The 15th edition of the Academy Awards®-qualifying ANIMATOR International Animated Film Festival is getting closer each day. Every year ANIMATOR showcases animated films from a selected country. On this occasion, we visit Spain. We also reveal what surprises for children are in store during ANIMATOR FOR KIDS.
ANIMAC at ANIMATOR
At this year's Oscars® ceremony, for the first time ever, the Spanish animation "The Windshield Wiper" by Alberto Mielgo won the award for Best Short Film. In honor of that event and wanting to bring animation lovers closer to the work of Spanish masters, the ANIMATOR 2022 festival has partnered up with Animac.
Animac International Animation Film Festival is the oldest animation film festival in Spain. The managing director of Animac is Carolina López Caballero, whose original programs are part of our repertoire this year, and the partner of the Spanish section of ANIMATOR is the Instituto Cervantes in Warsaw. The Animac showcase includes screenings of 20 works from the last decade.
In addition to Animac, spanish animation will be presented in three thematic sections:
I. CONTEMPORARY SPANISH ANIMATION VOL.1: MY STORY
A screening of short films, with special attention to:
- Morning Cowboy by acclaimed filmmaker Fernando Pomares - a simple in its imagery emotional journey of a man who one morning breaks with his everyday monotony
- Patchwork directed by young creator Maria Menero - a story of a woman after a liver transplant, poetically illustrated through the use of old photographs, embroidery and paint
II. CONTEMPORARY SPANISH ANIMATION VOL.2: ORIGINAL MINDS
A screening of short films, including Sam Orti’s Rutina: La prohibicion, depicting a dark world dominated by lies and fear, and Kamila Kater's debut animation Carne - a fresh, unbiased exploration of femininity.
III. ALBERTO VASQUEZ FILMS AND AN ONLINE MEETING - Q&A LIVE
A review of animated films by the versatile creator of animation, books, comics, and illustrations - Alberto Vazquez. He has won over 100 awards at international festivals, including three Goya Awards.
The films showcased during ANIMATOR will include, among others:
- BirdBoy- a story of a lonely birdboy and his family, following the plot of the comic book and Vazquez's first feature film - Psiconautas, which received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film during ANIMATOR 2016
- Unicorn Blood - a gory story about two teddy bears hunting for unicorns
- Homeless Home – a spooky social satire, winner of the 2020 Annecy award
ANIMATOR FOR KIDS
What has ANIMATOR prepared for the youngest viewers this year? In cooperation with the Centrum Sztuki Dziecka we offer screenings of selected animated films and three workshop sessions.
ANIMATIONS for children include:
- Kwik - a moving portrayal of a young girl and her beloved piggy by Mascha Halberstad
- Miki Mol i straszne płaszczydło - a cult Polish animation from the 1990s, directed by Ryszard Antonius Antoniszczak and Krzysztof Kiwerski
- Nocturna - a full-length Spanish touch, a stellar story directed by Adrià Garcia and Victor Maldonado
- a collection of short films, including an animated documentary Mare Monstrum and a rainy tale of Umbrellas
WORKSHOPS:
Every year the ANIMATOR festival gives the youngest children the opportunity to bring their first animated masterpiece to life. The films created during the workshops often tour the world and win awards at international festivals.
This year's workshops will be led by experienced animators from Poland/Ukraine, Spain, and Slovakia. The finale of the artistic adventure will be presented at the premiere in the Kino Muza.
- ABRA KA DABRA!- A workshop in Ukrainian and Polish on the theme of magic, spells, and secret potions. Includes learning how to create with stop-motion animation. Hosted by: Dana Danylova (Ukraine / Poland).
- MAGICZNY ŚWIAT MARZEŃ (MAGICAL WORLD OF DREAMS)- a workshop in the technique of cut-out animation (creating animated collages using photographs and images taken from newspapers, old books, postcards, and illustrations). During the sessions children will have the opportunity to use the potential of dreams, injecting movement into images using stop-motion animation technique. Hosted by: Angel Estois Carrasco (Spain).
- PLASTELINOWE PUNKTY ZWROTNE (PLASTICINE TURNING POINTS)- a workshop in the technique of plasticine animation, with reference to the theme of this year's Festival. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to make their own plasticine self-portraits and transform them into what or who they would like to become in the future. Hosted by: Tomáš Danay (Slovakia).
WORKSHOP DATES AND REGISTRATION
Workshop dates: July 11-14, 2022
Each workshop includes a series of four meetings in fixed groups. Two types of groups available are:
- morning group: 10.00 am-12.00 pm
- afternoon group: 1.00 pm - 3.00 pm
Registration deadline: 13.06.2022
Application: lperz@csdpoznan.pl
Please include in your application:
- the title of the chosen workshop,
- the selected group (morning or afternoon)
- child's name and surname
- child's age
- phone number and e-mail address of parent/guardian
Note: The number of spots is limited. Enrolment based on the order of applications.
More information about the festival can be found in subsequent festival newsletters.
About the festival:
The Oscar®-qualifying ANIMATOR is one of the largest animation festivals Europe. Each year the festival showcases over 300 films from around the world, including competition, retrospectives, thematic reviews, and premieres. ANIMATOR also includes concerts, series, workshops, and a very extensive program for the youngest viewers. A distinctive feature of the Poznań festival is the ubiquitous fusion of animation and music. The 15th IAFF Animator will be held in Poznań on 8-15 July, and online on 15-21 July 2022.
