Turku Animated Film Festival Present 2019 Full Festival Program
Skwigly
TAFF’s entire programme has been released. At the end of August, hundreds of animated shorts, numerous outdoor screenings and installations as well as a combination of a beer tasting and a film screening can be enjoyed in Turku.
The fourth TAFF welcomes British animation director Phil Mulloy, to Turku. Mulloy serves as a member of the jury of international competition at the festival. Mulloy, who in his work satirically chronicles the darker sides of human nature, presents two screenings for the audience of TAFF. In addition to the screening of a series of short films, also Mulloy’s Intolerance trilogy, widely regarded as one of the director’s most significant works will be screened at the festival.
One of the biggest innovations this year is the expansion of the festival venue from the theatres of the Manilla to the courtyard, which doubles as a cinema for numerous outdoor screenings over the weekend. Open air screenings include: The feature Away, made entirely by Latvian Gints Zilbalodis, who has taken Annecy and Zagreb this summer by storm. Estonian agent comedy Frank & Wendy, written by Priit Pärn and directed by Kaspar Jancis, Ulo Pikkov and Priit Tender will also be screened at Manilla yard.
In addition to the competition screenings, the program features Chinese and Portuguese contemporary animation (curated by Gerben Schermer and Cinanima, respectively), Pride screenings and a visually stunning horror feature La Casa Lobo (The Wolf House, D: Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña), which is inspired by the true story of the ‘Colonia Dignidad’ (Dignity Colony) in Chile, a secretive organization founded by German émigrés after World War II.
The series is directed by Niina Suominen. Suominen’s work is united by the use of traditional craft-oriented animation techniques as a means of expressing media art. In the works, the rhythm and movement are more important than the drama, often reaching the point of meditation.
A record of three installations are on display at TAFF this year. On Wednesday and Thursday, Opus Luxcity, a videomapping piece, commissioned from local artists Frida Lindholm and Fanni Maliniemi, will be on view at Viinatehdas in Manilla.
Elli Maanpää’s Augmented Painting combines acrylic paintings with 2D animation and augmented reality. The works of art have been inspired by Finnish proverbs, which are known to be somewhat discouraging. In her works, Maanpää strives to give new interpretations to the proverbs. The works placed across the festival venue can be watched through a free app Arilyn.
Tess Martin’s Orbit is a phonotrope project about the relationship between humanity and the sun. It consists of a 7 minute short film (part of the TAFF International Competition), an interactive installation with turntables and smartphones, a flexi disc, and a print series with associated animations. The work will be on display at the 8raita record store from Wednesday to Saturday of the festival week.
While school screenings are once again a significant part of the children’s festival TAFF Junior’s program, are Saturday and Sunday mornings dedicated to families. Films in TAFF Junior competition will be shown both indoors and outdoors during the weekend. In addition, Finland’s first children’s drive-in outdoor screening will be held for the little festival visitors on Saturday. The afternoon’s program will be completed by an outdoor screening of the Ghibli classic My Neighbor Totoro.
The Turku Öl Film Festival will be celebrated again on Saturday. Indulging all senses, the screening comes with five quality shorts paired with beer.
The largest animation film festival in Finland, Turku Animated Film Festival, as well as TAFF Junior for children and youth will take place in Turku on August 21-25. The full program of over 50 shows is available at taff.fi. The festival is supported by The Finnish Cultural Foundation (Varsinais-Suomi Regional Fund), Arts Promotional Centre Finland, AVEK, The City of Turku, Pro Manillasäätiö and TOP Foundation. The Grand Prix worth €1,000 is sponsored by Yle Uusi Kino. The main partner is Rajupaja.
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