Czech Animation Is Looking for a Common Ground with the Israeli Film Industry
Richard Němec, member of the Board of the Czech Film Fund, describes the emergence of a bilateral treaty with Israel, its potential for Czech cinematography and especially animation. He admits the situation of Czech animation is not ideal, but everything that can be done is being done to improve the conditions and to grant the local authors once again the position they used to enjoy in the past. What stands in the way of establishing international cooperation? There is no universal answer to this question. A necessary precondition for cooperation is the existence of an international treaty, because each country has its special rules for entering co-productions. For example, the terms of the individual funds are connected to the country’s minimum shares in funding and budget, the priority being, naturally, the promotion of the country’s own production. The problem therefore occurs when the conditions are mutually exclusive making it impossible to meet the individual criteria. For example, you can’t make 60% of a film in one country and 70% in the other at the same time. Within the European Union we can co-produce on the basis of the Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production, which has been adopted to addresses these situations. […] ...
Animated Documentary – A Hundred Years Old and Still Alive
Last year, it was one hundred years since The Sinking of the Lusitania by Winsor McCay, considered by historians to be the first animated documentary. Since then, this hybrid and sometimes controversial genre has changed and evolved. Popular films include the recent Another Day of Life or Waltz with Bashir released some years ago. Czech animation is represented by Diana Cam Van Nguyen, whose short film Apart will compete at the prestigious Rotterdam festival. This year’s Anifilm, the International Festival of Animated Film will also focus on this unusual film format. In the last few years, animated documentaries (or anidoc as this format is sometimes called) have been growing in popularity among creators. They offer the director a wide range of options of self-expression. Movies are often based on actual events. The combination of animation and documentary allows for a metaphorical representation of things, situations, memories or traumatic experiences, while the unlimited possibilities of animation grant the authors artistic freedom. Cinema attendance points to another phenomenon. Animated documentaries bring adult viewers to the screen and break down the prejudices of animated film being only for children. Successful feature-length animated documentaries include a film about a Polish reporter in the Angolan […] ...
What’s on the Menu for Czech Animation in 2019
The year 2018 did not yield any box office hit in the field of Czech animation, yet festival showings and achievements abroad imply that our creators are not resting on their laurels. There are a number of interesting feature films, series, and TV bedtime-story animations in development or production. They will also include this year’s anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 50th birthday of Lucky Four or one hundred years since the death of historical Czech figure Rastislav Štefánik. And How Did Czech Animated Production Do Last Year? Four feature films by Czech filmmakers came to cinemas. One of them made it among the top 50 most visited: Pat & Mat: Winter Adventure, directed by Marek Beneš, attracted nearly 88,000 viewers, while the American animated Hotel Transylvania 3: Monster Vacation brought in nearly half a million. The highly anticipated and latest film by Jan Švankmajer Insects was released after seven years of production and nominated for the Film Critics’ Awards. In December, cinema-goers had a chance to see the Christmas story of Mimi & Lisa: Christmas Lights Mystery (directed by Ivana Šebestová and Katarína Kerekesová). Famous personalities such as Dagmar Pecková, Arnošt Goldflam, Linda Rybová or David Prachař supported its creation […] ...
First Edition of CEE Animation Workshop Brings Together Renowned Names in Script and Promising CEE Filmmakers
The first module of the year-long CEE Animation Workshop will take place from November 30th to December 6th in Ljubljana and will focus on content development. Invited tutors who will guide the participants are two experienced script advisors Rita Domonyi and Phil Parker. The group sessions will be led by Ewa Puszczyńska and Ole Wendorff-Østergaard. The workshop will bring together 12 animated projects, including 4 feature films, 4 series, 4 short films, and 5 participants without project. MEET THE SESSION EXPERTS Two SCRIPT CONSULTANTS will work individually or in group sessions with the project teams, helping them to formulate the voice of their story in the best possible way in terms of dramatic structure, genre and story arc. Rita Domonyi started her carrier in animation at Varga Studio, where she became the Creative Development manager of the company. She is also the teacher of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, and gives script editing lectures on the Faculty of Animation Studies. Screenwriter and creative producer Phil Parker has developed original content in over twenty countries demonstrating there is a global capacity for new concepts. His clients have included Aardman Animation (the Oscar winning Wallace and Gromit – Curse of the […] ...
CASE STUDY: “Richard the Stork”. Background of a successful European co-production.
The producer of the film “Richard the Stork” Kristine Knudsen was among the speakers at the international co-production workshop organised by the Association of Czech Animation Film in Prague from 25th October to 26th October 2018. A colourful co-production of four European countries (Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg) was screened last summer in the Czech distribution of Bontonfilm. The creators have devised an adventurous story of an orphan sparrow that grows up in a family of storks, who the sparrow decides to follow on their long journey to Africa. The film was sold to 155 countries and seen by over 3.6 million viewers. Kristine Knudsen, who in her own words devoted 9 years of her life to the film, told the audience – consisting mainly of professional producers – what was behind its success and what the criteria and pitfalls of European distribution are. CRITERIA OF SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES FROM DEVELOPMENT TO DISTRIBUTION Can you define the biggest challenge of the project? Right from the very beginning it was the theme: we came up with an original topic that nobody knew. In addition, Germany is a fairly conservative market. But we were lucky that our script was written from the […] ...
Interview with Olivier Noman about international co-production of animated movies
Olivier Noman kindly shared his co-production experiences during seminar of co-production in animation industry in Prague (Czech Republic), organized by the Association of Czech Animated Film (ASAF).He is freelance consultant in business matters and also working in Studio 100 Animation and we talked about main pillar of co-production. Hi Olivier, could you, please, tell us what does it mean co-production in animation industry? Are there any special rules? What does the co-production bring? Hi Karolina! A distinction can be made between official and non official co-production, depending on potential co-production treaty between countries. A co-production agreement can also refer to the ‘European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production’. Despite all these frameworks and regulations, there are no real special rules for animation. The specificity of the animation is more commercial than legal. It is a genre which travels more easily than live action or documentaries as you do not face the problems of stars or bankable actors. Meeting the interests of broadcasters or platforms in several countries is obviously a good starting point for a co-production. What co-production can bring to you can really be summarized in one word: partnership. In an ideal world each part of the co-production should bring the competitive advantages of its company […] ...
Visegrad Animation Forum Is Rebranding into CEE Animation and Opens Call for Pitch of Animated Projects
Visegrad Animation Forum (VAF) has been the largest platform for the animation industry in Central and Eastern Europe. Over the course of its six-year existence, it has managed to build a strong base of film professionals and welcome over 150 participants from all over Europe in Třeboň every year. The Central and Eastern European region operates on very similar historical, artistic and economic fundaments. That’s why it is the organisers’ ambition to broaden the platform by including other countries, increase the range of activities, and umbrella all of that under the new CEE Animation brand. CEE Animation Forum – formerly known as VAF Třeboň From 6th to 9th May 2019, a traditional pitching competition of animation projects will be held in three categories: short film, series / TV special or feature film. Selected authors will have a unique opportunity to consult projects with invited experts, get valuable feedback and advice on how to improve their presentation, script, or production strategy. Competition participants can secure a chance to find a co-production partner by presenting it in front of more than one hundred film professionals – including producers, TV programmers, festival directors, distributors, investors or representatives of national film funds. They all come […] ...
Mimi & Lisa: The Christmas Lights Mystery and Other Stories
On the 6th December 2018 a set of short films for small children and their parents about the extraordinary friendship of two little girls, Mimi and Lisa, will be released in Czech cinemas. Seven short stories depict the magical adventures of a blind girl and her friend. Target audience: 4 to 8 years. The Slovak studio Fool Moon and the Czech MAUR film took part in the production, with co-production by Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS). The film was created with the support of the Slovak Audiovisual Fund and the Czech State Cinematography Fund. According to producer Martin Vandas (MAUR film), the fact that the main heroine Mimi is blind played an important role in approaching partners and famous Czech actors, who lent their voices to the characters. “These are beautiful and powerful stories where a disability is not a disability. On a European scale, it’s a completely original idea to tell children about their blind peers and show them that although the blind may not be able to see, their other sense perceptions are much more intense and we can learn a lot from them; they can experience adventures in the childhood world together with us. Both girls […] ...
CEE Animation Workshop Opens a Call for Filmmakers from Low Production Capacity Countries
CEE Animation Workshop is a year-long programme of training, project development and networking for producers and their creative teams, focusing on animated or hybrid projects of all lengths and types (shorts, features, series). The aim is to provide tutoring in the field of content development, starting with script consultancy, as well as artistic and production consultancy. Lectures and presentations of recent trends in production, marketing and distribution, case studies of international co-productions, financial and legal matters and other important elements will be provided by acclaimed international experts. A particular focus will be on the inclusion of artists of different profiles who will collaborate in group-work with participants, sharing their experiences and skills. The programme is intended to position producers and creatives in international animation industry networks and to develop animated projects in line with the current market and distribution demand. Besides on-site workshops, the programme will comprise the opportunity to pitch projects and receive online consultancy. CEE Animation Workshop is divided into three 6-day modules. The first module will focus on content development, the second one on production and financing, and the third one on accessing the market. The third module will be organised alongside the CEE (previously known as […] ...
Cartoon Springboard – Apply Now for Scholarship
The fourth edition of Cartoon Springboard will take place in Valenciennes, France, from 4 to 6 December 2018. It will be an excellent opportunity for the young talents of European animation schools to improve their animation project by pitching it in front of a panel of experts from the audiovisual world. The submission of the projects is now fully running with a deadline coming soon: 5th October 2018. The projects which can be submitted are: TV series, TV specials, feature films, cross-media projects. To submit a project at Cartoon Springboard, you must be a young talent from European animation school and must have graduated within the last 5 years. Special offer for participants from East Europe If you are a citizen of one of the following countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia & Ukraine), you should apply for a scholarship ! There is no registration fee, accommodation (3 nights) and travel expenses (up to 200€) are offered to the successful applicants. Applicants will have to: > Submit their project by 5th October at the latest specifying their country of origin through online form (My Cartoon > My Projects > Cartoon […] ...
