7th Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival

For the 7th consecutive year the Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival, organized by Cypriot NGOs Views of the World and Hambis School of Printmaking, makes a consistent effort to broaden its versatile profile, embracing as many different expressions of the audiovisual arts as possible.

The Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival, taking place in the stone-built village of Plataniskia, is determined to revive the traditional Cypriot countryside civilization. After a successful 6 years, the Festival has rekindled cultural activities, not only in the village itself but the surrounding areas as well, offering a unique combination of education and entertainment. This event combines open - air screenings and an impressive array of printmaking, sculting and animation workshops without charging a penny.

This year’s festival - more secure in its powers than ever - is set to increase the number of film screenings and workshops, inviting you all to a festive summer event, scheduled to culminate in an open-air concert by Cypriot singer/ songwriter Alkinoos Ioanides.

The Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival is focused on ecology, culture and the inner workings of contemporary societies in both the documentary and the animated sections. As long as a film demonstrates a creative approach, we are happy to give it a chance.

The educational side of the festival is intended to involve people in different creative processes. This year’s edition boasts a very promising illustration workshop by American artist Gary Baseman, whose work you’ll be able to familiarize yourselves with through detailed presentations. Born in Los Angeles in 1960, he has won an array of awards for his work in both TV and the printed media. Baseman has collaborated with Disney in various projects, while his illustrations can be seen in various publications the world over. Some of his painting are currently hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC and the Museum of Modern Art in Rome.

Parallel to the Czech Animation Tribute you’ll have the chance to take part in a series of workshops under the supervision of the sculptor Kurt Gebauer, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and an exhibition of the work of Michal Zabka . This particular school has a great tradition in animation and is linked to world famous directors, such as Jan Svankmajer and others. Gebauer and his team will counsel the annual sculpting workshops traditionally organized by the festival, while they will introduce the student’s techniques and experimentations in a series of lectures.

The Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival is hosted by the Hambis School of Printmaking, founded in the memory of Greek printmaker A. Tassos.

For more information and the schedule please visit the official website of the festival.