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m

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rová

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sent

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pro

duce

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now

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Down with Disneyism!6 p.m. at the Světozor cinema

Yesterday, we presented Václav Mergl with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Ani-mation. Today, you have the opportunity to watch his visually unique short films. Mergl is a one-of-a-kind Czech animator, who introduced Czech animation to an artistic vision never seen before. The screening series includes his cult films Laokoon, Crabs, Homunkulus and Microbe.

Captivating 3D films 8 p.m. at the Světozor cinema

This evening, the screen of the Světozor cinema will be dedicated to the remarkable, absurd, raw and almost surreal 3D films of Ondřej Švadlena. As a bonus, the director, illustrator, comics author, 3D animator and one of this year’s Anifilm jurors will introduce his new film Time Rodent (2016) and the computer game based on it.

...and one making-of2 p.m. at the Puppet Theatre

Yesterday, you may have watched Chico & Rita at the Masaryk Square. If you would like to learn more about the film, you can attend the afternoon programme of our juror Javier Mariscal, who worked on this Oscar-nomina-ted film as an animation artist. The progra-mme includes a screening of an atypical making-of film and a subsequent discussion.

Tips of the day

What is the Visegrad Animation Forum?

What’s on the programme for today?

In today‘s Festival Daily:Interview: Filip Pošivač & Bára Valecká – page 2Invitation to the opening of exhibiton – page 3Who’s there to meet – page 3

The Visegrad Animation Forum (VAF) represents the industry section of Anifilm. It is also the largest platform for the edu- cation of professionals in Central and Eastern Europe. Among other things, the program-me offers a chance to establish co-produc-tion relations or secure financing for animation projects and it introduces the most successful recent films made in the countries of the Visegrad Group.

Every year, the VAF features a competition of animated short films and TV series in development. The competition includes guidance on how to successfully pitch a project provided by experts from the Cartoon Forum and a chance to present a project to an expert audience and TV professionals from Central and Eastern Europe.

Thirteen short films and twelve TV series were selected from this year’s nearly one hundred competition entries. The winning short film project will be awarded a financial support of 2,000 euro. The winning TV series will receive pitching guidance from Czech Television and secure a spot at the Cartoon Forum 2016.

The most important programme for the animating public starts at 3 p.m. The French producer Frederic Puech from Planet Nemo will present the opportunities for internatio-nal cooperation in Europe. His presentation will be followed by a discussion with film fund representatives, broadcasters and producers working in international co-pro-ductions. Another interesting panel dis- cussion, a presentation of two prestigious European studios, Silver Fox Animation and Camera-etc, will take place at 5 p.m. The programme will close with a panel discu-ssion entitled “Distribution of Children’s Animated Shorts”.

Mrdrchain (Ondřej Švadlena, 2010)Mrdrchain (Ondřej Švadlena, 2010)

Festival dailyWednesday 4. 5. 2016Festival dailyWednesday 4. 5. 2016

What is the Visegrad Animation Forum?The Visegrad Animation Forum (VAF)

represents the industry section of Anifilm.

It is also the largest platform for the edu-

cation of professionals in Central and Eastern

Europe. Among other things, the program-

me offers a chance to establish co-produc-

tion relations or secure financing for

animation projects and it introduces the

most successful recent films made in the

countries of the Visegrad Group.

Every year, the VAF features a competition

of animated short films and TV series in

development. The competition includes

guidance on how to successfully pitch

a project provided by experts from the

Cartoon Forum and a chance to present

a project to an expert audience and TV

professionals from Central and Eastern

Europe.

Thirteen short films and twelve TV series

were selected from this year’s nearly one

hundred competition entries. The winning

short film project will be awarded a financial

support of 2,000 euro. The winning TV series

will receive pitching guidance from Czech

Television and secure a spot at the Cartoon

Forum 2016.

What’s on the programme for today?The most important programme for the

animating public starts at 3 p.m. The French

producer Frederic Puech from Planet Nemo

will present the opportunities for internatio-

nal cooperation in Europe. His presentation

will be followed by a discussion with film

fund representatives, broadcasters and

producers working in international co-pro-

ductions. Another interesting panel dis-

cussion, a presentation of two prestigious

European studios, Silver Fox Animation and

Camera-etc, will take place at 5 p.m. The

programme will close with a panel discu-

ssion entitled “Distribution of Children’s

Animated Shorts”.

Tips of the day

Svět

ozo

r C

inem

a

10

.00

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mp

etit

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ort

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15

.33

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my

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ilms

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17.

54

In

tern

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mp

etit

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lm B

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ney

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rs P

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agic

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Ind

iaPhoto: Jan Hromádko

Down with Disneyism!6 p.m. at the Světozor cinema

Yesterday, we presented Václav Mergl with

the Lifetime Achievement Award for Ani-

mation. Today, you have the opportunity to

watch his visually unique short films. Mergl

is a one-of-a-kind Czech animator, who

introduced Czech animation to an artistic

vision never seen before. The screening

series includes his cult films Laokoon,

Crabs, Homunkulus and Microbe.

Captivating 3D films 8 p.m. at the Světozor cinema

This evening, the screen of the Světozor

cinema will be dedicated to the remarkable,

absurd, raw and almost surreal 3D films of

Ondřej Švadlena. As a bonus, the director,

illustrator, comics author, 3D animator and

one of this year’s Anifilm jurors will introduce

his new film Time Rodent (2016) and the

computer game based on it.

...and one making-of2 p.m. at the Puppet Theatre

Yesterday, you may have watched Chico &

Rita at the Masaryk Square. If you would like

to learn more about the film, you can attend

the afternoon programme of our juror Javier

Mariscal, who worked on this Oscar-nomina-

ted film as an animation artist. The progra-

mme includes a screening of an atypical

making-of film and a subsequent discussion.

In today‘s Festival Daily:Interview: Filip Pošivač & Bára Valecká – page 2

Invitation to the opening of exhibitonMergl

mergl mergl mergl – page 3

n – page 3

Publ

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Ani

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6 –

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Filip Pošivač, Bára Valecká: Puppets hold a special charm for us

Today’s offer is so rich, your kids may have a hard time choosing. Let us give you a few tips to make things a little easier. Older children who read well enough to take on subtitles can watch several feature films competing in the international competition: for example Long Way North, full of French charm and adventure (10 a.m. at the Světo-zor cinema), or The Boy and the Beast, a typi-cal Japanese anime (12:30 a.m. at the J. K. Tyl Theatre). But watch the footage – the film is two hours long. Younger children can attend screenings in Roháč (Czech Horizon I. and the Little Eveninger Stories about Mum and Dad are definitely worthwhile). And should all else fail, the kids’ corner in the House of Animation will save the day.

Each year, Anifilm welcomes a variety of personalities from all corners of the world of animation. This year, you can meet the direc-tors Igor Kovalyov, Georges Schwizgebel, Isabella Plućinska, Kaspar Jancis, Priit Tender and Matyáš Trnka, whose films are competing in the international competition. You can meet them at moderated discu-ssions entitled “Coffee With the Filmmakers” held on the ground floor of the House of Animation (Thursday – Saturday at 1:30 p.m.). You can also meet Galina Miklínová, Katarína Kerekesová or the Italian sound designer and curator Andrea Martignoni, not to mention all the stars sitting on the international juries.

At 3 p.m. today, you can attend the opening of a unique exhibition entitled Václav Mergl: Sequence of Stopped Time in the House of Štěpánek Netolický (Dům Štěpánka Netol-ického) (89/I Masaryk Square). The opening ceremony is open to public so you don’t need an invitation to get in, just your festival pass. What can you look forward to? The exhibition will present not only Václav Mer-gl’s films but also a selection of his collages, drawings, paintings and various objects. The exhibition was prepared by Anifilm’s Pro-gramme Director Pavel Horáček in coopera-tion with the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery. The exhibition will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closing for a lunch break from 12 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Opening of Václav Mergl’s exhibition

What’s on the kids menu? Who’s there to meet

Dan Gregor:Interactiveinstallation

WC

Festival clubFestivalclub

Festivalclub

Guest ServiceAccreditation Center

Festival shop

8.30 – 20.00

The House of Animation:Ground floor

StairsThe House of Animation:Ground floor

Guest ServiceAccreditation Center

Festival shop

Dan Gregor:Interactiveinstallation

Festival clubFestival

clubFestival

club

Stairs

Czech animation did exceptionally well last year. One of the candidates for the Viewer’s award is an almost half-hour long puppet film Deep in Moss by the creative duo Filip Pošivač & Bára Valecká. The authors are also going to present their animated feature film in progress (Thursday 5th May, 3 p.m., the Puppet Theatre).

What’s the story behind the creation of Deep in Moss? We came up with the idea for Deep in Moss some five years ago while studying animation at the Academy of Arts, Architec-ture and Design in Prague. Originally, we were really into writing some Little Eve-ninger stories. We put some drafts together, but it didn’t work out so we decided to make our own author film. We were supported by Jan Balej. It was he who took us in after we graduated and made it possible for us to tell the story of the two blackthorn fairies. The support of nutprodukce and Pavla Janoušk-ová Kubečková, who helped finance the pro-ject, was just as crucial for our success. We really wanted to make a puppet-animated fairy tale that would allow us to express our imagination with complete freedom, one that we would be happy to show our kids.

The film took you several years to make. What was the most difficult part? Definitely the need to constantly deal with the awareness of not having enough money, while motivating all our colleagues, families and ourselves, convincing everyone that we were going to finish all the work suc-cessfully and that it was all really worth the time and effort. We were in the studio non-stop, working on a very tight budget. A lot of people helped us with the project pretty much out of kindness and just for the joy of being a part of it. This was great motivation, so any stress and pessimism about where we were heading and about possibly taking on too much was washed away by our wonder-ful colleagues and their support. We made a great tightknit team. We are very grateful to a lot of people.

Why did you choose puppet animation? Puppets just hold some special charm for us. We see a huge dramatic potential in them. They’re provocative. They are also magical items with life hiding inside, only waiting to be brought out. You’re in contact with them during the whole filmmaking process, touching them, talking to them. You can’t wait to see them on the screen. Anima-tors have the privilege of bringing some-thing – in our case puppets – to life. You see, they are waiting for human hands to touch them, they’re made for them. And it’s just as nice to be surrounded all the time by an ever growing number of both smaller and bigger decorations and tiny props that the puppets need to live their lives. Everything is tangible and real… just usually really tiny.

Will the viewers have a chance to see the puppets anywhere? Yes, during Anifilm, the puppets will be exhibited in the Třeboň Chateau gallery.

You are also going to introduce your upcoming feature film Tonda, Slávka and genius at the festival. Where did the story come from or is it your own original story? It’s Filip’s own original idea. However, we are co-writing the script with the writer Jana Šrámková. The script has definitely blos-somed. Jana exudes extraordinary charm and empathy. We meet, think of ideas and discuss them. We want the film to reflect the present a lot. The story is about the fear of the unknown, about prejudices and also about the fact that very few things are black and white... But there are a lot of jokes as well. We want to keep the adventure flowing all the time. And it’s all taking place during Christmas. It’s really exciting!

Are you going to work with puppets again? Of course!

What stage is the film in and when do you expect it to be finished? We are completing the first draft of the script and we have a pile of artwork and storyboards ready. If all goes well, we will meet here again at its premier in five years’ time. We were raised by Jan Balej, so you can count on us keeping our passion for puppet animation.

Photo: nutprodukce

Today’s offer is so rich, your kids may have

a hard time choosing. Let us give you a few

tips to make things a little easier. Older

children who read well enough to take on

subtitles can watch several feature films

competing in the international competition:

for example Long Way North, full of French

charm and adventure (10 a.m. at the Světo-

zor cinema), or The Boy and the Beast, a typi-

cal Japanese anime (12:30 a.m. at the J. K. Tyl

Theatre). But watch the footage – the film is

two hours long. Younger children can attend

screenings in Roháč (Czech Horizon I. and

the Little Eveninger Stories about Mum and

Dad are definitely worthwhile). And should

all else fail, the kids’ corner in the House of

Animation will save the day.

Festival dailyWednesday 4. 5. 2016Festival dailyWednesday 4. 5. 2016

Opening of Václav Mergl’s exhibitionAt 3 p.m. today, you can attend the opening

of a unique exhibition entitled Václav Mergl:

Sequence of Stopped Time in the House of

Štěpánek Netolický (Dům Štěpánka Netol-

ického) (89/I Masaryk Square). The opening

ceremony is open to public so you don’t

need an invitation to get in, just your festival

pass. What can you look forward to? The

exhibition will present not only Václav Mer-

gl’s films but also a selection of his collages,

drawings, paintings and various objects. The

exhibition was prepared by Anifilm’s Pro-

gramme Director Pavel Horáček in coopera-

tion with the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery.

The exhibition will be open daily from 10

a.m. to 6 p.m. (closing for a lunch break from

12 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

What’s on the kids menu?

Each year, Anifilm welcomes a variety of

personalities from all corners of the world of

animation. This year, you can meet the direc-

tors Igor Kovalyov, Georges Schwizgebel, Isabella Plućinska, Kaspar Jancis, Priit Tender and Matyáš Trnka, whose films are

competing in the international competition.

You can meet them at moderated discu-

ssions entitled “Coffee With the Filmmakers”

held on the ground floor of the House of

Animation (Thursday – Saturday at 1:30

p.m.). You can also meet Galina Miklínová, Katarína Kerekesová or the Italian sound

designer and curator Andrea Martignoni, not to mention all the stars sitting on the

international juries.

Filip Pošivač, Bára Valecká: Puppets hold a special charm for us

Czech animation did exceptionally well last year. One of the candidates for the Viewer’s award is an almost half-hour long puppet film Deep in Moss by the creative duo Filip Pošivač & Bára Valecká. The authors are also going to present their animated feature film in progress (Thursday 5th May, 3 p.m., the Puppet Theatre).

Photo: nutprodukce

What’s the story behind the creation of Deep in Moss? We came up with the idea for Deep in

Moss some five years ago while studying

animation at the Academy of Arts, Architec-

ture and Design in Prague. Originally, we

were really into writing some Little Eve-

ninger stories. We put some drafts together,

but it didn’t work out so we decided to make

our own author film. We were supported by

Jan Balej. It was he who took us in after we

graduated and made it possible for us to tell

the story of the two blackthorn fairies. The

support of nutprodukce and Pavla Janoušk-

ová Kubečková, who helped finance the pro-

ject, was just as crucial for our success. We

really wanted to make a puppet-animated

fairy tale that would allow us to express our

imagination with complete freedom, one

that we would be happy to show our kids.

The film took you several years to make. What was the most difficult part? Definitely the need to constantly deal

with the awareness of not having enough

money, while motivating all our colleagues,

families and ourselves, convincing everyone

that we were going to finish all the work suc-

cessfully and that it was all really worth the

time and effort. We were in the studio non-

stop, working on a very tight budget. A lot

of people helped us with the project pretty

much out of kindness and just for the joy of

being a part of it. This was great motivation,

so any stress and pessimism about where we

were heading and about possibly taking on

too much was washed away by our wonder-

ful colleagues and their support. We made

a great tightknit team. We are very grateful

to a lot of people.

Why did you choose puppet animation? Puppets just hold some special charm

for us. We see a huge dramatic potential in

them. They’re provocative. They are also

magical items with life hiding inside, only

waiting to be brought out. You’re in contact

with them during the whole filmmaking

process, touching them, talking to them. You

can’t wait to see them on the screen. Anima-

tors have the privilege of bringing some-

thing – in our case puppets – to life. You see,

they are waiting for human hands to touch

them, they’re made for them. And it’s just as

nice to be surrounded all the time by an ever

growing number of both smaller and bigger

decorations and tiny props that the puppets

need to live their lives. Everything is tangible

and real… just usually really tiny.

Will the viewers have a chance to see the puppets anywhere? Yes, during Anifilm, the puppets will be

exhibited in the Třeboň Chateau gallery.

You are also going to introduce your upcoming feature film Tonda, Slávka and genius at the festival. Where did the story come from or is it your own original story? It’s Filip’s own original idea. However, we

are co-writing the script with the writer Jana

Šrámková. The script has definitely blos-

somed. Jana exudes extraordinary charm

and empathy. We meet, think of ideas and

discuss them. We want the film to reflect

the present a lot. The story is about the fear

of the unknown, about prejudices and also

about the fact that very few things are black

and white... But there are a lot of jokes as

well. We want to keep the adventure flowing

all the time. And it’s all taking place during

Christmas. It’s really exciting!

Are you going to work with puppets again? Of course!

What stage is the film in and when do you expect it to be finished? We are completing the first draft of the

script and we have a pile of artwork and

storyboards ready. If all goes well, we will

meet here again at its premier in five years’

time. We were raised by Jan Balej, so you can

count on us keeping our passion for puppet

animation.