Visegrad Animation Forum

The years 2015 and 2016 have been proving surprisingly fruitful for Czech animation, even in the absence of any substantial changes to funding and support. Those should be soon to come, though, as the State Cinematography Fund has obtained a 350 million CZK government subsidy to support Czech cinematography, including animation. Surprisingly enough, even the technologically demanding and time consuming puppet films have flourished. Several anticipated Czech short films that have been years in production were coincidentally completed at the end of last year or the beginning of this year. These films include The Christmas Ballad, the 26-minute fairy-tale Deep in Moss and the Kafkaesque film Mr. Spider’s Anatomy. One rather unfortunate tradition in Czech animation is that the majority of new animated projects are student films. This year though, their very high quality is surprising.

The year 2015 was another good year for Polish animated film. During the last twelve months, Polish animated films have been shown abroad almost 600 times. Many of these films found success and the months of festival screenings around the world brought filmmakers over 45 awards. This year, for the first time in several years, two Polish feature-length animated films appeared in festival circulation. The first is the animated documentary film Magic Mountain directed by Anca Damian. The second was a totally different kind of feature length film entitled Golden Drops, an animated film dedicated to children and family audiences made in 2015. The film, directed by Daniel Zduńczyk and Marcin Męczkowski, which won several festival laurels, will be shown in Polish cinemas this year.

This project is intended for alternative promotion of the most talented young animation filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe. Its aim is to present internationally the 11 best films made by young and debuting artists in a given year to a professional audience and for the general public. The selection of the films focuses on extraordinary talents whose work promises successful future careers. The project counts on the presentation of this compilation at selected European animated film festivals and to draw attention to new talents and bring them together with experienced foreign producers.

Beyond, Hungary, 2015, 10 min.
Composition / Kompozicija, Slovenia, 2015, 4 min.
Cowboyland, Slovakia, 2014, 5 min.
Fences / Płoty, Poland, 2015, 7 min.
Happy End, Czech Republic, 2015, 6 min.
Mosaic, the Waltz of Spleen / Mozaika, walc śledziony, Poland, 2015, 4 min.
Rivers / Rzeki, Poland, 2014, 3 min.
Tale / Mese, Hungary, 2014, 8 min.
The More I Know / Čím víc vím, Czech Republic, 2015, 8 min.
The Noise of Licking / A nyaintás nesze, Hungary, 2015, 9 min.
Wolf Games / Vučje igre, Croatia, 2015, 5 min.

European prestigious studios presentation.

Silver Fox Animation

Having trained under John Halas and Richard Williams, Graham set up a partnership with Jerry Hibbert forming Hibbert Ralph in 1983 which became one of London’s largest and most successful  studios, winning many awards all over the world. In 1990 Graham decided to start writing and directing children’s films for television and began to produce successful series and specials for S4C, BBC , ITV and Channel 4. and in 2000 he set up Silver Fox Animation. Graham completed a new half-hour special for the BBC for Christmas 2001 called Second Star to the Left and a 26 x 11minute series for ITV called Bounty Hamster which received a BAFTA nomination for best children’s series. In 2004 he began work on Harry and His Bucketful of Dinosaurs for CCI entertainment. The show was developed by Tony Collingwood of Collingwood O’Hare and has been so successful on Cartoon Network US and broadcasters all over the world that he has been asked to produce 52 more episodes. It has recently been nominated for Graham’s third BAFTA nomination.

Camera-etc

Camera-etc was created in 1979 for the purpose of making and producing short animated films. A recognised production workshop and centre for expression and creativity of the French-speaking Community of Belgium, Camera-etc organises creative group workshops for children, young people and adults in Belgium and in other countries. Although it is a highly developed sector, animated films are rarely used as socio-cultural tool. Camera-etc produces around twenty short films a year that are educational as well as social projects carried out  in schools, local social welfare agencies (CPAS), neighbourhood associations, NGOs etc. Its work enables participants to find new means of expression. Besides workshop films, Camera-etc supports professional creation by producing art house works. The studio recently produced L’Enveloppe Jaune by Delphine Hermans, Orgesticulanismus by Mathieu Labaye and La Boite de Sardines by Louise-Marie Colon.

Among producers, distributors and sales agents in Europe there is constant discussion about the mirage of the European market in terms of animated short films for children. Over the last few years, several initiatives have proven that there’s a need for this kind of content from the market, not only in the niches of children’s film festivals.

Can we ensure the presence of Central and East European animation for children on screens by creating resourceful distribution strategies for producers of the region? With a panel of top professionals moderated by an expert in children film distribution, Gert Hermans, this meeting will address the situation as it stands in 2016 and look into the subject of distribution opportunities.
Short Circuit, which is a specifi c event that thoroughly improves the international circulation of shorts throughout Europe, has created a compilation programme of shorts for children called Tales under the Trees to distribute children’s production during Short Film Day. ECFA, the European Children’s Film Association, is planning to create a catalogue of the most interesting shorts for children to make this information more accessible for all interested institutions and share information among distributors.

Amila Čirkinagi, Financing Forum
Eric Tijman, Cinekid
Aleksander Stein, Monica Koshka-Stein, Short Circuit
Gert Hermans, Jekino

Moderated by Pavel Bednařík, Film Education Adviser, Czech Republic.