Croatian animated films at festivals across Europe
Croatian animation is currently being presented at different film festivals in Europe. Five Croatian titles were showcased at the recently concluded Kaboom Animation Festival in the Netherlands, while one film is currently screening in France. On the other hand, four animated films will be exhibited in Wales, at a Cardiff festival that kicked off yesterday, 7th April, while later this month, one animated and one experimental film will appear before the audience at the short film festival in the German town of Landshut.
Five Croatian animated films screened at the recently concluded Kaboom Animation Festival that took place in hybrid format in Amsterdam and Utrecht, 28th March – 3rd April: Natko Stipaničev’s Arka in the online programme Eastern Talents, Morana Dolenec’ Tonka Will Do It Tomorrow, included in the programme for children aged 6+, while Marko Tadić’s animated-experimental Events Meant to Be Forgotten ran in the Offbeat Shorts programme.
In addition, Animafest Zagreb’s 2020 trailer, created by Japanese artist Yoriko Mizushiri, is included in the commissioned works section, while the programme Us vs. Them vs. Us features The Fifth One, a 1965 animated feature created by Pavao Štalter and Zlatko Grgić.
Croatian animation is currently also being presented at the Music & Cinema - Festival International du Film à Marseille (MCM), held 4th – 9th April. The Shorts Before Features programme, aimed at showcasing short works before feature film slots, is screening Mirela Ivanković Bielen’s Growing up Dream. In addition, the opening film at the MCM in Marseille was Cannes laureate (Camera d’Or) Murina directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović.
The Cardiff Animation Festival kicks off on Thursday, 7th April, offering onsite screenings for the audience until 10th April, while its programme will also be available online, until 24th April.
Its competition programme includes four more Croatian animated films. Marko Meštrović’s The Raft and Kata Gugić’s Cockpera have been selected for the focus programme Sound/Vision dedicated to music-themed films, while Natko Stipanićev’s Arka will appear in the Silent/Cinema programme for works with no dialogue. Also, Marko Dješka’s All Those Sensations in My Belly will be featured in the Together/Apart thematic programme about human relations.
Besides the Netherlands and Wales, in April Arka is also scheduled to appear in Germany, at the latest edition of the Landshut Short Film Festival. Taking place until 8th May, the festival in Landshut will also feature experimental film Microcassette – The Smallest Cassette I've Ever Seen, created by Igor Bezinović and Ivana Pipal.
Cover photograph: collage (scenes from Arka; Tonka Will Do It Tomorrow; Events Meant to Be Forgotten; Growing up Dream; The Raft; Cockpera; All Those Sensations in My Belly; Microcassette – The Smallest Cassette I've Ever Seen; The Fifth One)