POLISH ANIMATIONS AT THE ANNECY FESTIVAL
One of the world's leading animated film festivals - Annecy - revealed the list of films selected this year to the festival competitions. Polish animations are among them.
Annecy Festival is the most significant and one of the oldest animated film festivals in Europe. Each year it attracts an audience of 150 thousand people and brings together animated film professionals from all over the world. 3050 films were submitted to this year's 42nd edition of the festival. 250 shorts were invited to the four competition sections and out of the competition ones. In Annecy the films will compete for the title of the best short, TV,
commissioned and graduation film and the winners will receive Cristal awards.
Marta Pajek's film "III" was the only Polish film selected to the main short film competition. Produced by the Animoon studio, the film is the third part of the "Impossible Figures and Other Stories" triptych. "III" is a portrait of a woman in a difficult and exhausting relation with a man, who draws closer and push away with the same strength.
Five Polish animations will be competing in the student competition: "The Other" by Marta Magnuska, "Squaring the Circle" by Karolina Specht, "Bless You!" by Paulina Ziółkowska, "Tango of Longing" by Marta Szymańska and "Oh God" by Betina Bożek.
In "The Other" we see people, who while waiting for the arrival of a mysterious newcomer, keep on guessing who he might be. The blurry vision of the stranger takes shape in their imagination and his presence feels almost real. The initial excitement of the crowd gives way to anxiety.
"Squaring the Circle" is a half abstract story about some impossible feeling, full of graphic metaphors.
"Bless You!" shows a group of people waiting at the bus stop on a sunny day. Suddenly more and more of them start to sneeze. The epidemic breaks out. However, in the sneezing chaos, the worst thing is to get sick of yourself.
"Tango of Longing" is a painted story about the nature of tango, which not only means desire, eroticism or aggression but also longing and a sad thought expressed thorugh your dance. The characters lose themselves in dancing and discover deep down inside their longings and melancholy, while desperately trying to satisfy their desires and find relief.
The reality presented in the film "Oh God" might be described using such terms like inertia, chaos. Animated characters are characterized by a lack of willingness to take any action; they are passive and indifferent, unable to create their own reality. They pass the time doing usual, unnecessary things and they dissolve into everyday non-existence trembling with emotions and seeking love.
This year once again Polish delegation of filmmakers and producers of animated films will be present at MIFA market, which takes place during the festival.
The festival will take place from June 11th to 16th.
The list of films selected to the feature film competition will be announced by the end of April and the full festival programme will be published in May.
More information about the festival here.