“We are very happy that our film has toured so many festivals to date. Thanks to the support of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, we have been able to travel and attend several of these events across Europe. It is wonderful to share our film at various festival venues, have the opportunity to discuss the film’s concept with the audiences, and to hear their interpretations of our work. The festival presence also gives us the opportunity to present Croatian animation and promote the fantastic contemporary Croatian filmmaking, so we feel honoured to be a part of the Croatian family of filmmakers”, said directing duo Ivana Bošniak Volda and Thomas Johnson Volda.

Since its world premiere at the Ottawa International Animation Festival last autumn, their third joint animated film project Remember How I Used to Ride a White Horse has toured the globe. So far, it has screened at almost 50 festivals. The authors highlight that they have presented it at Annecy, DOK Leipzig, Flipbook in Skopje, Anibar in Kosovo and Vienna Shorts, among many others.

It was precisely the screening at Vienna Shorts that put it in the running for an Oscar nomination, presented by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the ‘European Oscar’, that is, the European Film Award, awarded by the European Film Academy. In Vienna, it won Best Film in the international competition Animation Avantgarde.

“The award we received at Vienna Shorts is the highest recognition any of our films has ever received. It was an incredible moment, a great honour, and an incentive to continue creating animated films”, Ivana and Thomas said. Their film has won five awards to date, including the ASIFA Croatia Award for Best Croatian Professional Film in 2022.

The title, which the filmmakers describe as their most intimate yet, continues its journey around the world. It will screen, in the presence of both authors, at the Uppsala International Short Film Festival, with further screenings in Turkey (Canlandıranlar Animation Film Festival) and Argentina (Bitbang International Festival of Animation, Videogames and Digital Art Festival), among other festivals.

Remember How I Used to Ride a White Horse deals with the feeling of apathy centring on a waitress contemplating an escape from her own reality, and a guest who constantly records and listens to the sounds at the café.

The film was produced by Igor Grubić for Kreativni sindikat, with Bonobostudio in charge of distribution.