Animation Production Days 2021: 52 Projects Selected for Participation from 97 Submissions
Skwigly
The jury has selected 52 projects from 22 countries to take part in this year’s Animation Production Days (APD). A total of 97 projects were submitted, a new record in the event’s 15-year history. The curated business platform is taking place from 4 – 7 May 2021 as an online or hybrid event. In pre-planned, one-to-one video meetings, producers will have the opportunity to introduce their selected projects to potential coproduction and financing partners. APD is part of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) and the FMX – Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Immersive Media.
The film Malika is a joint project of the German production companies Trickstudio
Lutterbeck and Heimatfilm and is conceived as a mixture of live-action and animated film for an adult target group. A game is also planned.
©Trickstudio Lutterbeck/Heimatfilm
The global crisis has not impeded creativity in the animation industry. On the contrary: the wealth of genres, styles and topics among this year’s submissions was extraordinarily high. For adult audiences alone, almost every taste is catered for, ranging from gothic thrillers to cyberpunk heists, drama and comedy. Amongst the projects for older children (9-12 years) and teenagers, topics such as diversity, sexuality, cultural background and identity play a major role. And as always, there is an abundance of comedy and adventure material for younger children.
I&ME is a concept for a TV series and picture books for 3-5 year old children by
Studio Pupil, Netherlands.
©Studio Pupil/Bouwine Pool
Around 60% of the projects are TV series. Feature films are also well represented at 20% with a further 20% being cross-media projects which, for example, include books, a game or other mobile formats in addition to a series or film. In terms of animation techniques, the range extends from stop motion and puppet animation through classic 2D animation and CGI to motion capture technology. Hybrid forms combining live action and animation are also featured.
The TV series project Riot5 is one of eight projects selected for the APD Talent
Programme. The project for teenagers and young adults comes from Violeta Fellay from Denmark.
©Violeta Fellay
Of the projects, 48 are from Europe, with 16 coming from Germany. Spain, Denmark and Belgium are also strongly represented, with projects from a total of 22 countries overall being selected. Those coming from outside of Europe include Mexico and Kenya, while two projects from China have also been invited following their nomination via a partnership with the International Cartoon Animation Venture-Capital Conference (ICAVC).
Sex Symbols is a TV series project by Spanish producer Paloma Mora for 9-
13 year old children.
©admirablefilms/©TVON
For the APD Talent Programme, eight fantastic projects have been selected from 24 submissions. At APD, the young producers and creatives have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with experienced industry experts, develop contacts and find partners for their projects. This year, the short film project Nothing we say can change what we’ve been through by Francesca de Bassa (director) and Arantxa Martin (producer) qualified for the Talent Programme as part of the APD’s cooperation with the European Animation Sans Frontières training programme.
An overview of all selected projects can be found on the APD website