Animest.19 Kicks Off! 10 Days of Urban Adventure and 90+ Screenings

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Animest returns to Bucharest and electrifies the city from today until Sunday, October 13, in seven spaces popular among film lovers and cultural events: Cinema Elvire Popesco, Cinemateca Eforie, Instituto Cervantes, RAM (Romanian Art Movement), CINETic and Sala Luceafărul.

The 19th edition of the Animest International Animation Film Festival opens its doors on Friday, October 4, with a premiere screening in Romania of the film that won this year’s Crystal at Annecy.

Memoir of a Snail will run, starting at 19:00, at Sala Luceafărul (former Cinema Pro) and will start 10 days of unique screenings of the newest animated productions from around the world, thematic events, activities dedicated to children, meetings with special guests and even accessible film screenings.

The program of the Animest.19 – Urban Frames edition is available online at animest.ro and in the Animest app (Android & iOS).

Tickets and subscriptions can be purchased through the Eventbook platform.

Street Spirit (Fade Out), Urban Discipline, Overpass Graffiti, There Goes the Neighborhood and Street Fighting Man are the songs that make up the urban playlist of Animest.19 and name the 5 thematic short films curated by the director and selector of the festival, Mihai Mitrică , together with French journalist and film historian Alexis Hunot, also invited to Bucharest this year. In all the molds of the thematic section, viewers will travel through the most diverse urban scenarios and re-evaluate their relationship with their own city.

Even the smallest of moviegoers are not left out, with the beloved Minimest section returning with special screenings, a children’s juried competition, animation, comics and art recycling workshops, as well as weekend mornings at the cinema for the whole family. This year, parents will be able to spend time with their little ones, before or after the Minimest screenings, at the Cinemateca Eforie, where the Minimest Kids Corner will be organized – a place full of color and games for all ages.

Teenagers occupy a special place in this year’s program, which inaugurates a new thematic section dedicated to them – Fresh Frames – in which viewers will see a selection of 16 animated films created by teenagers from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The new section was born thanks to the Animation Incubator, the largest community for teenagers dedicated to animation and digital art, and aims to be a mirror of the perspectives of the new generation of animators.
This year’s edition of Animest.19 also brings to the program a much-needed initiative – accessible films that can be watched by viewers with or without hearing impairment. Two feature films for all ages and a selection of short films for children will have descriptive subtitles and interpretation in Romanian sign language. One of the successful international feature films that will be made accessible by Animest is Leo, the great inventor (dir. Jim Capobianco and Pierre-Luc Granjon), recently released in Romania. The film tells the story of the genius Leonardo da Vinci in a stop-motion animation film for all ages.
Animest.19 continues the tradition of annual retrospectives dedicated to countries that have established important milestones in cinematography with ITALY. Audiences will have the unique opportunity to explore the richness and diversity of Italian animation through an impressive selection of films and special events, which bring to the fore both classics of the genre and contemporary creations of international renown.
Among the guests coming to the festival from Italy are Andrea Martignoni (artist, sound designer and animation historian), Claudio Cazzato (producer and selector of the Copenhagen International Animation Film Festival) and Alessandro Rak (comic writer, writer and director). Among the special guests who will either judge the competition sections of the festival, give masterclasses or meet the audience at the Q&A sessions after the screenings is Jonathan Hugdson – one of the biggest names in contemporary animation, who has also dedicated a Retrospective within the festival, Clara Marquardt – producer within the French company Les Valseurs, Pierre-Luc Granjon – co-director of the multi-awarded film Leo, the Inventor, Jose Luis Agreda – art director of the film Robot Dreams, nominated this year at Oscar and Ivana Sujová – screenwriter and festival director in Slovakia, member of the TOON SCRIPTS jury, Animest’s animation serial film script competition, another novelty of the edition.
Another very special guest at Animest 2024 is Kōji Morimoto, one of the most authentic Japanese animators today. The public will be able to meet him at the screenings of the omnibus Genius Party Beyond and the short film Noiseman Sound Insect. Kōji Morimoto is also one of the members of the Animusic jury, where he will have to analyze 31 videos selected in the competition, including 4 made by Romanians. Animusic Night, the event that sets the tone for the party in the festival, will take place on October 10, from 21:00.
The program also includes the other special events long appreciated by the Animest audience: fans of avant-garde cinematic experiences can enjoy a new volume of animated screenings chosen and woven together by Michael Helmerhorst on October 5, from 11:30 p.m., at Trippy Animation Night; those who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and explore on the big screen explicit animations about pleasure, passion, games and toys exclusively for adults will find their place on Tuesday, October 8 at Erotica – The Night of Erotic Animation; and fans of the horror genre are expected to watch short films with a strong emotional impact on Friday October 11, from 11:00 p.m., at the terrifying Creepy Animation Night.
Animest is the only cinematographic event in Romania that qualifies films on the list of eligible candidates for the Oscars, so the screenings of the films in the international competition are among the most anticipated. This year brings together 89 animations from around the world in the feature film, short film, student film and VR sections, a selection that pushes the boundaries of fantasy and flirts with the most innovative narrative and aesthetic techniques. Another 13 short films can be found in the Romanian competition where the audience will enjoy a mix of productions signed by students who are just starting out in this field and films created by artists already established in animation. The winners of the 7 competitive sections will be designated during the Closing Gala that will take place on Saturday, October 12, at the Cinemateca Eforie.
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