The CEE Animation will host its tenth annual event starting next week. The traditional pitching competition for animation presents a total of 33 projects in four categories: feature length, series/TV specials, short, and student films. A further 16 animated works appearing in the non-competitive section will endeavour to capture the attention of decision makers from the field of animation. “CEE Animation has as a main objective to be a strong voice in the animation industry. One of the group with which we wish to begin a discourse is that of national television broadcasters," Marta Jallageas, Managing Director of CEEA Forum, said. "Their involvement is essential for the success of international co-productions - especially the formats of series and feature films. To finance their projects, independent producers crucially depend on the support from their national broadcasters and from national and international funds."
The CEE Animation Forum takes place on the 2nd and 3rd of November in Plzeň, Czech Republic, and one day (the 4th of November) will be dedicated to personal meetings using an online app that will be available only to accredited guests. The juries consist of a wide representation of film professionals from across Europe. Short films will be judged by animation filmmaker and illustrator Alexandre Siqueira (BAP – Animation Studios), writer Milo Cremer Eindhoven (Submarine), and Belgian producer Bastien Martin (Camera, etc).
The creativity of students will be evaluated by Oscar-short-listed producer and distributor Eleanor Coleman (Indie Sales), Hungarian animator Luca Tóth and Ivan Zuber (Laïdak FIlms), who is a graduate of such schools as Gobelins and Animation Sans Frontières. Hoping to ascertain potential success with television viewers will be Estonian producer Kristel Tõldsepp (A Film), Michelle Hoekstra (lemming film) together with Hisko Hulsing, the director of Undone, an animated series for Amazon Prime. Feature-length projects will be attentively observed by two successful producers, Lubica Orechovská (Pubres) and Richard Lutterbeck (TrickStudio Lutterbeck), who will be accompanied by the French distributor, Valentin Rebondy (Cinema Public Films).
The winners will be announced on 3rd November, but the competitors may already fix their eyes on the promising prizes. The best project, as selected by the jury in each category, receives a monetary award to the value of 1,000 Euros. Short films will compete for the new Ciclic prize, with a value of 35,000 Euros. Across all categories, the competing projects can gain a scholarship for the year-round CEE Animation Workshop training program or a license for TV Paint, the professional animation program. Viewers may also share their preferences. The project with the highest tally gained during the online voting shall receive an award of 1,000 Euros. Thanks to close, long-term cooperation with leading European events in the field of animation, the teams will also be
able to apply for direct access to Cartoon Movie, Cartoon Forum, Cartoon Springboard, Animarkt Stop Motion Forum, and Kids Kino Industry. Tenth Annual CEE Animation Forum Starts Next Week
A line-up of representatives of national broadcasters from Central and Eastern Europe will share how CEE national TV broadcasters can and do support independent animated works, how they co-operate with producers from their own country, and with those from other countries. The organizers have planned an impressive accompanying programme for on- site guests. On 2nd November, from 18:00, it will be possible to view a newly- prepared compilation of short films under the activity of CEE Animation Talents. In the creative zone DEPO2015, they will be able to personally experience the successful Czech animated VR film, Darkening (d. Ondřej Moravec), which was selected for the section of Venice Immersive at the Venice IFF. In this area, there will also be the possibility to view students’ work from the Media Illustration studio of the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia. Accredited guests also have the opportunity to visit the programme at the partner festival, Juniorfest, which takes place from 4th to 10th November in Plzeň.
CEE Animation is financially supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the International Visegrad Fund and organized in co-operation with Eurimages. It is also co-funded by state funds and foundations and professional organizations from Croatia (Hulahop), Czech Republic (APA, Audiovisual Producers´ Association), Poland (SPPA, Polish Animation Producers Association), Slovakia (APAF, Slovak Association of Animated Film Producers) and Slovenia (DSAF, Slovene Animated Film Association).