A Change of Direction at the ANIMA Festival
Skwigly
Today, as the cultural world, along with others, sees itself badly damaged by the consequences of the pandemic, the ANIMA Festival feels a great sense of solidarity towards the sector and other film events in particular. ANIMA was one of the last events of this cultural season and also very lucky to successfully hold this year’s festival.
Dominique Seutin, Doris Cleven, Karin Vandenrydt © Gil Alkabetz
Likewise, ANIMA 2020 was the last for its director Doris Cleven, who had been managing the event alone since 2014, after co-helming the animated ship with its founder Philippe Moins, from 1988.
During its 39 years of existence, the ANIMA Festival has largely proven its merits both at home in Belgium and throughout the world, increasing from 2,000 spectators in 1982 to almost 43,000 in 2020, as well as benefiting from the incredible technological and aesthetic evolution of animation over the past thirty years.
The Festival will continue on its path with two new directors, Dominique Seutin and Karin Vandenrydt, who have both been part of the team for twenty years and know their way around the organization of the event perfectly. They will be able to rely on a well-established team and are already hard at work ensuring the succession which, given the current health crisis, is taking a totally unexpected turn.
Next year, the Festival will be celebrating its 40th birthday, and this might just be the first of a new era that could be online or live. Nobody yet knows, but the date is fixed from 12th to 21st February 2021 ! And, although the future is still unclear, we do know that animation artists are still creating… And to prove it, the new ANIMA 2021 visual was entrusted to Gil Alkabetz, one of the best-known animation filmmakers in Germany.
The 40th ANIMA Festival will take place from 12 to 21 February 2021 in Brussels.