ANIMARKT 2017: A Focus on Co-Production, Meetings with Masters, & Much More
Skwigly
Co-production on the animation market is the central theme of this year’s ANIMARKT (Lodz, POLAND, 2nd – 6th October) – the event directed to students and professionals connected with animation business. Discussion panels and presentations of new projects will be accompanied with meetings with well-known practitioners concerning inter alia lightning in a puppet animation, taking first steps in the world of animation and also free professional puppet animation workshops.
High-class practitioners with long experience in producing animated films will participate in ANIMARKT: Kim Keukeleire – an animation director and an animator in Tim Burton and Wes Anderson’s films, Tim Allen – an animator engaged in the production of “Peter and the Wolf” directed by Suzie Templeton, which won the Academy Award, Wim Vanacker – a screenwriter, a director, a script consultant and the project manager of European Short Pitch, Nancy Denney-Phelps – an animation historian and a journalist co-operating with a prestigious publishing group The Animation World Network (awn.com), Peter Gottschalk – a producer representing the European cultural channel ARTE, and many more. Moreover, foreign and national film producers, distributors, broadcasters’ representatives (including Ceska Televize) and film institutions (inter alia SPPA – Polish Animation Producers Association) and animation creators from all over the world will participate in the event organized in cooperation with the National Centre for Culture.
One of the essential aims of ANIMARKT is creating a platform for sharing experiences
and good practice between professionals from various countries and providing conditions
so that well-experienced practitioners could share their knowledge with those that just take their first steps in animation world – Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron (MOMAKIN), co-organizer of the event.
To achieve the goal, ANIMARKT is divided into three sections: ANIMARKT TALKS – including a discussion panel and case study presentations, ANIMARKT MASTERS – meetings and workshops with the highest-class experts that aim to professionalize the business and ANIMARKT PITCHING – training sessions
and a competition for short puppet animations.
ANIMARKT TALKS – the ABC of co-production
The central theme of the ANIMARKT TALKS section this year will be the co-production on animation market. During the discussion panel, the challenges and traps connected with co-production that can producers face will be discussed by inter alia: Vladimír Lhoták from Fresh Films, a producer of the Czech-French-German full-length animated film “Even Mice Belong in Heaven”, and Katarzyna Gromadzka from MOMAKIN, the coordinator of the fine artists’ work connected with creating animation puppets for inter alia a full-length film that is being created in Mexico.
The co-production theme will appear also in presentations of the selected projects. Piotr Szczepanowicz – a director, a screenwriter and animated films producer and Zofia Jaroszuk – a producer and a production manager in Animoon will present a case study of a full-length animated film “Moomins and the Winter Wonderland”, which will have its cinema premiere in December 2017. The film has been created as a co-production of FilmKompaniett Alpha from Finland and Animoon from Poland.
Producing a film in cooperation with a unit, especially a foreign one, often requires reaching compromises. On the example of real projects, we would like to show film producers
and creators how to face up to various challenges – Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron.
Moreover, during ANIMARKT TALKS there will be various individual meetings with film distributors, selling agents, producers, and broadcasters’ representatives. The guests list includes the representatives of: ARTE, nc+, TVP, Puls TV, Seve Films, Artcam, National Film and Television School.
ANIMARKT MASTERS – master tuitions
There will be meetings and workshops conducted with eminent practitioners dedicated
to students and people that start their work in puppet animation production. Kim Keukeleire, an animation director and an animator engaged in the production of “My Life as a Courgette”, in her speech will introduce the backstage of working in the animation business. She will say how successfully develop one’s career and get new contracts in the biggest European productions. Her advice will be supported with her great experience. During the meeting, there will be numerous hints about cooperating with various directors and how she works
on the set as an animation director. What is more, the meeting with Maciej Bedyk will also be of a very practical nature. He will tell about the role of lighting on a puppet animation set and what mistakes can be avoided.
Just until the 15th September, one can enroll on free personalized puppet animation workshops conducted by Tim Allen – an animator with almost 20-years of experience on film sets. In the workshops, 7 people will have a chance to participate. Tim Allen will choose the group among all candidates and then he will create an individual set of exercises for each person – so that everyone will be able to work on those skills that need mastering. In order to enter for the workshop, one should fill in the application form and attach a link to video material that presents the effects of his/her work as an animator (link to the application form can be found on: www.animarkt.pl).
ANIMARKT PITCHING – training and fight for awards
The project of short-feature animations and TV special episodes made with the use of puppet technique can take part in the pitching organized for the first time during ANIMARKT. The participants have both the chance to win the awards and arose interest of the project among foreign producers and TV broadcasters. Moreover, they will participate in two training sessions.
The script session with Wim Vanecker, a producer and a screenwriter, will be organized in a form of individual meetings focused on a given participant’s projects. However, Nancy Denney-Phelps, an animation historian and a journalist, who cooperates with the prestigious AWN.com publishing group, will conduct a training session that will aim at improving the participants’ skills connected with presenting projects.
The creators of short-feature animation projects which are at the development stage, do not last over 25 minutes and at least 80 per cent of the animations will be made with the use of puppet technique can take part in ANIMARKT pitching. We welcome creators from all over the world. The application details are accessible on www.animarkt.pl. The pitching jury will include Véronique Encrenaz (the head of MIFA), Bartosz Kędzierski (animated films director), Barbara Johansonova (a producer in Ceska Televize). The organizers are waiting for applications until 31st August.
The pitching awards: the contribution in kind of 60 thousand zloty (ca €14 200), 30 thousand zloty (ca €7 100) and 20 thousand zloty (ca €4 700) sponsored by Audiovisual Technology Center, Dragonframe 4 program license and a Bluetooth controller, Armature Kit from Animation Supplies, one industry accreditation for next year’s MIFA and a special award of Ale kino+ – the company will purchase the emission allowance on Ale kino+ of the film based on the project presented during pitching.
The organizer of ANIMARKT is MOMAKIN (www.momakin.pl) – a multi-tasking unit working for popularizing and propagating animation and supporting creators in Poland and in international arenas. The co-organizers include: Lodz Community Center (ŁDK) and Audiovisual Technology Center from Wroclaw which is also the founder of the awards for pitching winners. ANIMARKT is partially funded by the International Visegrad Fund and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The festival partners: The National Centre for Film Culture, EC1 Lodz – City of Culture in Lodz, Animánie from the Czech Republic, Fool Moon from Slovakia, PRIMANIMA World Festival of First Animations from Hungary, Ale kino+ channel, Dragonframe, Animation Supplies. The festival is organized under the patronage of Polish Film Institute. The event is also patronized by Film Commission Poland, Polish Animation Producers Association (SPPA), Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP) and Legal Culture.