Great Britain is lately being considered as a sort of super-power when it comes to stop-motion, so it’s not surprising that we will pay a lot attention to this country in our special puppet programme.
It is our pleasure (and honour) to present this year’s honorary president Barry Purves, one of the most outstanding personalities of British puppet animation, animator, director, scriptwriter, who dedicated his talent to theatre as well as to the art of animation films. Barry started in theatre, occassionaly also as actor in theatres all around Britain. He then started with animation, but it took him seven years to become an independent animator. His films, which are inspired by opera, balet and theatre scenography, were awarded with more than 60 international prizes including an Oscar nomination. He’s also a theorist and author of the book Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance. AniFest will bring a retrospective of Barry’s films, followed by a lecture. At the meeting with Giannalberto Bendazzi, he will talk about the new books on animation together with Ülo Pikkov and Paul Wells.
Barry Purves might be the most outstanding representative of the contemporary British puppet animation, but he’s definitely not the only one. A very detailed and thoughtfully curated selection of British stop-motion production is being prepared specially for AniFest by Paul Wells, famous teacher and theorist. In three programmes, Paul will present you the most important milestones of British puppet, including such films like „The Sandman“ (1991, dir. Paul Berry) or „Peter and The Wolf“ (2006, Academy Award for Suzie Templeton). The programme will be completed with the Czech release of the latest Aardman feature „The Pirates! Band of Misfits“ (hopefully with personal presence of its authors).
„Sandman“ is also an example of the production of the studio Mackinnon&Saunders. Famous for animated films for public of all ages, from „Bob the Builder“ to „Fantastic Mr Fox“ and Tim Burton’s „Corpse Bride“, the studio will present its unique know-how in Teplice. Ian Mackinnon will be accompanied by Viktor, the betrothed of the above mentioned Tim Burton’s heroine.
In the films as well as in workshops and presentations, we are looking for the magic of a film puppet this year. On Friday 27 April, SE-MA-FOR studio will show their know-how, which created such pieces like the newest film by Quay brothers or Peter & the Wolf by Suzie Templeton, awarded with a Crystal from Annecy. Following is the presentation of French JPL Film studio (Jean Pierre Lemouland), which for example created Joska’s Snails (awarded at AniFest 2010). The programe will be completed with the presentation of Claude Barras and Florian Duval, producers specialized in puppet films.
Saturday will be a must-go for all fans of Henry Selick’s Coraline. She was born in US studio Laika, which will be represented by the producer Mark Shapiro at AniFest. During his talk, he also promised to show extracts from the long-expected new project ParaNorman. And finally, let the legendary director present the legendary studio Mackinnon & Saunders (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Corpuse Bride..).Here’s what Tim Burton says about them: „They do such beautiful work. They really raised it to a new level for this film. These puppets are so real, they are so sensitive and textural, you really do believe they are alive.“ Presentation by Ian Mackinnon himself is on Monday.
Hundred years has gone since the artist, who evokes magic with the variety, significance and style of his work, was born in Pilsen…but, besides the magical influence he had on the developement of film puppet, the greatest amount of magic is in the enlivened material. Up untill our time, you can find this magic only at a few places…
Great Britain and its puppet magic: Barry Purves, Suzie Templeton, Aardman Animations…no one else can explain this better than Paul Wells (and he´s already used to celebrate Czech masters of animation with us, remember AniFest 2010?)
During our magical journey, we´re going further and further north through the Baltic region and saying hi to Antanas Janauskas, Nijolé Valadkevičiuté, Vladimir Leschiov, Signe Baumane and all other friend we met while traveling there…and no, we´re not heading to Russia. The closer we are, the more we regret that our Baltic mission is about to end this year.
Submit your work into one of the following categories.
This year, we opened one new category: non-narative and experimental animation.
There’s no entry fee and the deadline is 20th December 2012.
Due to the big succes last year, the second edition of Visegrad Exchange forum will take place at AniFest 2012. The forum serves as a platform for young animators and professionals from Eastern and Central Europe and it offers them a chance to present their projects to producers form Western Europe. Besides workshops and seminaries, the competition of school films from the Visegrad countries is also part of the Forum.
WORKSHOPS/SEMINARIES
This year, we are again preparing various (though thematically connected) lectures and workshops. The leitmotiv is the puppet, contemporary authors of puppet animation, production and animation of puppets, in short – the life of a film puppet in 21st century. In the professional part of the program, there will be also other actual topics discussed with specialists, like in previous years ( Paul Wells, Dan Sarto, Otto Alder…). AniFest will once again become a platform for the study of magic world of animated film – animation studies.
ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMS
It´s a fine tradition we plan to keep this year – there will be Schools of Animation, workshops, screening of bedtime stories from Czech TV as well as puppet theatre shows for the youngest visitors. If it’s not enough, they are welcome to visist the screenings of contemporary animated features.
Exhibitions will be also part of the accompanying programme – this year the most important one will be dedicated (unsurprisingly) to Jiří Trnka.
And there will be also music – you can dance or you can just listen, in any case you can relax your body as well as your mind at one of the concerts.
12th International Festival of Animated Films AniFest will take place from April 26th to May 1st 2013.
Call for entries: September 20th - December 20th 2012
We are looking forward to seeing your films!
It is our pleasure (and honour) to present this year’s honorary president Barry Purves, one of the most outstanding personalities of British puppet animation, animator, director, scriptwriter, who dedicated his talent to theatre as well as to the art of animation films. Barry started in theatre, occassionaly also as actor in theatres all around Britain. He then started with animation, but it took him seven years to become an independent animator. His films, which are inspired by opera, balet and theatre scenography, were awarded with more than 60 international prizes including an Oscar nomination. He’s also a theorist and author of the book Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance. AniFest will bring a retrospective of Barry’s films, followed by a lecture. At the meeting with Giannalberto Bendazzi, he will talk about the new books on animation together with Ülo Pikkov and Paul Wells.
Hundred years has gone since the artist, who evokes magic with the variety, significance and style of his work, was born in Pilsen…but, besides the magical influence he had on the developement of film puppet, the greatest amount of magic is in the enlivened material. Up untill our time, you can find this magic only at a few places…
