This year the European Commission developed an Animation Plan, which aims to invigorate the animation industry in the entire EU. The Central and Eastern European region contains great potential that has yet to be tapped. A new initiative titled the CEE Animation Workshop is striving to capture this potential by bringing together independent animated film producers from a total of eighteen countries and showing producers from the CEE region the latest international animation industry trends. The event will be held from 2 to 6 December, 2017 in Ljubljana.
The initial idea to connect independent animated film producers from the CEE region (Central and Eastern Europe) emerged in autumn 2016. The need for joint events and more intensive collaboration is the motto of the Visegrad Animation Forum, an international platform that has been connecting producers for the past several years. The primary aim of this initiative is to help grow the industry and lay the groundwork to enable development of successful co-productions which will be competitive internationally. The shared cultural and historical heritage of the CEE countries, the economic similarities and the parallels between forms of expression and language are ideal prerequisites for the creation of strong unity and a strong market. CEE Animation could become a distinctive trademark as well as an excellent export commodity from the participating countries.
The idea to organize this one-off event, which would welcome producers from over half of the countries in Europe and set a firm foundation for future collaboration, was immediately accepted by Creative Europe Desk (CED) representatives. The Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme strengthens the European audiovisual market and tries to enhance the international competitiveness of the market as a whole. The head of the Czech CED Pavlína Kalandrová points out that collaboration between European countries is essential and adds: “The CEE Animation Workshop is intended to facilitate development of the necessary linkages within our market and encourage collaboration within our region, while also helping our market become an adequate partner for Western Europe – whether in the animated work production phase, through co-productions or subsequent distribution.”
The engagement of a total of nineteen national Creative Europe Desks – MEDIA offices (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine) is a huge benefit. “We are convinced that through better use of the potential for collaboration between producers in our region, our applicants will be more successful in Creative Europe MEDIA EU programme. That is one of the reasons why so many Creative Europe – MEDIA Desks are taking part in the project,” says Sabina Briški Karlić, the head of the Slovenian CED, adding: “Our mission is not only to put collaborative efforts for the workshop to happen. We are above all working together to identify issues in each of the countries that are part of the CEE Animation Workshop to be able to reach expected workshop outcomes and promote its results at the very moment of European strategy for animation sector being set.”
The head of studies of the workshop is Linda Beath, who has provided film advisory services and trained film producers across Europe for many years. The lecturers, who will spend five days of intensive work with the participants, include five renowned film experts. Experienced Irish producer Siun Ni Raghallaigh, who has over thirty years of experience in the media industry, is the CEO of Ardmore Studios and one of the founders of Troy Studios. A second lecturer is Moe Honan, CEO of Moetion Films Ltd. Her studio was recognized as the 2016 Producer of the Year at Cartoon Movie and has co-produced many animated films, including award-winning full length feature films such as Two By Two – Ooops! The Ark Has Gone (aka Ooops! Noah Is Gone). A third tutor is renowned film marketing expert Mathias Noschis. With his company Alphapanda, he has developed online PR and social media campaigns for numerous Hollywood titles, such as: Lego Ninjago, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ice Age: Collision Course, Toy Story 3 and Rango. Mathias is currently working on a Polish film titled Another Day of Life. The fourth is Richard Rowe, Director of International Acquisitions and Co-productions at DHX Media. Having spent the first 12 years of his career at Turner Broadcasting, he recently founded Rowe Media to provide consultancy services to the children’s television industry. This group will also join Maciej Chmiel, Vice Head of Sales & Acquisitions Department of TVP (Polish National Broadcaster).
Twenty-six producers from a total of eighteen countries were selected to participate in the first edition of the workshop: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Kosovo, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine. The main workshop topics will include international co-productions, financing, legal issues, marketing, sales, work with TV broadcasters and digital distribution.
An important part of the Ljubljana workshop will be a panel discussion on co-production conditions in Central and Eastern Europe. The meeting will be attended by over thirty film professionals who will try to formulate a joint statement to cinematographic funds and representatives of TV broadcasters calling for greater support of the animation industry. This document, titled the Ljubljana Accord will include a description of the specific conditions for production of animated works in the CEE region and draft improvement strategies aimed at developing a competitive animated film industry – both nationally and internationally.
The CEE Animation Workshop will be held from 2 to 6 December, 2017 at the Animateka International Animated Film Festival taking place in Ljubljana from 4 to 10 December, 2017. More information about the CEE Animation Workshop find at ceeanimation.eu.
Accompanying programme:
The CEE Animation Workshop is being organized in co-operation with the Animateka International Animated Film Festival which will be held in Ljubljana from 4 to 10 December, 2017. The accompanying programme will feature workshop lecturers Moe Honan and Siun Ni Raghallaigh. There will be a general public screening of the animated feature comedy Ooops! Noah Is Gone… In their case study, the two producers will unveil the feature film development process, starting from the search for possible financing and co-production partners to subsequent distribution of the animated work. The Irish-German-Luxembourg-Belgian co-production, known in the USA as All Creatures Big and Small and in the UK and Ireland as Two by Two – Ooops! The Ark Has Gone…, won the 2016 Producer of the Year award at Cartoon Movie. The worldwide success of the film is underscored by sales in more than 120 countries, including cinema distribution in China, and a significant response from online platforms, including Netflix sales. The event will be held on 5 December.
Media contact:
Marta Jallageas, PR / AppData/Local/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/R606UCS2/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +775 669 222
Contact for inquiries regarding the CEE Animation Workshop:
Juraj Krasnohorsky (SK), organizer / AppData/Local/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/R606UCS2/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +421 904 185 692
Matija Šturm (SI), organizer / AppData/Local/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/R606UCS2/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +386 31 632 162
The organizers of the CEE Animation Workshop are:
Creative Europe – MEDIA Desks from 19 countries
Creative Europe is the EU programme supporting audiovisual industry and the cultural and creative sectors in the period 2014–2020. The programme aims to create a single framework for financing projects in the performing arts, visual arts, literature and publishing, film, television, music, interdisciplinary arts, cultural heritage and video games, and to leverage synergies between different sectors, increasing the effectiveness of the support provided.
→ https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/
Visegrad Animation Forum
The Visegrad Animation Forum (VAF) is a platform intended to strengthen the animation industry in the Central and Eastern European region. The main objective is to create opportunities for meetings of producers, studios, TV broadcasters and film distributors leading to co-operation on animation projects. The core of the VAF agenda is a pitching competition with two categories: short film and series/TV specials. Participants have a unique opportunity to attract foreign producers, facilitating further development of the project and momentum towards realization. The competitive part is accompanied by professional workshops on topics relating to the financing of development, production and distribution of animated films and series.
→ http://visegradanimation.com/
Slovenian Animated Film Association
Slovenian Animated Film Association (:D'SAF!) unites professionals (producers, directors, animators, designers, screenwriters, festival programmers, etc.) working in animated film, as well as experts in related fields, public and private organizations, students and enthusiasts. Its primary goals are to further the development and recognition of the art of animated film nationally and internationally.
→ http://cargocollective.com/animirani-film/ABOUT-D-SAF/
Motovila Institute
Motovila, Centre for the Promotion of Cooperation in the Cultural and Creative Sectors (Motovila Institute) is a non-governmental and non-profit institute based in Ljubljana. It focuses on encouraging international collaboration in the cultural and creative sectors and related complementary sectors. Its aim is to facilitate international connections of cultural and creative operators as well as to equip them with skills necessary for a successful access to cooperation opportunities available within the EU and other international mechanisms. As part of those activities, Motovila runs the Creative Europe Desk (CED) in Slovenia, a national info point for the promotion of the Creative Europe Programme, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Commission.
→ http://ced-slovenia.eu/en/motovila-institute/
Animateka International Animated Film Festival
Animateka, a week-long international festival of animated film, takes place every year in Ljubljana’s Kinodvor and Slovenian Cinematheque. It focuses primarily on the most recent Eastern and Central European short film productions. European student films and International children’s films will also be presented in competition programmes. The festival, supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, includes a wide range of historical and thematic programmes offering audiences insight into the inception and development of animation and giving them an overview of the best contemporary short and feature animated films on a worldwide scale.
→ http://www.animateka.si/2017/en/
TALLINN: Edith Sepp-Dallas will continue to head the Estonian Film Institute for a new five-year mandate starting 25 March 2018. The decision was taken on 22 November 2017.
These grants were announced by the Georgian National Film Center on 13 November 2017.
The large group of East European film professionals who attended IDFA – the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (15-26 November 2017) is headed by the Institute of Documentary Film.
MAIN COMPETITION Golden Frog: On Body and Soul
cin. Máté Herbai
dir. Ildikó Enyedi Silver Frog: Loveless
cin. Mikhail Krichman
dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev Bronze Frog: First They Killed My Father
cin. Anthony Dod Mantle
dir. Angelina Jolie*** *** ***
FIPRESCI AWARD
The International Critics Prize to the director of the best film in the Main Competition – under specific consideration of its cinematography: Sweet Country
cin. Dylan River, Warwick Thornton
dir. Warwick Thornton
*** *** ***
AUDIENCE AWARD
Camerimage Audience Award: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
cin. Ben Davis
dir. Martin McDonagh
*** *** ***
POLISH FILMS COMPETITION
Best Polish Film: The Art of Loving. Story of Michalina Wislocka
cin. Michał Sobociński
dir. Maria Sadowska*** *** ***
STUDENT ETUDES COMPETITION
Laszlo Kovacs Student Award - Golden Tadpole – All of Us
cin. Felix Striegel
dir. Katja Benrath
school: Hamburg Media School (HMS)
Silver Tadpole: Across the Street
cin. Tom Durand
dir. Jeanne Privat
school: Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion (INSAS)
Bronze Tadpole: Rocco
cin. Martín Urrea
dir. Gerard Nogueira
school: Hamburg Media School (HMS)*** *** ***
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION
Golden Frog — to a documentary film: Radio Kobanî
cin. Nina Badoux
dir. Reber Dosky
Golden Frog — to a docudrama: Potentiae
cin. Ricardo Garfias
dir. Javier Toscano
Special Mention: Normal Autistic Film
cin. Miroslav Janek
dir. Miroslav Janek*** *** ***
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION
Golden Frog — Grand Prix: Zhalanash - Empty Shore
cin. Marcin Sauter
dir. Marcin Sauter
Special Mention: Find Fix Finish
cin. Nikolai Huber
dir. Sylvain Cruiziat, Mila Zhluktenko *** *** ***
DIRECTORS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION
under the patronage of the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)
Best Directorial Debut: Borg McEnroe
cin. Niels Thastum
dir. Janus Metz*** *** ***
CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION
under the patronage of the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)
Best Cinematography Debut: Winter Brothers
cin. Maria von Hausswolff
dir. Hlynur Pálmason*** *** ***
MUSIC VIDEOS COMPETITION
Best Music Video: Leningrad "Kolschik"
cin. Genrih Meder
dir. Ilya Naishuller
Best Cinematography In A Music Video: alt-J "3WW"
cin. Dustin Lane
dir. Young Replicant*** *** ***
FIRST LOOK - TV PILOTS COMPETITION
Best Pilot: Black Spot: Stranger Comes To Town
cin. Christophe Nuyens
dir. Julien Despaux, Thierry Poiraud
The People's Jury of the 11th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival has awarded the Grand Prix of the Festival to "Free and Easy" (Hong Kong 2017) directed by Geng Jun. The 3500 euro award was founded by the Polish Film Institute.
The Special Mention goes to "KFC" (Vietnam 2017) directed by Lê Bình Giang.
The NETPAC Jury chose "Marlina the Murder in Four Acts" (Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand/France 2017) directed by Mouly Surya as the best picture of the festival.
People's Jury included: Jowita Agnieszka Czubek, Dominika Drzastwa, Agata Herbich, Maja Jankowska, Katarzyna Karpińska, Michał Mielnik, Julia Niedziejko, Paweł Skrzypczak, Szymon Szeszuła, Patrycja Wysokińska, Marcin Zwolan. The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Jury included: Siddiq Barmak, Cüneyt Cebenoyan, and Sonali Joshi.
FESTIVAL GRAND PRIX AWARDED BY PEOPLE'S JURY: FREE AND EASY (dir. Geng Jun, Hong Kong 2017)
For a brave social satire disregarding the censorship, for creating a unique cinematic space in which the Chinese province becomes the background for an ironic tale of evil, and for the subversive use of soap as a weapon of mass destruction; the People's Jury of the 11th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival chooses "Free and Easy" directed by Geng Jun as the best film of the New Asian Cinema section.
SPECIAL MENTION AWARDED BY PEOPLE'S JURY: KFC (dir. Lê Bình Giang, Vietnam 2017)
For combining genre conventions with a non-compromising, auteur vision, for the pop cultural potential and a pioneering contribution to Vietnamese exploitation cinema, and finally for crossing the borders of taste between Coca Cola and Pepsi; the People's Jury awards the Special Mention to "KFC," the debut feature by Lê Bình Giang.
NETPAC JURY AWARD: MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS (dir. Mouly Surya, Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand/France 2017)
"Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts" was our unanimous choice for the NETPAC award at this year’s Five Flavours Film Festival. The film has a unique singular vision, particularly in its stylistic qualities, using the iconography of the western transposed onto contemporary Asian landscapes. It is striking and challenging, and carries with it exceptional qualities in editing and sound design in particular. Mouly Surya is no doubt one of Asian cinema’s outstanding talents today, and she brings her distinctive voice to this film.
Congratulations to the winners!
Fest Anca International Animation Festival has just opened its call for 2018 entries. Our webpage has all the info you need about our free submission process.
Registration is open until February 25, 2018. Only short animated films and music videos created after January 1, 2016 can be accepted for competition.
Interested in submitting your film right away?
Here's the link to our entry form.
Competition Awards:
- Anca Award (EUR 800) for the best film of the festival
- Anca Student Award (EUR 400) for the best student film
- Anca Music Video Award (EUR 400) for the best music video
- Anca Kids' Award (EUR 400) for the best film for children
- Anca Slovak Award (EUR 700) for the best Slovak film
- D Award (distribution prize for Slovak film)
Fest Anca 2018 will be held from June 28 to July 1, 2018 in Zilina, Slovakia.
TBILISI: Ten debut features will compete for the Golden Prometheus (for best film) and Silver Prometheus (for best director) in the main competition of the 18th Tbilisi Film Festival. The most important film festival in Georgia will run from 4 to 10 December 2017.
BERLIN: Ex-Yugoslavia-born producer Cedomir Kolar will receive the European Co-production Award - Prix Eurimages at the European Film Awards Ceremony, that will take place in Berlin on 9 December 2017.
This year’s EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES, an award acknowledging the decisive role of co-productions in the European film industry, goes to the producer Cedomir Kolar.
Cedomir Kolar has been active in film production for more than 30 years. He was born in former Yugoslavia, in the city of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, and graduated in film production at the Belgrade Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has produced over 30 feature films by authors from all over the world. He is an Oscar Nominee for BEFORE THE RAIN by Milcho Manchevski and an Oscar winning producer for Danis Tanovic's NO MAN’S LAND.
In 1991 he joined Noe Productions in Paris where he produced BEFORE THE RAIN by Milcho Manchevski, AS YOU LIKE ME by Carmine Amoroso, TRAIN OF LIFE by Radu Mihaileanu, THE ADOPTED SON and THE CHIMP by Aktan Abdykalykov, NO MAN'S LAND by Danis Tanovic and Danis Tanovic's short film in the collection of films 11'09''01-SEPTEMBER 11, produced by Galatée Films and StudioCanal.
In 2003 he launched a new Paris-based production entity, A.S.A.P. Films, together with director Danis Tanovic and fellow producer Marc Baschet. In 2005, A.S.A.P. Films produced the new feature by Danis Tanovic, HELL (L'ENFER), written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz in collaboration with the late Krzysztof Kieslowski, and WELL TEMPERED CORPSES by Benjamin Filipovic. This was followed by Marion Hänsel's SOUNDS OF SAND (SI LE VENT SOULÈVE LES SABLES) in 2006, Danis Tanovic's TRIAGE and Srdjan Karanovic's BESA in 2008, WOMB by Benedek Fliegauf, THE LIGHT THIEF by Aktan Abdykalykov, CIRKUS COLOMBIA by Danis Tanovic and BLACK OCEAN by Marion Hänsel (in 2010), THE LUNCHBOX by Rites Batra (2013), ALBÜM by Mehmet Can Mertoglu (2016) and FOXTROT by Samuel Maoz (2017). Most of these films have been supported by Eurimages.
Cedomir Kolar was member of the EFA Board from 2004 to 2014.
The EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES will be presented during the European Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 9 December, in Berlin.
