14th Countryside Animafest Cyprus

Countryside Animafest Cyprus — Views of the World returns this summer with its 14th edition, on July 13 to 18. This year more than 40 distinguished independent filmmakers from all over the world, including Cyprus, armed with their dreams and their craft, express a strong social commentary through their films. The struggle of humans to create beauty in this world against all odds is at the heart of their work.

Unique artists, stunning imagery, humour, experimentation and lots of great Animation filmmaking, will surely enchant the audience of the festival taking place at one of the island’s most magical locations: the Palaepaphos archaeological site, a world heritage monument.

A glimpse of this year’s International Competition Program

-Films by contemporary masters:

World of Tomorrow, by a great contemporary master and Oscar-nominated American independent director Don Hertzfeldt. The film takes us, through the eyes of a young girl, on a mind-bending tour of her distant future. We can’t live without Cosmos by Oscar-nominated Russian director Konstantin Bronzit is a sensitive treatise on friendship and dreams, as two cosmonauts go through their daily training at a space station. You Look Like Me by Pierre Herbert (known for using abstract expressionism in his work and for creating politically charged films) is a moving film about loss, exile, identity and memory. Subversive artist Theodor Ushev presents one of his latest films, The Sleepwalker, a surreal journey through colours and forms, a passionate cinematic poem with dreamlike rhythm inspired by the poem Sonámbulo by Federico Garcia Lorca. We are also very pleased to include in our program the three films by innovative animation film director Andreas Hykade, Nuggets, My Self Smoke and My Self Universe.

This year’s Line up include also filmmakers with numerous awards already in their luggage, such as: Michaela Pavlatova’s Different Kinds of People (Czech Republic), Mirai Mizoue's Retro Future (Japan), Gabriel Osorio’s Bear Story (Chile), Sarina Nihei's Small People with Hats (United Kingdom), Dahee Jeong's Man on the chair (France), William Garratt's Slaves of the Rave (United Kingdom), Xaver Xylophon's Roadtrip (Germany), Aristotelis Marangos's A portrait (Greece), NaiWei Liu’s Something Important (Taiwan), Jacky de Groen's Eclipse (Belgium), Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata’s Between Times, (The Netherland) Chintis Lundgren'sLife with Herman H Rott, (Estonia, Croatia, Denmark), Wu Zhi-Jing’s Remembrance of the Past, (China), Natalia Chernysheva’s Two Friends (France), Maryam Kashkoolinia’s When I Was a Child, (Iran), Frank Terniers 8 Bullets, (France) Tochka (Nagata Takeshi and Monno Kazue) Track, (Japan), Paul Cabon's Storm hits jacket.

-Political Films from neighboring countries

This year we are proud to present an array of intensely political films by authors from neighboring countries. Independent Syrian director Jalal Maghout presents his latest animated documentary Suleima, which tells the story of one a thousands of anonymous women that fight against dependency and injustice in Syria. Iranian director Sarah Saidan, with her film Beach Flags, well-received in many festivals including Cannes, Sundance, and Clermont Ferrand, focuses on women’s rights in Iran. Italian director Simone Massi, “animatore resistente”, whose work stands out for its strong political message expressed with lyricism and references to the cinema of resistance (cinema della rezistenza), participates in the festival with his latest film L’attesa de Magio. Two more filmmakers from Italy present their work, Mario Addis with Pene e Crudite and Tess Martin with the film Mario.

World Premieres

Two internationally acclaimed directors present the world premieres of their latest films in this year’s festival: Piano, by Estonian director Kaspar Jancis, is a film without main characters where the lives of characters that have lost their head intertwine in a dramatic and less dramatic way in an ordinary concrete panel apartment building. Kaspar Jancis also created the artwork for this year’s festival poster. In Hungarian director Tamas Patrovits film Work in Progress graphic faces flare and morph into one another to rising rhythm of the music, which was played on found and recycled objects. The original charcoal drawings were made blindfolded by an artists collective.

National Competition Program

One of the festival’s perennial goals is to reach and inspire a wide and diverse audience. We aim to open a gateway of communication with current aesthetics, techniques and themes from the international community.

Two years ago we inaugurated the National Competition Program. At the same time the festival continues to enrich its academic and educational activities throughout the year. We hope that in this way we may contribute to the development of the field of animation in Cyprus.

This year’s National Competition includes more than 10 films by professionals and students.

In addition to the competition programs the festival presents a series of sidebar events which include tributes, exhibitions, workshops and concerts.

Tributes and Exhibitions at the Hambis Printmaking Museum:

-Poster exhibition and film’s retrospective tribute to Piotr Dumala in the section Masters of Animation (Grand Prix in last year’s Countryside Animafest Cyprus for the film Hippopotami).

Dumala (a member of this year’s International Jury committee), born 1956, is a scriptwriter and director of animated and live action films, illustrator and poster designer, professor of Film School in Lodz (Poland), guest teacher of Harvard University(USA) and Konstfack Art College (Sweden). He has won of over 90 awards for his film artworks, among them Grand Prix at festivals in Krakow, Espinho, Zagreb, Amsterdam, Ottawa, Montreal and Cyprus.

The retrospective of Piotr Dumala’s films will be showing daily in the medieval hall at the main festival venue (Manor House in Palaepaphos), from July 16 to 18.

-Exhibition of a selection of drawings and puppets by Špela Čadež

Špela Čadež (a member of this year’s International Jury committee) is an independent director and producer of animated films from Slovenia. After graduating in Graphic Design in 2002, she continued her studies at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany. During her studies she made two puppet animations that gained international recognition: Mate to Measure, (2004) and Lovesick, (2007). Her latest film, Boles (2013, Grand Prix at the 12th Countryside Animafest Cyprus) has been screened worldwide, receiving over 40 awards, distinctions and nominations.

Špela Čadež’ s films will be screened daily in the medieval hall at the main festival venue (Manor House in Palaepaphos) from July 16 to 18.

Guest Festival: Anim’est Romania

CREEPY ANIMATION NIGHT

Anim'est international animation film festival is celebrating its 10th edition this October. We are proud to host at this edition in Cyprus a "creepy" program curated by the founder & director of Anim'est Romania Mihai Mitrica.

The Creepy Animation Night is an invitation to explore the dark side of animation, in a selection of bizarre, strange, unusual visual improvisations, grotesque imagery, many of them not selectable by other festivals precisely because of their extreme elements.

Special Screening about Canadian Graphic Novelist Seth.

Seth’s Dominion, directed by Luc Chamberland (NFB)

Canadian cartoonist Seth, best known for comic books such as Palookaville, is one of the world’s great storytellers in the form. In his personal projects he transforms his poignant inner life into observant and witty graphic stories. He is also incredibly prolific, producing semi-autobiographical comics and award-winning commercial work, as well as what he calls his “little hobbies.” Director Luc Chamberland sheds light on his articulate subject, mixing insightful biography with vivid animation in an artful fusion of filmmaking techniques that perfectly captures Seth’s manifold creative universe. In this deft portrait of one of our most unique artists, Seth proves to be a wry and engaging narrator of his life story and artistic process.

Workshops

Špela Čadež (see above, tributes) will lead a Puppet Animation Workshop at the King Nikokles Inn in Nikokleia (July 13 -15). The workshop will focus on the creation of Puppets through the use of simple materials.

The second workshop entitled Improvisational Animation Workshop will be lead by Tamas Patrovits at the Hambis Printmaking Museum in Platanisteia (July 16 to 18). Tamas Patrovits, a prolific animation filmmaker and academic from Hungary, will initiate the workshop participants into the secrets of stop motion animation using simple everyday objects and lots of imagination.

The workshops are addressed mostly to artists, professionals, teachers, and other creators with some knowledge in animation. More information at

Children’s film program and workshop at Technopolis 20

At this year’s children’s program, the young audience will enjoy films such as Prince Ki-Ki-Do by Grega Mastnak, The Elephant and the Bycycle by Olesya Shchukina, Nikola Tesla’s Secret Laboratory by Bruno Razum, Ivan and the Wolf by Anna Levinson, Caterpillar and Hen by Michela Donini, Children’s time by Nina Bisyarina, Lune by Toma Leroux and Patric Delage, A little star by Svetlana Andrianova and many more. A part of this year’s children’s film program is curated in collaboration with ANIMATEKA International Animated Film Festival in Slovenia.

Closing Night Concert

This year’s main music event is organized in collaboration with the European Cultural Capital Pafos 2017. This year we are extremely happy to present one of the most acclaimed artists of the Ethnic Scene worldwide, Greek singer Savvina Yiannatou with her group Primavera en Salonico. The concert will be given at closing night, on Saturday July 18, at the main festival venue, the Medieval Manor House at Palaepaphos, Kouklia.

Countryside Animafest Cyprus Views of the World is co-organized by the NGO Views of the World and the Hambis Printmaking Museum with the support of ASIFA Cyprus and the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Republic of Cyprus. Official Award Sponsor is Hellenic Bank. The festival and its sidebar events are part of the official program of activities of the European Capital of Culture Pafos 2107.

Since 2015 Countryside Animafest Cyprus - Views Of The World is part of the EFFE Platform, initiated by the European Festivals Association, which consists of festivals that stand for artistic quality and have a significant impact on the local, national and international level.

more info www.animafest.com.cy

For constant updates on the festival like our page Facebook/Animafest Cyprus.

Programme

Medieval Manor House, Palaepaphos Archaeological Site, Kouklia
Main Festival Venue, Screenings, tributes and concerts (16-18 July)

THURSDAY JULY 16
20:30 PERFORMANCE (accapella solo loop)
21:20 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 1 (PART Α)
22:20 CYPRUS (NATIONAL) COMPETITION
23:00 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 1 (PART B)

FRIDAY JULY 16
20:45 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2 (PART A)
21:30 SETH’S DOMINION
22:30 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION (PART B)
23:45 CREEPY ANIMATION NIGHT (ANIM’EST ROMANIA)

SATURDAY JULY 16
20:45 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 3
22:00 AWARD CEREMONY
22:30 CLOSING OF THE FESTIVAL: CONCERT SAVVINA YIANNATOU

Technopolis 20 Cultural Center, Pafos
Children’s Film Program and Children’s Workshop (13-15 July)

MONDAY JULY 13
21:00 CHILDREN’ S FILM PROGRAM 1

TUESDAY JULY 14
21:00E CHILDREN’ S FILM PROGRAM 2

WEDNESDAY JULY 15
21:00 CHILDREN’ S FILM PROGRAM 3

Hambis Printmaking Museum, Platanisteia village
Workshop: Improvisational Animation, with Tamas Patrovits (16-18 July)
Exhibitions: Piotr Dumala & Spela Cadez (16-18 July)

Agrotourism Inn “Vasilias Nikokles”, Nikokleia village
Workshop: Puppet Animation with Spela Cadez (13-15 July)