World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb, established in 1972, is the second oldest film festival in the world completely dedicated to animation. Animafest Zagreb has always been, alongside festivals in Annecy, Ottawa and Hiroshima, a part of the obligatory circuit in the animation community’s calendar. Animafest’s Grand Prix winners directly qualify for the Academy Award and the European Animation Award. Until 2005, the festival was held biennially, and afterwards continued in the annual rhythm, devoting even years to short film and odd years to feature film.
Animafest Zagreb will present a program of short films by female directors from Central and Eastern Europe, named That's What She Said, Vol 02.
FILMS:
Keep Out, Tan-Lui Chan, Czech Republic, 2023, 8'
Individuals live in tiny, isolated rooms away from the hazards of the outside world. They make a living through live video streaming, connecting with others in the virtual realm. Yet, on one fateful day, a chubby boy stumbles upon an unexpected secret.
I Died in Irpin, Anastasiia Falileieva, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, 2024, 11'
On February 24th in the morning my boyfriend and I decided to go from Kyiv to Irpin to see his parents. It is hard for me to recall the chronology of those days, my mind blocks and minimizes all the memories, erases them, but the only thing I know for sure is that every day everything rapidly became worse.
Butterfly, Sunčana Brkulj, Croatia, Denmark, 2023, 8'
A community of garden creatures all contribute to the flow of life, using water from a fountain. When a butterfly gets stuck in the fountain and stops the flow, they’re faced with an unfamiliar situation.
Dream Rotation, Katarína Jelínková, Darya Sidorova, Viktória Zimmermannová, Rebeka Vakrčková, Slovakia, 2023, 9'
A lost soul makes its way through the thicket of the forest at night. He wanders aimlessly until he comes upon a group of those like himself, sitting by a fire. Night and fire freed them, and now everyone is ready to share the story that brought them to this forest.
Such Miracles Do Happen, Barbara Rupik, Poland, 2023, 14'
One day, all the statues in the area come to life. They leave the roadside shrines and pedestals and calmly set off straight ahead, all in the same direction. They do not even stop for a moment. People watch the phenomenon with growing anxiety. None of them knows why and where they go. Only a little girl with a boneless body marvels at the procession of the unusual figures with pure fascination. They walk without muscles, though they should not be able to walk. How strange!
Three Birds, Zarja Menart, Slovenia, Croatia, 2024, 8'
A wise birdwoman sends three birds to guide a girl into the dark unknown landscapes of her inner world. There she finds sadness, uncertainty, and death – but also the seeds of transformation and hope for what can sprout and bear fruit again.
Shoes and Hooves, Viktória Traub, Hungary, 2024, 15'
A pedicurist in a small-town, Paula the centaur-girl longs to have human feet. When she meets Arnold the crocodile-man, it is love at first sight. Can Paula take the first steps in her search for identity? What will be the price of her attempts to fit in and deny her true self?
*films are in original language with English subtitles
