Anifilm launched, first prizes awarded! Listen to the podcast with the playwright

The Anifilm Festival, which this year just started in Liberec with the presentation of its first awards, has been presenting current trends, procedures, technologies and techniques in animated film for many years. Under them, many viewers imagine a children’s cartoon or Pixar 3D, but that is very far from the truth. We talked about the animated film and the festival in our new podcast.

Animation is not just a Pixar movie for children

Rotoscopy, stop-motion, various types of puppets, the use of animation in virtual reality and computer games… An endless number of methods and channels of animation allow creators to tell various stories that would be difficult to convey in a traditional feature film. In what direction is the animated film developing as a medium, how important is the work of Czech animators in the world context or how difficult is it to choose the best from animated works every year, we talked with Radek Hosseneidlprogram coordinator and dramaturg of Anifilm.

The festival has already given out the first prizes

As part of the opening ceremony, the winning films in the competition have already been announced Czech horizon. The best Czech music video is creatively unique President Lourajder: Lunapark directed by Matej Mihályi. The award for the best Czech commissioned work went to Marek Berger with an impressive spot Quick Arrows celebrates 85 years. The best series is the series pilot Veggierado by director Jan Bubeníček. The award for the best student film went to Daria Kashcheeva with the film Electra, already awarded the Czech Lion. The PPF Foundation award for the best Czech short and feature film was won by Filip Pošivač, author of last year’s Anifilm visual, with a puppet film Tonda, Mussel and magic light. The same film was also awarded the Czech Television Award for the best Czech animated work, which is awarded across all categories. The 132-member Animated Film Council, made up of professionals from the field of animation, decided on the winners of the Czech Horizon.

The screenwriter, dramaturg and pedagogue professor received the award for lifetime contribution to animated film at the opening evening Jiří Kubíček. He did an incredible amount for Czech animation in various positions. Probably no one has such an overview of Czech animation, and few people were behind so many great films by legendary directors or recognized the talent of future stars. From 1973, he worked at Krátká film, where he gradually worked his way up to chief dramaturg of animated productions. He also co-founded the animation department at FAMU, which in 1989 turned into an independent department, of which he was the head until 2006.

Jiří Kubíček (photo: E. Kořínková)

Varied program in a living city

The 23rd edition will last until May 12. As always, it will offer a rich and varied program throughout the wider city center, where thousands of animation and film fans will be moving in the following days.

“We considered whether Liberec has enough screening places, whether it is a city suitable for festival life. The previous location, Třeboň, is after all smaller, more compact. Over the years, however, it has been confirmed that the festival suits Liberec and Liberec suits the festival,” Hosenseidl, a native of Liberec, by the way, praises Anifilm’s growth with the city and the festival atmosphere in the North Bohemian metropolis: “The festival center at the Liberec castle is great, which is exactly in the center of all the cinemas and where your first steps lead to upon arrival, so it has become a pleasant meeting point for visitors.“

Festival center at the castle (photo: Anifilm)

During the seven festival days, in addition to the competition sections, a large number of attractive and above all unique film, music and exhibition events will take place. “During preparation, we watch 1,300 to 1,500 films,” estimates Hossenseidl: “And part of the team starts working at the festival basically right after the end of the previous year.“

International festival competitions will take place in the traditional categories of feature, short and student films, these three sections are complemented by competitions of abstract and non-narrative animation, video clips, virtual reality and computer games. Award-winning films in international competitions will be decided by renowned experts male and female jurors and they will also present their work at the festival. Among them, for example, the Canadian experimenter will not be missing Steven Woloshenfamous for his films created directly on film, or a Belgian director Emma de Swaef, working with felt puppets. Regular viewers of Anifilm will know her thanks to her award-winning films Oh, Willy… and That delicious cake. They will continue to sit in the jury Milorad Krstićdirector of a feature film Collector Ruben BrandtBritish director Hugh Welchmanco-creator of the films With love Vincent and Yagnaand a producer Alena Vandasováwhich includes films by Daria Kashcheeva among others Daughter and Electra.

The main topics of the festival’s non-competitive program are: water puppet in the movie and fine art in animation. There will also be traditional ones children’s and family program Animo. The festival didn’t forget the favorite either Midnight animationwhich, on the other hand, is not intended for children. Balance recaps last year’s animated feature season and in the section Eastern Promises Georgian works will be presented. The program will include freshly restored films in the section A polished classicthere will also be short films nominated for this year’s Oscars. Summer theater on náměstí FX Šalda, it will traditionally offer a combination of mainstream films with more connoisseur works for free.

Animation workshops workshops are sought after, where not only children can create their own animated film, the festival also offers space for presentations and playing competitive and other games, which will be possible to try in Game zone. There will also be exhibitions, concerts, theaters, a music and dubbing studio. The second year will also take place during Anifilm pitching of the Český obzor Grant with the support of the PPF Foundation, the aim of which is to support the production of Czech original professional short-length animated works. Pitching is one of the items of the industry program, which includes lectures, masterclasses and round tables.

Summer cinema on the square (photo: E. Kořínková)

During Anifilm, you can traditionally look forward to talking with interesting filmmakers, a profile of the main competition and judges, or medallions of the award-winning Jiří Kubíček.