The 47th edition of CINANIMA - Espinho International Animation Film Festival takes place from the 13th to the 19th of November. This year, the Espinho Festival highlights the different European Cultural Identities, from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, CINANIMA promises to be a true journey through Europe, presenting different experiences and perspectives from different parts of the old continent. In addition, the competitive feature film sessions will feature 5 films that make their national debut. Outside of the competition, the feature films 'Titina' and 'La Outra Forma' will also have their premieres. The short film competition will feature 125 films from 33 countries.
The festival, organized by the Nascente Cooperativa de Ação Cultural together with the Espinho City Council, is divided between the Centro Multimeios de Espinho, the Casino Auditorium and the Solário Atlântico Swimming Pool, and deepens the strong tradition of connecting the Festival to the communities of the region of Espinho, either through direct involvement or through contact with School Groups, Associations and local authorities.
Competitive Sessions: Author’s Animation Cinema for all tastes
The opening session of the Festival, on November 13th, featured the screening of the iconic Portuguese animated film 'Os Salteadores', by Abi Feijó. Regarding the films in competition, the public will have the opportunity to watch five feature films, all premiering in Portugal. One of the highlights is the anime 'Gonta: The Story of the Two-Named Dog in the Fukushima Disaster', by Japanese Akio Nishizawa, on November 14, and 'The Tunnel to Summer, The Exit of Goodbyes', by Japanese Tomohisa Taguchi, on November 18th. The International feature film competition also features 'Kensuke's Kingdom', with the voice of Cillian Murphy, directed by renowned Brits Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, which will be shown on November 15th; the international co-production 'A Greyhound of a Girl', by the Italian Enzo d'Alò (one of the most prominent names in European animation cinema) and with the participation of Portuguese director Regina Pessoa, will be shown on November 16th; 'Four Souls of Coyote', by Hungarian Áron Gauder, a film that won the Jury Prize at the Annecy Festival 2023 and will be presented on November 17th.
With regard to short films, there are 125 films that will liven up the city of Espinho for a week. The competition in this category takes place on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th of November. Highlight is the national production, which includes five short films, selected for the international competition: 'A casa para guard o tempo', by Joana Imaginário; 'Cold Soup', by Marta Monteiro; 'Olha', by Nuno Amorim; 'The Man with the Tall Legs', by Vítor Hugo Rocha; and 'Morning Shadows', by Rita Cruchinho Neves. In turn, November 18th will be reserved for the screening of Portuguese short films that will compete in the Young Portuguese Filmmaker Award and António Gaio Award.
The works will be evaluated by a panel of internationally renowned juries. The International Short Film Jury is made up of Alberto Vazquéz (Spanish animated film director, his film “Unicorn Wars” won the awards Goya for best animated feature film), Britt Raes (Belgian director and animation teacher), Jim Van Der Keyl (American director and animator who worked for Disney for several years, participating in films such as “The Little Mermaid”, “The Cat Boots”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Shrek”, “Looney Tunes”, among others); João Gonzalez (the first Portuguese director nominated for an Oscar with his film “Ice Merchants”); Maria Anestopolou (director of the AnimaSyros International Animated Film Festival, Greece). The jury for the international Student Works competition is made up of Nikola Majdak (Serbian director and animator); Tessa Moult-Milewska (director and animator from the United Kingdom); and Wiola Sowa (Polish director and animator). The jury that will evaluate the five International Feature Films is made up of Andrea Bauer (Member of the ITFS Festival - Stuttgart International Animated Film Festival), Igor Prassel (founder and director of the ANIMATEKA Festival in Slovenia) and Priit Tender (director and animator from Estonia). Finally, the jury for the National competition is made up of Anders Narverud Moen (director of the Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway); João Levezinho (Portuguese illustrator and animator); and Regina Machado (director of Casa da Animação).
Entertainment, beyond the competition
One of the main attractions of this edition, in addition to the competitive sessions, are the Retrospectives, sessions that explore the various European cultural identities. In these sessions we travel through the Nordic regions through the 'Do Norte' program, we are invited to discover the Balkans with the program 'Dos Balkans: A Creative Journey' and we even make a stop in the Mediterranean through 'Olhares do Mediterranean'. In addition, there will also be sessions from guest schools: KASK & Conservatorium Ghent, from Belgium, and HKU University of the Arts, from the Netherlands.
The Grand Panorama International sessions will be guided by a more philosophical theme, also related to identity: existentialism. In total there will be three sessions divided into the themes “Saudade”, “I Exist” and “Singularity in Diversity”.
The Festival also promotes special sessions with programs dedicated to younger audiences and which includes, among others, the screening of the Disney film 'Elemental', on November 19th. That same day, CINANIMA shows a program for families in collaboration with the Festival Cinema Miúdo, from Galicia, and a program for young audiences, proposed by Casa da Animação.
Animation Cinema beyond the screen
In addition to film screenings, CINANIMA aims to break down screen barriers and bring animation to society, bringing animated cinema to the entire community. Among the various initiatives of daily masterclasses, exhibitions, training and presentations, the following stand out:
- Masterclass with Craig Caldwell under the theme 'Bringing characters to life', to be held on November 14th, at Centro Multimeios de Espinho. Craig Caldwell, Professor at Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR), has extensive experience in the animation industry in his portfolio, with emphasis on his stints at Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Feature Animation (with participation in films such as Mulan, Tarzan , Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, among others)
- Masterclass with João González with the theme 'Ice Merchants – From the subconscious to the screen'. This masterclass will take place at ESMAD – Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design (Vila do Conde), on November 16th;
- FORManimada – first meeting of Trainers in Animation Cinema Workshops;
- Symposium: Views on Portuguese Animation, an event that invites analysis and debate on various films; moderated by Cátia Peres, with guest directors Nuno Beato and José Miguel Ribeiro and guest researchers Cynthia Levitan, Inês Rebanda Coelho, Risa Cohen, João Apolinário and Sandra Ramos;
- PNA/Cinanima Digital Cultural Backpack – takes place on November 7th, in the Multimeios multipurpose room and features a presentation of the film #LINGO and debate sessions with the theme 'The challenge of growing up in the era of social networks';
- Projetos.PT, animation project presentation session;
- CINANIMA Invites Wiola Sowa, in the Maus Hábitos space, a debate session with an intimate conversation with Polish director Wiola Sowa;
Workshops, workshops, training, presentations and meetings are also present in the extensive list of this year's CINANIMA program. Furthermore, the Festival maintains its tradition of relationship with film education, creating for the first time accredited training actions for teachers and trainers. The traditional trip of schools to CINANIMA is also maintained, through the 'Schools Come to CINANIMA' initiative.
CINANIMA 2023 schedule on the festival's official website at www.cinanima.pt.
SOURCE: CINANIMA