks. The show was so successful that the BBC decided to screen celebrity versions for Comic Relief. Starting 2003, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy saw celebrities singing as students of the Academy with proceeds from the phone votes being donated to the charity. This was far more successful than the original show, and many believe its success secured the second series of the main programme.
Fame Academy

Joan's efforts at teenage rebellion are frustrated by her illness and her overbearing mother, until her increasingly vivd dreams and an overzealous tutor inspire her to realise her independence.
Wild Horses

Scottish animators Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson star in and co-direct this inventive documentary. Albeit framed as a film for Will’s mother, we too are invited to witness how Will deals with the grief of his mother’s cancer. The duo work on their animations and face the frustrations of trying to make this documentary. Whilst alone, Will turns to DOM, the animated cat that lives on his laptop screen.
A Cat Called Dom
A surreal trip through the subconscious of a stifled musician as he struggles to sing.
I Am Tom Moody

Three archetypal woodland spirits explore the conflicting human drives of creativity, possessiveness and our desire for status.
Shackle

Santa is trapped in an eternal Christmas nightmare.
Xmas Is Cancelled
A 'behind-the-scenes' look at an animator/filmmaker as he struggles with his character.
The Making Of Longbird
The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS returns for its second year in theaters with 12 charming family-friendly films. The films included are: • Stems - Ainslie Hendersen (Scotland) • Shift - Cecilia Puglesi & Yijun Liu (U.S.) • Pearl - Patrick Osborne (U.S.) • Crin-crin - Iris Alexandre (Belgium) • Mirror - Chris Ware, John Kuramoto, Ira Glass (U.S.) • Last summer in the garden - bekky O’Neil (Canada) • Waiting for the New Year - Vladimir Leschiov (Latvia) • Piper - Alan Barillaro (U.S.) • Bøygen - Kristian Pedersen (Norway) • Afternoon Class - Seoro Oh (Korea) • About a Mother - Dina Velikovskaya (Russia) • Exploozy - Joshua Gunn, Trevor Piecham, & John McGowan (U.S.) • Inner Workings - Leo Matsuda (U.S.) • Corpus - Marc Héricher (France) • Blue - Daniela Sherer (Israel) • Manoman - Simon Cartwright (England) • All Their Shades - Chloé Alliez (Belgium)
18th Annual Animation Show of Shows

Archie is devastated to learn of the death of his beloved aunt. He makes the long journey to the home she's left him in the Outer Hebrides and a new day brings renewed hope for Archie and his dog.
Archie

A rapturous, BAFTA Scotland-winning eulogy to the short life span of stop motion animation puppets.
Stems

Timeless, made entirely with stop motion to music from Poppy Ackroyd's album Feathers
Timeless

A magical creature finds a modern solution to his problem.
Gnome

A misguided monkey believes he is destined for the moon.
Monkey Love Experiments

Two reflexive animated characters cling to sanity inside the changing parameters of their world.
My Best Friend 'Rewinds'

Two animated characters discuss their explosive relationship.
My Best Friend 'Explodes'
When Emily's quiet life is disrupted by a noisy musician moving in next door, the outcome is far from muted. After a terrible aural misunderstanding, the silence is deafening, and it's up to Emily to break the divide.
Mono

Two characters’ deal with the impending end of their relationship and existence.