The Festival is geared toward the newest animated short film productions from Eastern and Central Europe. The very first Animateka was held in 2004, a logical extension of the monthly animated film programme held in Slovenska Kinoteka and curated by Igor Prassel, who is the Festival’s Programme Director.

36 films will be screened in the animated short film competition, of which five are Croatian: Wake Me Up by Dea Jagić (Zagreb Film), Off Belay by Siniša Mataić (Luma Film), Transparency by Daniel Šuljić (Creative Syndicate), Here There by Alexander Stewart (Bonobostudios), and the Croatian minority co-production Life with Herman H. Rott by Chintis Lundgren (Chintis Lundgreni Animatsioonistuudio, Adriatic Animation, Creative Organisation ANIMA, GoodJobStudios).

Rainy, by Ivana Guljašević (Igubuka), will compete in the children’s film programme Elephant, while Jelena Oroz’s Wolf Games (Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb Film) will compete in the European Student Film programme.

The Eastern and Central European Panorama will feature Wiener Blut by Pavao Štalter and Zlatko Bourek (Zagreb Film), Even Monkeys Die by Anja Sušanj (AFA Zagreb, Zagreb film), Arcadian Fever by Tea Stražičić (AFA Zagreb, Zagreb film) and Conversation directed by Ana Horvat (Luma Film). 

The Elephant Panorama programme will screen the animated television series Let’s Play a Story: The Ant and the Grasshopper, produced by Darija Kulenović Gudan and Marina Andrea Škop (Studio Dim, First Lady Film, New York Dub), as well as the animated short Sweet Dreams by Dinko Kumanović (Zagreb Film).

Animateka will also host the Open Platform programme in Kinodvor Café where, in the afternoons, they will present film festivals and projects under development. This year, Draško Ivezić, along with selected guests will, in the form of a creative pitching forum, introduce Anidox Zagreb – a workshop intended for animation and documentary professionals held in Zagreb from December 4th to 6th. Participants will also have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with two developing projects: Hedgehog’s Home (based on the story Hedgehog’s Home by Branko Ćopić), written and directed by Croatian-Canadian Eva Cvijanović (NFB, Bonobostudios), as well as the animated-documentary Chris the Swiss, by Swiss director Anja Kofmel (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Nukleus film). 

More than 600 films applied to Animateka this year. Further details can be found on the Festival’s official website.