“This is our sixth time being featured in the Annecy IAFF official competition, but the first time we are in the running with a film my brother and I co-directed, which makes this edition of Annecy very special for me,” said Veljko Popović on the occasion.

“I am very happy that we are once again a part of Annecy IAFF! This time I will be there in the capacity of film director and I am especially pleased about that. Participating in such a prestigious festival is another validation of the trust we received from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and confirms that the funds and time invested in the film resulted in a work of which we can be proud. Also, we look forward to being in the company of our colleagues Marko Dješka, Sunčana Brkulj, Ivana Bošnjak and Thomas Johnson also featured at this year’s festival,” added Milivoj Popović.  

The VR project Dislocation problematizes the highly current topic of fear. Dislocation refers to the forceful displacement of people from their homes and daily lives due to cataclysmic events, while the film is a visual rendering of the emotions that take hold when people find themselves in such extremely dire circumstances. The film follows the protagonist around various locations, from a beach on the coast of Greece, to a desert on the border between Mexico and the US, all the way to a forest in the Balkans.   

Veljko and Milivoj Popović’s project was created using 2D and 3D animation and motion capture technology, in collaboration with dancer Alen Čelić and choreographer Nikolina Dolfić.

Dislocation is produced by Croatian company Prime Render studio, in co-production with French company Bagan Films. Veljko Popović and Milivoj Popović produced the film, along with Patrick Hernandez and Veronique Siegel as co-producers. The VR project’s distributor and sales representative is Bonobostudio, while the project received support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the City of Split.  

Dislocation is one of nine projects featured in the 45th Annecy VR Works Competition, while the programme received a total of 75 submissions this year. Last year, Veljko and Milivoj Popović’s project appeared in the Annecy Preview programme highlighting projects in development.   

In addition to Dislocation, the Annecy IAFF will also screen Marko Dješka’s All Those Sensations in My Belly (in the Short Film Competition) and The Tower by Sunčana Brkulj (in the Graduation Short Film category).   

The Commissioned Films competition will include the 30th World Festival of Animated Films Animafest Zagreb festival trailer, directed by Japanese artist Yoriko Mizushiri, as well as the educational animated video, Why Didn’t This Body Decompose?, created by Croatian creative duo Ivana Bošnjak and Thomas Johnson.

The festival will take place in hybrid format, 14th – 19th June, while so far about 200 titles have been announced in the Short, Graduation, VR, TV and Commissioned film programmes. The Feature Film contenders are yet to be announced, while the entire selection confirmed so far is available here.

Apart from the film programme, the festival’s film market, MIFA, will take place during the festival, 15th–18th June. 

More details about the Annecy International Animated Film Festival are available on the festival’s official website. 

Cover photos: scenes from Dislocation