Animasyros Festival 2021 Kicks Off Live and Online | Agora Sessions Broadcast on YouTube
Skwigly
Animasyros 2021 International Animation Festival has opened, and will take place from 22 to 26 September 2021, in phygital format for the second year in a row. Screenings, media literacy workshops, the Agora/Market section, open discussions and many more events will take place for the 14th year in Syros, while a special digital screenings platform is available at https://animasyros.gr/screenings. Also, the Agora sessions will be broadcasted live via the Animasyros YouTube Channel.
180 films from every corner of the world, in 7 competition programmes, 2 thematic tributes, and a non-competitive section, the International Panorama, will be screened to Greece’s number one animation festival both in Syros and online. Screenings in Syros will take place at the emblematic Apollon Theatre in Hermoupolis, while open air screenings take place throughout the island.
Tributes
Οn the occasion of the 200th anniversary from the Greek Revolution, the annual thematic tribute of Animasyros 2021,is dedicated to the concept of Freedom. The Freedom Tribute is organized, in collaboration with the 44th International Drama Short Film Festival and takes us around the world, all the way from China to our neighbouring country, Turkey. Oscar-nominated short and feature films, form part of the tribute, while most of them are national premieres. The films draw inspiration from key themes and examine the concept of freedom at physical, as well as at social level. Themes such as imprisonment in concentration camps, political freedom under authoritarian regimes, police repression and social revolution, the struggle for LGBTQI + rights, gender equality, reproductive freedom, and even the freedom of animals and gaining independence from one’s family.
The festival audience will have the opportunity to witness an animated journey from the Mongol War in the Middle Ages to the Algerian War in the 50s,with films witnessing the aftermath of the wars in Vietnam and Kosovo, films on unique acts of resistance in Iran, as well as during World War II, the struggle for women’s rights, the recognition of divorce and liberation from the ‘bonds’ of marriage, reproductive freedom and the right to choose. Movies dealing with revolution within a relationship, escape from an oppressive family, the freedom felt in one’s naked body.
As part of the Freedom Tribute, three feature films will be screened, one of which has been nominated for an Academy Award: “WOLFWALKERS”, directed by Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart. While, “My Favorite War”, which won the Contrechamp Award at the Annecy Film Festival 2020, will be screened in the presence of director Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen. The third one is the critically acclaimed “Α Colourful Dream”, directed by Jan Balej and awarded as best Animated Film by the Czech Film and Television Academy.
My Favorite War Still
Animasyros’s second thematic Tribute, MedAnima, will present almost 30 films from the entire creative range of Mediterranean animators, composing a cradle of artistic fermentation and development. Highlighting the diversity of Mediterranean animation, it includes films from Spain to Lebanon, while in the context of the Agora/Market section of the Festival, it offers the opportunity for artists to present their work, develop networking relations with other creators and representatives of the creative industry, and explore collaborations with co-producers.
MedAnima includes works such as “How my grandmother became a chair” (Nicolas Fattouh, Germany, Lebanon, Qatar), “Have a Nice Dog!” (Jalal Maghout, a Syrian living in Berlin) and “Mosaic” (Imge Özbilge, Sine Özbilge, Turkish women living in Belgium), as well as animated documentaries such as Bastien Dubois’ “Souvenir Souvenir”, who has been trying for 10 years to make a movie with his grandfather’s souvenirs from the Algerian war. As part of the tribute, we will see a movie in the presence of festival’s official guests, including Kim Noce (Book of Man: Chapter 1), Sofia El Khyari (Ayam & The Porous Body), Bruce Caetano (The Peculiar Crime of Oddball Mr Jay), Stav Levi ( Head), Fokion Xenos (Heatwave), Michael Kalopaidis (The Parrot Lady), Hélène Friren (The Last Hair) and Nicolas Fattouh (Have a Nice Dog!).
Competition Sections
Environmental threats are of increasing concern to animators. The melting of ice caps in Stars on the Sea from South Korea, migration due to climate change in Migrants, marine pollution in Packing a Wave and the unrestrained use of plastics in The Present Problem are just some of the issues highlighted by creators, aiming at further raising public awareness about environmental challenges.
This year’s event is again a women’s affair. Among the almost 100 films that women have created and are included in the official selection of this year’s festival, a number of extremely interesting themes are dealt with: the tormented artist in the Affairs of the art by Joanna Quinn, the dysfunctional family in Trona Pinnacles, a family biography by Regina Pessoa, a princess in skates in the children’s movie Princess and the Bandit, an eccentric sibling story in Sisters, girls’ love of football in Girls talk about football, female mutilation in Amayi, tenderness in Scalp Deep from Uganda, the allegorical film about date rape, All at sea, the right to maternity leave in Career Limiting, polygamy in Polyamory, reproductive freedom in Icon, diversity in You are not a Kiwi, etc.
Music could not be missing from the themes of this year’s festival, which includes animated music videos by famous artists such as St Vincent and Paul McCartney, a musical animation for gender discomfort in Tryin’ to be a girl, in the frame of Animapride, the new animation by award-winning Martina Scarpelli, as well as music by artists from Chile, South Korea and Portugal.
22 films are included in the International Competition Section of the festival, with films by renowned directors from South Korea to Colombia. Films by directors such as Joanna Quinn, who will honour this year’s event with her presence, and Regina Pessoa, with international awards, social messages on immigration and ecology, experimental, poetic and groundbreaking films on the dysfunctional core of the family, and films centred on freedom.
The Student Competition Section consists of 24 films from young animators that showcase original techniques and themes from some of the largest animation schools in the world such as Bezalel, Gobelins, FAMU, etc. Ghost stories from France, works on female genital mutilation from India, a man with compulsive habits from Portugal, a different superhero story from Russia, the love of girls for football from Italy, and, coming from Greece, a story about what we do when we find ourselves alone in an elevator.
The children’s programme K.ID.S will form part of the competition section this year, with themes that include modern fairy tales, stories about princesses, movies about the environment, but also special themes, such as the procrastination that characterizes many children. The best film, out of the 15 that participate, will be chosen by school children from Syros.
The Greek Competition Section consists of 14 films. Renowned animators from Greece, as well as rising stars, present at Animasyros some of the year’s best animation offerings from the Greek scene.
This year, Animapride will also be a competitive section of the Festival. Through 12 films, from Brazil and Peru to Iran, important aspects of the LGBTQI movement will be highlighted; from the stigma of HIV and Trans rights to how a father redefines the concept of masculinity.
Finally, within the #thisIsEU – European Values section, six films will be screened, on the environment, immigration, gender equality, corruption and diversity.
Juries
The Jury of the International & Greek Competition Section of this year’s festival consists of Yiannis Sakaridis, Artistic Director of the International Drama Short Film Festival and the directors Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen from Latvia and Bruno Caetano from Portugal.
The Jury of the Student& TV & Commissioned Films sections consists of Dimitris Politakis, journalist and writer from Greece, the Italian director and academic Kim Noce and the director and animator Sofia El Khyari, from Morocco.
Three 15-year-old girls, Vasia, Marianna and Terpsichore, with a fresh look and artistic vein, are this year the Jury for K.ID.S.
The AnimaPride committee consists of the international LGBTQI+ activist and co-organizer of Athens Pride, Andrea Gilbert, the director and screenwriter of short films, Konstantinos Maragos, and the journalist of ANTIVIRUS magazine Vassilis Thanopoulos.
Non-Competitive Section- International Panorama
The international Panorama consists of 26 films from Mexico, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, etc. It showcases groundbreaking techniques, with themes ranging from documentaries and fiction to video art.
The Agora/Market Section
The Agora/Market Section returns for the 7th year, launching a new strategic partnership with the world-renowned French Animation Studio Folimage, a firm supporter of auteur films, famous for its rich catalogue. The collaboration with Folimage, as well as the presentations, the round tables, the seminars, the networking meetings of Animasyros Agora/Market Section this year, will offer the opportunity to animation professionals from across the world, to expand their network, promote their work, meet with renowned professionals in the field, explore the international community and get in touch with future successful trends.
For this purpose, The Agora/Market, in collaboration with Studio Folimage, organizes as part of the festival a 4-day preparation workshop (Pitch Coaching Workshop) in Syros, offering the opportunity to participants, whose project pitches have been selected, to prepare effectively and to present, at the Pitching Forum in Syros, their animation projects to the public and to an international committee of animation professionals.
The keynote speaker of this year’s Agora/ Market section is the distinguished artist Joanna Quinn (UK), who along with Catherine Blanc-Maurizi (FR), Hélène Friren (FR), Nancy Denney Phelps (BE) and Marineta Mak Kritikou (GR), will be the Pitching Forum Jury.
The five projects selected for the Animasyros Agora Pitching Forum are: the feature film “Nine Lives Left” by director and writer Zacharias Mavroidis, the TV series ‘”My Granny is a Spy”, by the French author Alban Rodriguez and British writer John Gatehouse, and the animated short films “The Little Blue House at the Beach”, by the Lebanese director Nicolas Fattouh, “The Death of the Lustful Paolo and Francesca”, by the Greek director and writer Nikoletta Houhouli and director and animator Eftychia Maria Kondyli, and “Fishbowl” by director and writer Daphne Xourafi from Greece as well.
The winner of the Pitching Forum Agora Animasyros will be announced at the closing ceremony of the Festival on September 26, and will be hosted for one month, in early 2022, at Studio Folimage, Valence, France, to create their film using the studio facilities. The pitch coaching workshop will be led by Folimage Production Manager Catherine Blanc-Maurizi, along with Folimage director Hélène Friren.
In addition, like every year, there will be talks and discussions on current issues concerning the Animation Market. Issues such as the animated production in Greece amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of Dubbing in Animation and the role of VOD Platforms and animation will be explored.
Meanwhile, Joanna Quinn and journalist and animation historian Nancy Denney Phelps will talk about how Joanna got involved with animated cartoons; about her early work, about Beryl’s birth, her voice, and other interesting issues.
Additionally, Annecy MIFA’s Geraldine Baché will present the role and contribution of the Annecy Programme “Animation du Monde” towards the awakening of co-producers in the Mediterranean region and will share examples and future projects.
Furthermore, Vasiliki Diagouma (EKOME), Athena Kalkopoulou (Hellenic Cinema Centre), Yorgos Tsemperopoulos (Hellenic Film Academy) and Panagiotis Kyriakoulakos (ASIFA HELLAS) will talk about Greek support mechanisms for young animation creators.
Finally, composer Kristian Sensini will explain the process of writing music for films, the challenges and peculiarities of composition especially for animated films in relation to live-action films, and will describe his collaboration with the distinguished director Signe Baumane.
The events of the Agora take place in Syros and will be broadcasted live through the Animasyros YouTube channel.
Media Literacy Programmes
There will be five different media literacy programmes for children, teenagers, adults, persons with disabilities and the elderly, all inspired by artistic works created or inspired by the Greek Revolution.
Parallel Events
Exhibition: “Shapes of Freedom”
On the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the Postgraduate Programme of Animation of the Department of Graphic and Visual Communication of the School of Applied Arts and Culture of the University of West Attica presents the Exhibition of Student Works 3D Modeling of his undergraduate and postgraduate students. The student creations are presented as augmented content of 20 smart posters, displayed in natural space and which is activated through special signage on the posters that lead to the application of augmented reality.
Open Discussion: What has Europe done for me?
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Greece’s accession to the European Union, the head of the European Parliament in Greece, Costas Tsoutsoplidis talks with Fokionas Xenos, animator and director, as well as young representatives of the animation community, provoking their views and creativity and probing: “What has Europe done for me?” This forum aims to spur the Greek anime community to create a very short animated film (30 ́ ́) about the present and the future of Europe, through an animation Challenge.
CIFEJ Lifetime Award 2021
The CIFEJ Lifetime Award 2021 will be awarded this year to one of the most respected and remarkable filmmakers and festival organizers, the creator of the award-winning film “The Flea” (1990), Dimitris Spyrou.
Make a Game!: EKOME Student Board and Digital Game Creation Competition
In the school year 2020-21, EKOME organized the 1st Student Competition for the Creation of Table and Digital Game. Students and teachers from Greece and Cyprus found in this competition the opportunity to see their lessons in a different light, as an occasion for play. In addition, they got the impetus to make the games they would like to play themselves, developing their own ideas, writing their own scripts with pleasure, making boards, accessories and mechanisms full of originality. This year the competition returns and invites even more student groups to register and play (their own) game!