ANIMAFILM 2019, the Azerbaijan Animation Festival – Winners & Summary
Skwigly
On October 18-20, 2019, the 2nd ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival was held in the Azerbaijan capital, Baku, with a view to contributing to the development of Azerbaijani animation. The slogan of ANIMAFILM 2019 was “a new look at tradition and development.”
More than 268 applications from 50 countries submitted to the competition program of the festival. Winners of the competitions were announced on the last day at the closing ceremony of the festival:
1) Best Short Animated Film (up to 20 minutes)
Daughter, director Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic
2) Best Short Animated Film for Children (up to 10 minutes)
Papito, directors Sarika Persaud, Kenneth Rosen, United States
3) Best Original Screenplay for a Short Animated Film
Blowing, authors Mahammed Zare, Raana Vaezi, Islamic Republic of Iran
4) Audience Award
Mother on a Tree (1986), director Frangiz Kurbanova, Azerbaijan
Masud Panachi, the laureate of the 1st ANIMAFILM Golden Boat Award, has been leading the international jury.
This year, the organizing committee of ANIMAFILM festival has rewarded both leading figures Frangiz Kurbanova and Elchin Hami Akhundov with Golden Boat Award for their invaluable contribution to Azerbaijani animation.
At the end of the festival, participants signed an open letter addressed to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the critical situation of Azerbaijani animation and need of attention to it.
Festival Summary
The theme of the 2nd ANIMAFILM was Czech animation; with Czech animated films being screened under the non-competition program of the festival. The poster of the festival was developed by the famous Czech animation director Filip Posivac.
The first day of the festival hosted a conference which was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Azerbaijani animation along with screenings of dozens of local and international animated films for children and adults. For the next two days, as in the previous year, animation workshops were organized for children of different age groups; led by French and Greek animators. In the course of the festival, jury programs, presentations of Greek and Czech animation, competition programs took place. This festival was the continuation of the 1st ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival (2018) which is an annual event and aims at promoting the development of animation art in Azerbaijan.
This year, a Children’s jury was established at the festival, which was a novelty. The selection of child jury members was made by Elchin Hami Akhundov, a well-known animation director and honored art worker in Azerbaijan. According to the terms of the festival, the winner of the competition for the “Best animated film for children” has been selected by the five members of the children’s jury.
This year, a colorful catalog with annotations of each contestant, as well as films and screenplays to be presented at the festival, was published in both Azerbaijani and English languages. An electronic version of the catalog, festival program, as well as more information about the festival are available to download here.
This year’s festival held with the support of The Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers (key partner and sponsor) chaired by prominent director, screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, Embassies of the Czech Republic and France in Azerbaijan, “Chinar Yayimlari” publishing, French Institute in Azerbaijan, and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan.