ANIMAFILM festival presents some of best animation films

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The 5th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival has been held in Baku, Azernews reports.

The festival screens some of the best animation films from different parts of the world.

Being held since 2018, the animation festival draws attention to animation art and stimulates its development in Azerbaijan.

Around 121 different animated films for children and adults from 29 countries were screened as part of the festival.

Climate change theme

ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival has always drawn attention to topics of great importance.

The festival covers issues of major importance to the global community and this year is no exception.

The 5th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival was devoted to climate change.

The income obtained from ticket sales will be donated to the Karabakh Revival Fund in order to contribute to the restoration of the ecological balance in Azerbaijani territories liberated from the Armenian occupation.

At the closing ceremony, Asra Aliyeva, a member of the children's jury, announced the number of income obtained from ticket sales and the number of trees to be planted: 4119 AZN = 412 Trees”.

Twenty-two local children were included in the children's jury, and six foreign professionals were included in the international jury: Jonathan Laskar (Switzerland), Tilly Wallace (Great Britain), Markus Ovre (Great Britain), Nodar Begiashvili (Georgia), Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands), Daniel Bird (Great Britain).

Rich and Diverse program

The non-competition program included films about climate change, the Mother Nature program for children, the full-length animated film Even Mice Belong in Heaven (Czech Republic), Ukrainian animation, a virtual exhibition, and winning films from the Baku International Short Film Festival.

Aside from the screening of animated films, workshops and master classes were organized with the participation of local and foreign professionals like Elchin Hami Akhundov, Masud Panahi, Nazrin Aghamaliyeva, Daniel Bird, Tilly Wallace, Jonathan Laskar, Nitya Ramlogan.

Jonathan Laskar's master class, Nitya Ramlogan's Stop motion, Tilly Wallace, and Nazrin Aghamaliyeva's Paint-on-glass animation workshops aroused great interest among the festival visitors.

A conference titled Animation Reframing: Preservation and Restoration of the Moving Image in the Age of Digital Technologies on animation restoration and a virtual exhibition took place for the first time at the festival.

As part of the festival's professional program, the Making-of program event featured five local animated films under production.

Well-known restoration producer, film historian Daniel Bird and acclaimed Azerbaijani animators Elchin Hami Akhundov and Masud Panahi took part in the event.

The conference was followed by a Jury program and the award ceremony.

ANIMAFILM awarding ceremony

As has been the tradition, the Children's Jury also operated this year. After participating in an educational and entertaining children's program, the 22-member panel chose two winners in the categories of Best Short Animated Film for Children and Best Animated TV series.

This year the audience determined the winner of the Audience Choice contest based on electronic voting after the film screenings.

Head of the Culture Ministry's Audiovisual and Interactive Media Department Rufat Hasanov announced the winner of one of the biggest prize of the festival Best Short Animated Film - GRAND PRIX.

Counselor for Cultural Action and Cooperation of the French Embassy in Azerbaijan Charles Denier awarded the winner of the local Best Azerbaijani Short Animated Film contest.

The winner of this award has a chance to join the Annecy International Animation Festival of France, which is the largest animation festival in the world, with professional MIFA accreditation.

The event featured short animation videos made by workshop participants about climate change.

In conclusion, ANIMAFILM art director Nazrin Aghamaliyeva announced that the next year the festival will be dedicated to gender equality and all profits obtained from ticket sales will go to funding a young girl's education.

Azerbaijan Animation Association NGO along with PERI FILM LLC were the organizers of the 5th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival.

Partners of the festival this year included the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, Azerbaijan Union of Film-makers, Karabakh Revival Fund, Culture Network House Association, Azerbaijan Creative Industries Federation, Shahmaran Metaceramica, Dynamic Box Studio, Nizami Cinema Center, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, French Embassy in Azerbaijan and French Institute in Azerbaijan, Embassy of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan, Embassy of Japan in Azerbaijan and the Japan Foundation, Lenovo, Tripsome, Ritual Mobil Theater Laboratory, Cafino Coffee & Wine, Nemi Hotel Baku, Unibroad, Choche.az, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, TVPaint Développement.

BAKU magazine and Nargis magazine are media partners of the event.

The winners of the international contests:

Best Short Animated Film - GRAND PRIX – A Story for 2 Trumpets, director Amandine Meyer, France.

Best Short Animated Film – Jury’s Special Mention Award – Of Wood, director Owen Klatte, USA.

Best Short Animated Film for Children – Franzy’s Soup-Kitchen, director Ana Chubinidze, Georgia, France.

Best Animated TV Series – Grizzy and the Lemmings World Tour – The Legend of the Lemmings, director Cédric Lachenaud, France.

Best Short Experimental or Abstract Animated Film – Us, director Nelson Fernandes, Portugal.

Best Animated Music Video – Transparent Black and Iron Rich Red, directors Mario Kreill Cirillo, Isabel Emily Wiegand, Italy.

Best Short Student Film – A Dog under Bridge, director Tang Rehoo, China.

The winner of the local competition:

Best Azerbaijani Short Animated Film – White Fear, director Ulviyya Mammadova, Azerbaijan.

Best Azerbaijani Short Animated Film – Jury’s Special Mention Award – One Drop, director Kovsar Gurban, Azerbaijan.

The winner of the Audience Choice contest:

Franzy's Soup-Kitchen, director Ana Chubinidze, Georgia, France.