Animasyros Digital Edition Goes LIVE Today! Watch Film Programmes for Free Until 27 Sept
Starting today – 23-27 September – the largest animation festival in Greece, Animasyros, will be opening its doors and welcoming international guests; both in the flesh, and online. In normal circumstances, the festival is held solely on the Greek island of Syros, with screenings taking places in unique outdoor venues such as the Capuchin Monastery, Tsiropina Mansion, and at the beach of the Hotel Kastello. For guests who are able to travel, this will still be the case; while for everyone else, the festival team have arranged a completely free ‘phygital’ version where some of the best animated films from around the world can be enjoyed.
What is wonderful about the programming, is how you can ‘attend’ the virtual venue as if you were in an open air screening on the island of Syros; and follow the festival as it happens physically. Each day there are 3-4 blocks of films that will be shown for a limited amount of time at live.animasyros.gr/en
How do I start watching Animasyros’ digital edition?
The online screenings will be taking place through a platform at live.animasyros.gr which is free of charge and without registration. It’s as simple as that! Unfortunately, the opening, closing & awards ceremonies of Animasyros 13 will not take place live and will be screened pre-recorded.
A snapshot of the online platform – allowing your to visit the ‘virtual venues’ for each block of films
Agora (Market) also available online
The Agora (Market) section of the Festival is addressed to directors, producers, distributors & professionals and it represents the core of creative, professional networking, targeting the creation of synergies between animation professionals from all over the world. This year the Agora / Market section inaugurates a collaboration with MIFA of the Annecy Festival. The six selected project presentations will be live broadcasted on the Animasyros YouTube Channel. (You can view the selected projects here.)
The six projects that will be pitched at this year’s Agora / Market
Q&A with the Animasyros Team
We spoke to Maria Anestopoulou (Festival Director) and Marinetta Mak Kritikou (Agora Co-ordinator) about the challenges and opportunities about taking a festival online:
Has bringing Animasyros online allowed for any opportunities that you would not have been able to present at the physical festival?
Maria: This year has been a real challenge for all animation festivals around the world to say the least. It took a lot of discussions, reflection and exchanging of ideas with other European Animation festivals, in order to reach our decision and move forward with a “dual” version, physical and digital. The online version of the Festival gives us the opportunity to expand our audience around the world, working therefore towards audience building at an international level. Similarly, the online version of the Agora Section, assists us to open up to an international professional audience and allows them to know what we are doing on the business to business- Market section of the Festival, an area that we have been working carefully for six years now.
How have you found the task of programming a digital festival? Has it been approached in a different way than normal?
Maria: The idea behind the programming of the online version of Animasyros, is to give the viewer the opportunity to follow the festival as it happens physically. Having said that, we have chosen a live streaming platform that is accessible, free, and without registration, where films will be shown only in blocks for a limited amount of time as if the viewer was in an open air screening at Animasyros 13 at the island of Syros.
Do you think that the ‘phygital’ version of the festival will be a regular offering in the coming years?
Maria: It is not really an idea that we are working on to be completely honest. However, we will remain faithful in promoting animation and we will always work towards not losing an edition and not losing our connection with our audience. The idea of a “phygital” version of a Festival was a decision taken due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in an effort to adapt to this new situation. I am confident that it will be a successful event this year. Therefore, we shall continue the “phygital” version if it is needed in the near future.
As well as managing an digital edition of the festival, you have also decided to take Agora online – the marketplace that focuses on the pitching and networking side of the industry. What have been the challenges of making this side of the event digital?
Marinetta: During an in-person Market/Agora, attendees gather together in a single space. They attend sessions and activities as a group and network together naturally. After all, if you’ve traveled to a venue for an experience, the last thing you’re going to do is have sub-par participation by ignoring the peers surrounding you.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon doesn’t carry over to virtual events. Now, event attendees are joining from the comfort of their own homes and tuning in from their personal technology sources.
The appeal of comfortable house clothes, video streaming services, and even family members and friends can be incredibly distracting.
Virtual events run the risk of attendees “logging on,” and then leaving their screens unattended. While they may appear to be tuning in, the reality can be far from truly engaged attendance.
Therefore, this new challenge made us more creative and aware when we created our content.
- In addition to choosing relevant, intriguing topics, we use a variety of media types to generate interest. Video, animations, images, etc.
- We empower attendees with live chat during the event, allowing them to respond in real-time to speakers and activities
- We schedule sessions in an accommodating manner
To view the digital edition of Animasyros, click here to start watching – there is no registration or fee – while the schedule can be viewed here.