online catalogueAnifilm Industry

ČEZ School of Animation

420 min

ČEZ SCHOOL OF ANIMATION uses an entertaining form to introduce the process of animated fi lm production to children. This year, the fi lms will refl ect energy production, be it green renewable energy, nuclear energy or any other kind of energy.
Under the supervision of lecturers, children will go through the entire process and make their very own animated films from script to the fi nal animation. They will use various artistic techniques such as cutout animation, drawing, sand animation, pixilation and possibly also the demanding technique of puppet animation.

Meeting with Filmmakers

60 min

Come and take a coff ee for free with filmmakers, who have their films in our competition. These moderated meetings give you a chance to meet the authors personally and to fi nd many details about their work. Moderated by festival dramaturges and fi lm theoretician Eliška Děcká (FAMU).

Presentation of nutprodukce / P. J. Kubečková, T. Hrubý

60 min

The original “big short” Deep in Moss with puppet animation; Matuš Vizár’s iconic Pandas screened at the Cannes Festival; an astonishing pilot of the TV bedtime story Brumlík and Animuk; Graffitiger, which was awarded the Czech Lion for best student film; a sensation called Mr. Spider’s Anatomy, or, for instance, Burning Bush and Wasteland, a TV show… What binds all these projects together? It is nutprodukce, a production company behind them. How does it select its projects? What projects are currently underway? What are its plans for the immediate future? The answers to these questions and more will be given by the company founders, Tomáš Hrubý and Pavla Janoušková Kubečková, this year’s jury member.

Consequences of Italian pictorial animation / Ch. Magri

60 min

Contemporary Italian short animated films undoubtedly share some characteristics and inspirations. The common, difficult condition of self-production makes each film a result of expressive urgency, of sincere authenticity. The works of Gianluigi Toccafondo and Ursula Ferrara had a strong impact, as well. After the production of the 60s and 70s, developed mainly in Milan within the field of innovative cartoon and social satire, in the 90s their films suddenly immersed animation in painting and in film language. They have been – more than a direct aesthetic influence – a strong, inspiring incentive to practice animation as a flexible and challenging medium for personal artistic expression. Behind Toccafondo we find the art school of Urbino, which nurtured much of the “new wave” that Bendazzi defines as neo-pictorial.

Contemporary Italian short animated films undoubtedly share some characteristics and inspirations. The common, difficult condition of self-production makes each film a result of expressive urgency, of sincere authenticity. The works of Gianluigi Toccafondo and Ursula Ferrara had a strong impact, as well. After the production of the 60s and 70s, developed mainly in Milan within the field of innovative cartoon and social satire, in the 90s their films suddenly immersed animation in painting and in film language. They have been – more than a direct aesthetic influence – a strong, inspiring incentive to practice animation as a flexible and challenging medium for personal artistic expression. Behind Toccafondo we find the art school of Urbino, which nurtured much of the “new wave” that Bendazzi defines as neo-pictorial. 

VAF | How to finance a short film from your local fund?

60 min

The Cine-Regio European network of regional film funds in Europe is continuously expanding and today represents 43 regional film funds from 12 EU Member States, in addition to Norway and Switzerland. The members exhibit a range of support schemes and services for animation productions which aim to support film culture in their countries.
What are aid schemes for production of short films? Where can one look for budgets for production of shorts? How do regions support animation in the UK and in France? Does it apply to co-productions?
We invited experienced producers Olivier Catherin and Abigail Addison to a panel about other than national level support for animation projects.

VAF | Presentation: Cinemon Entertainment

60 min

Cinemon Entertainment is a multi-award-winning animation studio that has been using great company know-how with a personal touch for more than 20 years. It has established a reputation as a quality provider of children’s animation movies, television series, commercials, applications and branding. Cinemon was legally created in 1994 as an animation service company connected to the Munich-based TVLoonalnd AG and has been involved in the production of more than 15,000 minutes of animated projects, including 7 feature films and hundreds of episodes of TV series in coproduction with the biggest players in Canada, the USA, Germany, France, and Sweden. Cinemon’s Executives’ filmographies include feature films and series like Babar, King of the Elephants, Pettson and Findus, Queen of the Sun, Felix, the Wumblers and many other titles from Europe and North America.

Business Bistro

480 min

The Viewer as the Protagonist and Director of the Narrative of the Future / A. Krajčírová

60 min

Since its beginnings, film was intended for a passive viewer whose degree of participation depended solely on his or her identification with its individual protagonists. But today, virtual reality, rather than enabling mere observation from a distance, allows the viewers to act as “passengers” – protagonists in the midst of the events and decisions. The cinematographer becomes a mechanical on and off switch and the director turns into a concept maker rather than being a god who decides what the viewers will see at any given moment. But with the increased intensity of the experience, the author has a greater responsibility for the viewers and their mental health. How do you deal with this?

Video Mapping: The Illusion of Spaciousness / S. Poláková

60 min

Video mapping draws on several sources of audio visual culture and seems to bloom in various environments. It forms diverse relationships with such practices as architecture, graphic design, PC games, stage design, VJing and site-specific installations, becoming their additional as well as fundamental part, development and extension, but occasionally it can behave as a parasite.

Principles for Augmented and Virtual Reality / J. Žára

60 min

The lecture will provide an overview of technical solutions that are applied in augmented reality and virtual reality systems. Current technological solutions and limitations will be discussed together with possible practical utilization of VR/AR approaches in the (near) future.

Prof. Ing. Jiří Žára, CSc. is the head of the Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction (DCGI) at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the biggest research and educational body for computer graphics, virtual reality, computer games and human-computer interaction across all universities in the Czech Republic. He gives regular lectures on computer graphics algorithms and virtual reality at the DCGI.

WIP:Harvie and the Magic Museum/Squeek/The Insects/The Meaning and Mystery of Life/The Paperman

120 min

Harvie and the Magic Museum Producer and director Martin Kotík (Rolling Pictures) is currently preparing the project Harvie and the Magic Museum, a 3D animation featuring the beloved Czech puppet Hurvínek, created 90 years ago by Josef Skupa. The aim is to attract a new generation of fans to this popular character and his puppet family.

Squeek   Another project in development is being made by Robert Jaszczurowski, producer and co-founder of Polish production company GS Animation / Grupa Smacznego, and the directors Łukasz Kacprowicz and Marcin Wasilewski. At the moment they are working on the script, characters and backgrounds design. Squeek is their first feature animation and it has already received lots of interest from potential distributors and co-producers.

The Insects    Jan Švankmajer and his long-time producing partner Jaromír Kallista have teamed up to make their last feature-length film. To a great extent this film is being made thanks to the loyal fans of Jan Švankmajer’s pioneering stop-motion animation from around the world, who supported him directly through crowdfunding. The film is loosely based on the play Pictures from the Insects’ Life by the Čapek brothers. The play, however, serves only as a background of the film’s story, which is closer to Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

The Meaning and Mystery of Life   The Meaning and Mystery of Life is a feature project by Petr Vachler combining live-action, documentary and animated film. Vachler says that “The Meaning and Mystery of Life opens a new perspective on the world and our lives both in details and in seemingly big things. The consumerist world depends mainly on consumption, money and power and only sporadically offers a different take on the meaning of life. We are controlled by the aforementioned ’drugs,’ which spin an endless merry-go-round of emotions.”

The Paperman   Another project in progress, this time from Austria, is being prepared by Johannes Schiehsl and the Vienna-based animation studio Neuer Österreichischer Trickfilm. Vienna in the 1930s: crisis-ridden and ideologically split Austria regains a piece of its identity: the Viennese Wunderteam become European football champions. At the heart of the team: Matthias Sindelar – who, despite his fragile build, constantly fools his physically superior opponents with his sophisticated technique and ingenious wit, becoming renowned as the “Mozart of Football”. But the times are turbulent and Matthias realizes late that his world is facing devastating changes that confront him with an enemy who cannot simply be beaten on a soccer pitch...

Cartoon Network: Creative Freedom and Authorship in TV Animation / J. Flígl

90 min

During its twenty years of existence, American cable channel Cartoon Network has become the leading player in the field of animation and, despite their more aggressive marketing strategies, outshined its competitors Disney Channel and Nickelodeon as far as creativity and recognition are concerned. Its work appeals not only to children, but also attracts international cult followings. The lecture will focus on the artistic background of Cartoon Network’s most popular series such as Adventure Time and The Amazing World of Gumball and will put the changes in the network’s artistic orientation in the context of contemporary animation.

Business Bistro

420 min

http://www.anifilm.cz/cs/businessbistro/

Art in the Unreal World / E. Vartiainen

60 min

Virtual reality has been described as the most powerful medium of our time. What are the challenges and possibilities for artists wanting to make the transition and get creative with VR? How to get started if you’re new to 3D and game engines? Let’s take a look at diff erent ways to have fun with VR and get inspired by the possibilities of this highly immersive medium and how we could animate and illustrate virtual spaces.
Elina Vartiainen is a freelance motion graphics designer, game artist and a VJ who loves street art, VR and designer toys & characters. She’s originally from Finland but lives currently in Vienna, Austria. Her mind is nonstop working on concepts for games and her goal is to create visually striking spatial installations that combine elements from art, games and films.

Petr Skala: From Celluloid to Pixel / B. Kerbachová

90 min

Petr Skala’s work defies everything that happened in the Czechoslovak film industry between the 1960s and the 1980s. While experimenting with the medium of film, he ventured out of the main stream into the sphere of artistically oriented abstract film. He adopted the techniques of direct animation and manual alterations of the film stock, and in many cases, he did so without using a camera. He perceived each and every frame as a distinct work of art. During a twenty-year period of his career, which this year’s Anifilm will introduce, Petr Skala made more than eighty films and countless variations of them. In these films, he tried to uncover the basic dimensions of the human existence, to ask questions on creation and extinction and to explore the relation between humans, their world and its place in the universe. He connected film with the principles of ancient alchemy, which is for many of us a thing of the past. But for some, it may still represent an everlasting spiritual journey unchanged through centuries.

Original Gaming: Ylands – Game within a Game / M. Mráz, J. Bareš

60 min

This lecture about Ylands (by Bohemia Interactive) briefly describes the development of this entertaining sandbox game which enables the players to do virtually anything. The game is still in development but players have already been given early access. We will show our most powerful tool – a game editor which enables everyone to modify our low-poly world according to their imagination or create a game within a game. We will demonstrate how easy it is to build practically anything from available building blocks. The speakers will be the game’s graphic designers Jakub and Matěj, so the lecture will be focused on graphics and animation and will include demonstrations. We will describe the pros and cons of developing a rather massive game in a small team.

From Banjo Player to Screenwriter / B. Slade

90 min

One of the most sought after writers and teachers in the international animation industry, Barbara Slade began her journey playing her banjo on the rainy streets of London. In an inspiring talk, she shares her journey and provides a passionate yet practical approach of what it takes to build a long running successful career in today’s competitive market. Barbara will share some valuable tricks, challenge us to raise the bar higher and more than anything inspire us to believe that we can make a difference.

Lipa Learning: Five-year Development of Children’s Games / M. Márai

60 min

Should we develop games for parents or for children? Should games be rather educational or entertaining? Do parents want to know what games their children play? Is a child’s attention span longer than five seconds? Are Chinese children the same as Russian ones? There is no simple answer to any of these questions. Lipa Learning has been developing educational applications for pre-school children for five years. How do we go about it?

Matouš Márai is currently Head of Product in Lipa Learning. Since 2014, he has worked on more than five games as a designer and production manager; two of them were featured at App Store. Earlier, he worked at 2K Czech. His enthusiasm for developing games is inexhaustible.

Playable Animations / M. Frei

60 min

Animation filmmaker Michael Frei teamed up with game designer Mario von Rickenbach to develop the interactive version of his animated short film Plug & Play. Michael will talk about their process of turning a linear film into an interactive playful experience. Following the success of the project, Mario and Michael co-founded the production company Playables based in Zürich, where they are now working on peculiar audio-visual and interactive projects. They recently announced their upcoming project Kids.

Long live the King: Writing Reigns / F. Alliot

60 min

In this short talk, François Alliot will explain how Reigns writing was used to expand beyond the scope of a "simple" card game. By using evocative writing, comedy and probabilistic-driven narrative, Reigns diverts the expectations of the players to surprise and challenge them. It works because Reigns mixes purely random cards, very broad thematic and really narrow linear path. Keeping that balance while expanding the game is the main challenge encountered by François.

Indie Menu: Beautiful and Smart Computer Games / L. Kunce

60 min

Cute and mysterious, hard and simple, funny and sad – the world of independent games is truly varied and we would like you to join us while exploring it. Over the course of 60 minutes, Indie Menu will introduce the most interesting independent games of 2016, which have two things in common – a noticeable artistic style and often a very unusual approach to game design. One of the aims of the lecture is to show that there are many smart computer games that help children develop their imagination and curiosity and create a positive relationship with (not only) fine art.

Lukáš Kunce is the latest addition to the independent game studios Amanita Design. He has eight years of experience from working in various gaming media and he has written hundreds of thousands of characters for the servers Konzolista.cz, Hrej.cz and magazine Level.

Animated Series Škarohlídovi - The Worst of Czechia / V. Mezulániková, M. Jůza

60 min

You don’t need the backing of a major television station to animate; all you need is a good team! A discussion with the makers of the animated series Škarohlídoviwhose lock, stock and barrel attitude makes fun of both the “Prague café” as well as the “Czech pub,” and teases the whole audience spectrum. In the debate, they will reveal how they managed to produce and distribute the series during a short period of time from May to September. Interesting especially for animators and ambitious filmmakers who would like to produce their own animated masterpiece. 

Original Gaming Blue Effect / J. Stehlík

60 min

Jaroslav Stehlík is a co-founder of Silicon Jelly, a gaming studio focused on the development of mobile games. Thanks to Mimpi Dreams, a game that he programmed together with Michael Berlinger in Silicon Jelly, he became known around the world, receiving the Apple Best Game Award in China. Later, he co-founded Divr Labs, a studio with a singular focus on the development of virtual reality games. He is a co-designer and the only programmer of Blue Effect VR for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
The game was highly acclaimed, and he could make his dream come true and set up his own studio Dream.Digital, which focuses on educational entertaining games and helps selected companies streamline their processes using expanded and virtual reality.

ČEZ School of Animation copy

210 min

ČEZ SCHOOL OF ANIMATION uses an entertaining form to introduce the process of animated fi lm production to children. This year, the fi lms will refl ect energy production, be it green renewable energy, nuclear energy or any other kind of energy.
Under the supervision of lecturers, children will go through the entire process and make their very own animated films from script to the fi nal animation. They will use various artistic techniques such as cutout animation, drawing, sand animation, pixilation and possibly also the demanding technique of puppet animation.

Original Gaming: Legion 1917 / T. Čečka, S. Buček, M. Šidlovský

60 min

Legion 1917 is a tactical strategy game taking place in the middle of the Russian Civil War and exploring the fate of Czechoslovak legionnaires. The game is proudly based on a rich story and a beautiful hand-drawn graphic design that draws on traditional Czech animation.
A hundred-year-old history is revived before players’ eyes, giving them a vivid taste of the events that formed the history of the world, influencing it to this very day. Forces and unrests that drove society back then remain very much important even today. What to do with inequality? Is an individual man responsible for society and is it better to be practical, or idealistic? How far can you go to justify violence and when does it become just an unstoppable spiral of madness?
Our game will force players to make difficult decisions but it will also provide opportunities to get to know people in the midst of craziness and to understand suffering our predecessors went through in frosty Siberia.