The CEE Animation Forum, a pitching and networking event in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the animated projects, took place on 8 th and 9th November.“I am very proud of every team on the stage – from debuting students fearlessly stepping in front of a professional audience for the first time, to experienced filmmakers unveiling a multitude of highly ambitious projects. Their creativity and courage defined the essence of our CEE Animation Forum," said Marta Jallageas, Managing director of the CEE Animation Forum.
A total of 28 projects were presented in the 4 main competitions, with the juries presenting awards to a total of 12 animated works.The project selection for CEE Animation Forum 2023 boasts a lineup, featuring a diverse range of animated content across various categories. The total budget of all 28 pitching projects reaches €29 million. The financial support for the event was provided by the Czech Film Fund, Ministry of Culture Czech Republic, Audiovisual Producers´ Association (Czech Republic), Pilsen Region (Czech Republic) and the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest.
To cater to different target demographics, the selection includes 8 projects for children up to 10 years old, 6 projects for teenagers, 8 projects for young adults, and 7 projects aimed at adult audiences. The winner of the audience award is "My Little Heroes." In The categoryof feature films, "Nine Lives Left" won. The winner of the Category of Series/tv Special is "Rainy Days." "We decided to give main Award to Rainy days for its great potential and unusual main character," the jury said. "We see the project as very original and poetic. We also appreciate the personal aspect, since it’s female family business, artistic cooperation of two generations."
A special mention was given to "Dolls" by the jury. "We decided to award 'Dolls' with a Special Mention for its quality and originality," the group said. "We appreciated its connection to the tradition of Czech puppet animation. We consider the project very artsy, a counterpart to consumerism, and also a very personal endeavor. The winner of short films was "Nightbloom." "For the quality of the artists' research, their originality, and their capacity to experiment with narrative through the creation of an entertaining and pop universe."
A special mention was also given to "Be Still My Heart." In addition, the winner of the Rising Starts category is "Stuck in the Wasp Nest." The CEE Animation Workshop included "Riamise," the selection for Ciclic Residency, "Nightbloom," for TV Paint it is "Eruption." For Cartoon Movie, the selection is "Dr. Hawl" and "MouMoush – the King of Plastic" and the selection for the Young Horizons Industry – direct access is "Rainy Days" and "Dolls."
