This year's festival will feature over 300 films from around the world. The makers of 45 short and 5 feature films will compete for the international Golden Pegasus Grand Prix. The finalists have been selected from among thousands of submissions from 64 countries, including Costa Rica, Cuba, Kuwait, Macau and Martinique. 34 of the films have been chosen by the festival's selection committee, while 11 have been picked by Artistic Director Marcin Giżycki and the festival's programmers. "The selected films include outstanding animated productions spotted over the last few months in the world's most prominent film festivals, such as the Animateka and Berlinale", says Programmer and Contest Coordinator Filip Kozłowski. He adds: "Enjoy Michael Frei's electrifying "Kids", Jola Bańkowska's masterfully constructed "Story", Sander Joon's surprising "Sounds Good", Martina Scarpelli's deeply moving and unforgettable "Egg", as well as the latest works by such animated cinema masters as Steven Subotnick, Kathy Rose, Quay Brothers, Pierre Hébert and Danijel Šuljić".
This year, for the second time, Animator.pl will hold a separate competition for Polish animators presenting their latest works.
However, there is more to The Animator than competition alone. As always, the festival's programme abounds with events dedicated to both adults (master's retrospectives, Polish premieres, live music screenings, concerts, workshops and lectures) and children (as always, the Animator for Children block is prepared by the Children's Art Centre).
The festival's main programme will feature retrospectives by the Canadian animator Janet Perlman, who is also an author and illustrator, and Georges Schwizgebel - a Swiss animator known for his paint-on-glass animation technique. For the first time this year, the Women's section will present the work of female animators from around the world focusing on women's rights and their role in society.
Also to be seen are screenings of animation from Norway (highlighting Norway's specialty of the puppetry technique), VR Animation and Animator Pro - a large block for professionals.
One of the guests of honour will be Tim Allen, a UK-based stop motion animator known for his work on Tim Burton's film "Corpse Bride", Wes Anderson's films "Shaun the Sheep" and "Isle of Dogs", and many more.
Other attractions include live concerts combined with animated film showings (this being Poznań's specialty that sets the festival apart from its counterparts around in the world), a silent disco and, a new addition this year, silent cinema with screenings with sound provided through headphones.
As every year, the festival will gather momentum with showings in the Non-Selected Animator series. Three nights in July before the festival proper will be dedicated to productions that did not make the main competition. From among them, the audiences will pick a film to be added to those already selected to vie for the Golden Pegasus.
Sylwia Klimek
translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski
- 12th Animator International Animated Film Festival
- Muza Cinema, CK Zamek (Castle Cultural Centre), UAP (University of Fine Arts), Festival Club in Wieniawski Park
- 5-11 July
- Admission: PLN 1 to PLN 50, pass: PLN 100
- Non-Selected Animator: 2-4 July, 9pm, Festival Club, free admission
- For details, see www.animator-festival.com
© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2019