Animateka International Animated Film Festival

Animateka International Animated Film Festival is a specialised competitive festival which focuses on Central and East European animated film production. It was established in 2004 but it's root extends 6 years further in the past when the Slovenian Cinematheque introduced a special monthly programme focusing on animated film. Today Animateka is produced by the 2 Reels - Association for Reanimation of Storytelling and Kinodvor Cinema. The festival programme is taking place at the Kinodvor Cinema and at the Slovenian Cinematheque in Ljubljana each year in the second week of December.

Festival sections

The Animateka International Animated Film Festival has 9 sections and two of them are competitive. The main festival section, the Competition Programme, is focusing on contemporary animated film production in Central and Eastern European countries. Because of that the Animateka festival is receiving a great attention also in the larger international context although the much older and bigger Animafest Zagreb is taking place near. Even a greater international attention is attracting the second competitive section, The Elephant in Competition, introduced with the last edition of the festival in 2009. Namely, The Elephant in competition is focusing on animated film production meant for the young audience. The section existed already before but as before said just last year became competitive.

The Eastern and Central European Panorama section is a kind of an extension of the main competitive section as it broadens it's overview on Central and Eastern European animated film production. With it's European Student Panorama section Animateka festival is giving a special focus also on the animated film production by European film schools and art academies. As it's name already explains the Best of the Rest section is presenting a carefully selected programme from other parts of the world, bringing the attention to well known directors and awarded films. The Jury Programme section is one of the great peculiarities of the Animateka festival. It gives to each member of the main international jury a possibility to direct the attention of the audience to a certain director or to a certain tendency in the past or contemporary animated film production. In the past years the Animateka festival screened several amazing personal retrospectives in that section, like Koji Yamamura retrospective, Georges Schwizgebel retrospective and Osvaldo Cavandoli retrospective.

The most extensive festival section is the Special Programme section as it incorporates several under-sections. Those undersections are usually retrospectives, overviews of certain national animated film productions or festival programmes, regional focuses, etc. In the past years there were some excellent programmes like the Stop Motion retrospective, focuses on Polish, Basque, Norwegian, Canadian, Yugoslav and Finnish animated film production, a special program on animated films linked to the human rights subject, etc.

A special section is dedicated also to feature length animated films. Some of those films are later included in the Slovene Art Cinema Network's distribution.

Animateka's awards are: Grand Prix, Maestro® Audience Award, NLB Vita Award for the Elephant Children's Programme, special mentions (3, delivered by jury members), the award for the winner of the AnimaWeb Contest and the award for the winner of the Contest Živel strip / Viva I Fumetti (in collaboration with the Italian partner Vivacomix)

In addition to the competition, the Animateka Festival includes special animated film screenings. The 3rd Festival of 2006 screened the animated film Raining Cats and Frogs and several special programmes: Best of the Rest, showing the best West European animated films of 2005 and 2006, an overview of the contemporary Nordic animation film, a retrospective of Norwegian animation film and contemporary Norwegian short documentary, experimental and fiction film (in co-operation with the Norwegian Film Institute), Avoid Eye Contact - a programme of animation films from independent New York authors, From Clermont-Ferrand - French animation film, and Animation films on Human Rights. Slon (in English: The Elephant), a programme of carefully-selected children's animation films which promoted ethical and ecological values, non-violence, peace, harmonious interpersonal relationships and tolerance.

Each year the Animateka Festival also features an exhibition by an artist in residence (Daniel Žeželj in 2004, M. S. Bastian in 2005 and Lars Fiske in 2006) and a performance by a music group (Srečna mladina from Ljubljana in 2006). Slovene artists are invited to create animated visual backgrounds for the chosen band's concert. The Festival also aims to establish a space where authors, producers, journalists, students and other interested parties can meet and exchange their ideas and experiences. And since in Slovenia there is no proper animation film school, Animateka also aims to improve education in animation: Workshops and a yearlong Animation film course are organised.

External links

Animateka International Animated Film Festival website

Animateka International Animated Film Festival

Festival sections

See also

External links

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