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As you can see for yourselves at the exhibition in the Štěpánek Netolický House, this year marks 30 years of Czech animation after the Velvet Revolution. In this respect, Swiss animation is a bit older; it celebrated 50 years last year. Over 50 Swiss animators teamed up to create an animated omnibus film to honour this anniversary. One of them was a member of this year’s jury – Georges Schwizgebel.
In 2018 the Swiss Animation Group GSFA (Groupement Suisse du Film d’Animation) will have been around for 50 years. To celebrate this, over 100 Swiss artists from all generations – animators, directors, musicians, character designers etc. – took part in a project in groups of various sizes to create an omnibus film which reflects the wide spectrum of Swiss animation that is around today. They had complete carte blanche for their contributions, there were no limitations in terms of style or content, and only rough recommendations for the length of their films. The filmmakers produced 15 short films that came from all regions of Switzerland. These are sometimes homogenous, but mostly they themselves are a patchwork of multiple directors and their individual styles.
Additionally, a 16th group was made to implement a frame-work: a story connecting, embedding and even leading up to some of the 15 other projects.
The result is a wild ride through the unknown, an eclectic mix of visions: ranging from playful birthday celebration antics, to dynamic chases, or alternative interpretations of Swiss traditions, to the down-right wild and wacky! With segments clocking in between one and five minutes, accumulated into a 40-minute showcase, this animated present has something for everyone.

CEE Animation: Talents aims to promote the most talented young animation filmmakers from the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. It presents the best films made by students and debuting artists in the given year to a professional audience and the general public. The film selection focuses on extraordinary talents whose work promises successful future careers. The project counts on the presentation of this film compilation at selected European animated film festivals to draw attention to new talents and bring them together with experienced international producers. Our primary ambition is the year-round promotion of young CEE artists animation and assistance for its further development, visibility and distribution.
An expert board from CEE is annually compiled to select the best regional work produced that year. Festival artistic directors Anna Ida Orosz (Primanima), Olga Bobrowska (StopTrik), Pavel Horáček (Anifilm), Maroš Brojo (Fest Anča), Daniel Suljic (Animafest Zagreb), and Igor Prassel (Animateka) participated in the selection.
While the quality of animation from CEE increases yearly, alternative presentation channels are needed due to the lack of scope for animated film promotion through national film institutes. Hence the CEE Animation has taken the initiative and, as the first such project in the region of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia, we aim to raise the profile of our animation even outside the films production countries.

Apart
Director: Diana Cam Van Nguyen, Producer: Karolína Davidová, Produced by: FAMU, Czech Republic, 2018, 10 min

Bless You!
Director: Paulina Ziółkowska, Producer: Agata Golanska, Produced by: Film School in Lodz, Poland, 2018, 5 min

Cloudy
Director: Zuzana Čupová, Filip Diviak, Producer: Lukáš Gregor, Produced by: UTB Zlín, Czech Republic, 2018, 5 min

Dance of Love
Director: Leo Černic, Producer: Nina Robnik, Produced by: UL AGRFT, Slovenia, 2018, 6 min

Am Not Playing Anymore
Director: Matej Babic, Producer: Adam Schwarz, Produced by: FTF VSMU, Slovakia, 2018, 6 min

Poetika Anima
Director: Kriss Sagan, Producer: Diana Švihlová, Produced by: FTF VSMU, Slovakia, 2018, 5 min

Take Me Please
Olivér Hegyi, Producer: József Fülöp, Produced by: MOME, Hungary, 2017, 14 min

Two for Two
Director: Jelena Oroz, Producer: Vanja Andrijević, Produced by: Bonobostudio, Croatia, 2018, 8 min

Unsafe Land
Director: Marcell Szénási, Producer: József Fülöp, Produced by: MOME, Hungary, 2017, 10 min

Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya), featuring renowned animators and artists who worked in Studio Ghibli before it closed its production department in 2014. After the successful debut film Mary and The Witch’s Flower, this year the studio releases a new animation – Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre, Volume 1, an ambitious anthology of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents in Japanese animation today.
Kanini & Kanino tells a story of two crab brothers who embark on a grand underwater adventure to find their father. Life Ain’t Gonna Lose is about an 8-year-old called Shun with a life-threatening allergy to eggs and all the consequences it brings. And lastly, in Invisible, a man struggles with his invisibility. Together, the stories explore ideas of heroism in everyday life, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds.

The European Animation Association was formed some years ago with the idea to unite and celebrate European Animation. As a result, the first two editions of the Emile Awards ceremony took place in 2017 and 2018 in Lille, France to celebrate animators, storyboarders, directors, composers, background artists, sound designers and more. More than 1200 animation professionals and enthusiasts gathered for the occasion. An occasion that was complemented in 2018 by conferences and masterclasses held by prominent members of the animation community and representatives of European institutions.
The EAA is proud to celebrate the European animation community by granting it the recognition it deserves. The films presented in this session have been nominated and awarded during our 2018 edition. Next edition: 6th December 2019!

(Fool Time) Job
Director: Gilles Cuvelier, Produced by: Papy3D Productions, France, 2018, 17 min

Enough
Director: Anna Mantzaris, Produced by: Royal College of Art, United Kingdom, 2017, 2 min

Cat Days / Neko no Hi
Director: Jon Frickey, Produced by: Jon Frickey, Takashi Horiguchiit, Germany, 2018, 11 min

Have Heart
Director: Will Anderson, Produced by: Wanderson Studios, United Kingdom, 2017, 12 min

Last Stop in the Moon
Director: Birute Sodeikaite, Produced by: Likaon, Art shot, Poland, Lithuania, 2017, 9 min

A Most Precise and Nuanced Look into the Life of the Man, Legend and Visionary – Martin Luther
Director: Magnus Igland Møller, Produced by: Tumblehead, Denmark, 2017, 4 min

Pura Vida
Director: Nata Metlukh, Produced by: Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia, 2018, 9 min

The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe – The Prince and the Pretty Poodle
Director: Christian Boving-Andersen, Eva Lee Wallberg, Produced by: Cartoon Network EMEA & Sun Creature Studio, Denmark, 2017, 4 min

10 films from the last 10 years
The Tal Yakovson Student Film Award

The Best Student Film Award is given at the Asif Competition by the Yakovson family, to encourage and support original animation and new beginnings. From a young age, Tal expressed herself uniquely as an artist. After being diagnosed with cancer, she started studying comics and animation. After her untimely death at the age of 26, Tal’s family decided to commemorate her love for animation, and donates this annual award in her memory, to encourage art, innovation and creation.
Zohar and Yankale Yakovson founded the Tal Centre for Integrative Oncology, and the innovative digital project HalasSartan. The centre was established to pass on Tal’s vision and change the culture of cancer treatment.
Animix is Israel’s premiere animation festival. Following its 18 years of activities, it has become widely recognized as the forum and meeting place of the Israeli design and animation communities, attracting amateurs, enthusiasts, and professionals. The Asif Events and Competition segment is the professional highlight of the festival – screening and awarding the best animated productions of the year, from student films through independent projects and commercial animation.

In a Clear Mind
Director: Ofra Kobliner, Elli Ben David, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2010, 4 min

Howl
Director: Natalie Bettelheim, Sharon Michaeli, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2011, 7 min

Mouth Wide Open, Ears Shut Tight
Director: Tom Madar, Emily Noy, School of Audio and Visual Arts Sapir College, Israel, 2012, 16 min

Out Of Nowhere
Director: Maayan Tzuriel, Isca Mayo, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2012, 6 min

Slipping Away
Director: Adi Brodsly, The School of Visual Theater, Israel, 2013, 5 min

This Is How It Starts
Director: Shahaf Ram, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2014, 7 min

Within Thy Walls
Director: Daniella Schnitzer, Omer Sharon, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2015, 7 min

Flying Putzi
Director: Ido Behar, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2016, 7 min

A Love Letter To The One I Made Up
Director: Rachel Gutgarts, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2017, 6 min

Just Passing with Dr. Zussman
Director: Yannay Matarasso, Anat Efrati, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2018, 5 min

Mark Hogancamp is brutally attacked and suffers a serious head injury resulting in a memory loss. Mark’s physical and in particular mental condition seems incurable and his memories of the past forever lost. He suffers from paranoia and has trouble communicating with the outside world. In a desperate attempt to regain balance and his memories, he intuitively starts building a new world and leading an alternate life in it. In his house and garden, he builds a remarkable model village named Marwen which he populates with dolls. Among the dolls, Mark himself is the only man and thus the main male hero who is protected and saved by female heroines. And heroes and heroines are exactly what Marwen needs as it exists during World War II and the attacking Nazis show no mercy. But when fighting the SS villains, puppet Mark and his courageous friends show no mercy either. When the real Mark, however, is asked to testify against the men who attacked him, his demons come back.
Daring and remarkable film Welcome to Marwen was made by the visionary director Robert Zemeckis who regularly switches from live-action films to animated films or uses a unique combination of both. Apart from some cult classics such as Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, his filmography includes innovative animated films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol.

The author of the animated musical comedy Sita Sings the Blues from 2008 once again explores religious concepts and their tie-in in the modern world. And just like in her first film, she does it craftily, firmly and with a very personal relation to the theme. In this film, it is the Passover Seder during which Jews retell the story of the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. In this case, the narrator is the author’s father as God, while Nina portrays herself as a curious goat that accompanies her father’s story with important observations and question. Thanks to using an authentic recording of their conversation, we have a unique opportunity to gain insight into Jewish culture that – apparently – is not an unconditionally defensible dogma for Nina or her father. While Moses and the Egyptian Pharaoh dance and the Venus of Willendorf moves her buxom hips to the music of Gloria Gaynor, Louis Armstrong and Led Zeppelin, we begin to clearly see the problem of suppression of women in a patriarchal tradition. Complemented by real footage of important global events of last year, the film presents a personal view on the meaning of Passover and the Passover Seder and seeks to find the meaning and impact of passing on certain traditions, stories and mindsets.

Since 1979 Ars Electronica has been analysing and commenting on the digital revolution. The focus is always on current developments and possible future scenarios and the question of how these will change our lives. It is a worldwide unique platform for art, technology and society.
The Ars Electronica Animation Festival has been a mainstay of the Ars Electronica Festival since 2005. The programme delivers a colourful and diverse selection of recent works submitted to the Prix Ars Electronica’s category Computer Animation, a competition in which artistic originality counts just as much as technical mastery. Prize winners range from indie artistic or scientific efforts all the way to high-end commercial productions in the film and entertainment industries as well as to experimental and multidisciplinary approaches, but always on the fringes of computer animation.
This best-of programme shows the Golden Nica Prize winner film Tropics by Mathilde Lavenne, besides a selection of Honorary Mention and Award with Distinction winning films of 2018. In collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs the Ars Electronica Animation Festival is available at all Austrian cultural forums and embassies worldwide.

ars.electronica.art

Tropics
Director: Mathilde Lavenne, FR, 2018, 13 min

Love
Director: Réka Bucsi, HU, FR, 2016, 15 min

489 Years
Director: Hayoun Kwon, FR, 2016, 12 min

La chute
Director: Boris Labbé, FR, 2018, 14 min

Quantum Fluctuations
Director: Markos Kay, GB, 2016, 4 min

Finity Calling
Director: Jasper Kuipers, NL, 2018, 15 min