ANIONT making animation visible

The long-term goal of the Citizens‘ Association for the Support of Animated Film (OSPAF) is to popularise animation among general public. OSPAF’s main project is The International Festival of Animated Film Anifilm. Each year, the number of films in the festival archives grows, regardless the fact if they were competing or not, and its organisers get more and more familiar with current trends and works at other festivals abroad. The association, as well as the whole animation community, realises that there is a large gap in the distribution of animated shorts. That is why animated films are screened also outside the festival during the Festival Echoes when various institutions (schools, clubs, cafés, galleries) borrow and screen special compiled showcases. Fellow European festivals – such as Fest Anča (SVK), Animafest (CRO) and Be There! (GR) – also know about the aforementioned gaps in distribution. These festivals are the first partners of the ANIONT project (ANimation ONline Theatre). It is an internet portal – a videotheque including selected student and authorial animated shorts including music videos and boundary forms of animation. An important element of this animated channel will be
a curator oversight provided by experienced dramaturges who are already selecting films for the public in the archives of Anifilm, the cancelled Anifest and all other fellow festivals. Our curators will also concurrently search for new films also outside festival circles.
The authors of animated shorts are usually placing their works online themselves. But their films get easily lost in the jungle of other content. ANIONT will offer a “cleaner” environment and a corresponding context of authorial animation to the authors and viewers alike. The easiest access to this content will be guaranteed by free access with no advertisements.
We would like to use this opportunity to call upon all the authors and producers who would be interested in making their work visible this way, to contact the OSPAF team. You can submit your films for approval and potential inclusion into the videotheque at any time the portal is up and running. The ANIONT project was supported by the State Cinematography fund and will be launched during the 6th Anifilm in Třeboň.