Bordo Statue (closeup)

Bordo Statue

CINANIMA Festival gave us their stage for the ASIFA Prize ceremony and they provided all other help we needed.

They offered the last, award giving night, for our Prize, but as our President Nelson had to leave on Saturday morning, we decided to organise the ceremony on Friday, 11 November at 9:30 p.m. before the Competition program.

It was a nice ceremony in warm atmosphere, just like everything is warm and in almost family atmosphere at Cinanima.  Firstly, Nelson had a short speech thanking Cinanima for the hospitality and after that he gave a short history of ASIFA Prize.

He announced the laureat (Bordo) who was totally surprised and very touched. Nelson gave the Prize to Bordo.

Ed Desroches then presented a short CV of Bordo, (see below) and other present Board members and former ASIFA Prize laureats were asked to join them on the stage – Sayoko Kinoshita, Vesna, Nicole Salomon and Bruno Edera.  At the end, one of Bordo’s film was shown:

Exciting Love Story which won a high prize at Annecy 1989.

ASIFA Prize Presentation at Cinanima 2011

About Bordo:

“For those of you who don’t know Borivoj Dovnikovic, Bordo, let me give you some background.

Bordo is a pioneer of Croation animation and one of the most awarded filmmakers of the renowned Zagreb School of Animation. This year he celebrates his 60^th anniversary in the animation field having worked on his first film in 1951.  His films have won many international awards including 8 Life Achievement awards.

Since ASIFA’s beginning in 1961, Bordo has been an active member first in ASIFA-Yugoslavia and then in ASIFA-Croatia.  He was a board member between 1977 and 1982 and was the ASIFA Secretary General from 1994 to 2000.  In 1972, Bordo co-founded of the Zagreb Animation Festival.

Bordo is also a wonderful person, very good humored, easy going, and a great friend.

This ASIFA Award to Bordo is long overdue. He is truly someone who represents the spirit of ASIFA.

Congratulations, Bordo.”

It was a unique moment in the history of African Animation and in the history of ASIFA that for first time the appreciated Prize goes to an African animator, Moustapha Alassane, and for the first time it is introduced in an African festival, Animafrik.

In this connection let me thank all ASIFA board members for their great support for this nomination and for urge to upgrade the art of animation in Africa .

We would like to thank very much the great artist, Michel Ocelot, for his kind acceptation to create our 2009 trophy, as a well-known name in Africa due to his numerous African animated films, the audiences and the animators in Animafrik were very surprised to see his genuine work among them.

I thank to our president, Sayoko Kinoshita, for her appreciated letter which she wrote to our 31st laureate, and make him very honored to get this homage from our international organization.
And other thanks go to our secretary general, Vesna Dovnikovic, for contacting Michel and sending the trophy.

We can’t miss the opportunity to thank Mr. Samuel Quartey, the director of Animafrik festival, who organized the successful events of his festival and was very eager to host our Prize in his young festival. He truly deserves our support and a thanks letter from our president.

It was pity that due to bad health condition 78 years old Moustapha Alassane couldn’t be present on the festival Animafrik, but he sent his secretary Ms Rokaiatu Abobaka to be his representative on the festival and to introduce his homage night and his films. Moustapha also greeted ASIFA, the festival and the audiences by telephone, says:

“I took many awards before from many prestigious festivals and academies around the world, but this one is highly appreciated and it is much closer to my heart because this honor comes from the most important organization of animation in the world … I’m thanking ASIFA for its support, and I welcome any cooperation with it in the future”.

Moustapha’s country ambassador who gave a speech about the honor of the great man of his home, Niger, was present on the festival too.

It was a really great moment for the animators in Africa, who finally felt some confidence, that they could be recognized on the international level by an appreciated organization like ASIFA, and that Africa is not ignored or treated a as continent of misery anymore, but also a land of the oldest art tradition.

It’s really a great step of ASIFA towards Africa , and a good sign for the future of our community in its coming golden jubilee next year 2010. The African animators really appreciated this step, and look forward to more supportive steps to the art and industry of animation in Africa .

Thank you ASIFA!

Yours Sincerely,
Mohamed Ghazala
ASIFA Egypt

As a fellow member of ASIFA/San Francisco and a friend of Karl Cohen’s for many years I am thrilled that he has received the 2008 ASIFA Laureate Award. Karl, a true Renaissance Man of animation, is a historian, notable collector of animated films, and author of many authoritative articles published in periodicals throughout the world. He is a professor of animation history at San Francisco State University and the author of Forbidden Animation : Censored Cartoons and Black Listed Animators in America. Last, but not least, he has been the President and guiding light of ASIFA/San Francisco for over over two decades. The ASIFA/San Francisco newsletter, which Karl edits and is the primary writer, is read by animation fans around the world for the wealth of information that he gathers each month.

Despite his busy schedule, our laureate is never too busy to ignore a request for information or to share a new film discovery with friends and colleagues. Bill Dennis, president emeritus of ASIFA India , considers Karl “a friend, colleague, and all-around ‘prince of animation’. We all know Karl as a great writer and master of animation history. We know him as a man of principle and a staunch supporter of ASIFA. But, for me, his most enduring attribute is how he values, nurtures, and protects his friendships. What a rare quality!”

In the early 1970’s Karl was part of the team of light artists that created mind-blowing visuals for Bill Graham’s famous rock concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium. Later in the 70’s and 80’s he presented a weekly film and animation program at Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco’s oldest alternative art space, where such well-known personalities as Father Guido Sarducci and Robin Williams got their start.

Karl combined his love of animation history and keen interest in politics in his 1997 book, Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Black Listed Animators in America, an invaluable reference which TOON IN . . . TO THE WORLD OF ANIMATION BLOG ARCHIVE calls a must for any serious student of animation. He is currently at work on a new book, Animated Propaganda During the Cold War, which will take an in-depth look at the political exploitation of animation on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Tsvika Oren, lecturer at Bezalel University and president of ASIFA/Israel remembers his first visit to Karl’s home: “Never have I ever seen such a huge private collection of 16mm prints.” He goes on to say, “For anyone addicted to animation, it is most recommended to have Karl Cohen as an animation ‘pusher’. For many years now I’ve been one of the many addicts enjoying the prime stuff Karl generously distributes. Since it’s such healthy stuff, I’ve been passing it on for years.”

As much as his film knowledge and writings are appreciated around the world, his most substantial and sustained contribution to the San Francisco animation community is his continuing work as president of ASIFA/San Francisco, one of the oldest and most active chapters in the world, with monthly screenings of professional and student’s work. The list of international film community members who have gone out of their way to visit Karl covers the entire world, and Karl never fails to have an ASIFA event to welcome them and share their talents with our members. Of course, this always includes one of our chapter’s fabulous parties.

Karl’s support of independent animators is legendary and best summed up by award winning New York animator Nina Paley: “There is only one Karl. I wish that we had one in New York! He is animation’s best ally. Boundless passion for the art, mixed with intelligence, scholarship, taste, and the discipline to keep putting it in writing year after year. . . Like us independent animators, he is driven by his love of the art, not money. He wants us all to succeed, he wants animation to be seen and loved and respected. In everything he writes, he has only the progress, survival and preservation of our art as his goal. I love that man.”

In spite of Karl’s many activities, he still finds time to be a true friend to all of us who are lucky enough to know him. He and I have spent many hours talking about everything under the sun, but first and foremost sharing our love of animation. The only regret that I have about moving to Belgium is that I miss my daily phone chats with Karl.

Karl is my mentor, my editor, but first and foremost he will always be my dearest friend.

It is very fitting that Karl Cohen join such illustrious names in the world of animation as Karl Zeman, Bob Godfrey, Raoul Servais, and Normand Roger as an ASIFA Laureate.

ASIFA is the Association International du Film d’Animation. Founded in France in 1960, we are almost 50 years old! We have about 4500 members around the globe and 27 active chapters.

ASIFA has three main goals:

1. ASIFA promotes opportunities for professionals in animation to share information and network globally.

2. ASIFA is concerned with sustaining and preserving the rights of animators and the art of animation.

3. ASIFA promotes progress toward peace and mutual understanding through the unified interest of the art of animation.

We give this award to a person who embodies those goals in their activities.

The winner of the 30th ASIFA prize award is Karl Cohen.

Karl Cohen is the President of ASIFA San Francisco, USA, He is the primary writer and editor of their cherished monthly newsletter. (I have never lived on the West Coast, but I have subscribed to it, and devoured it, for years.)

He is a Professor of Animation History at San Francisco State University and author of “Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Black Listed Animators in America.” He has written hundreds of articles for international publications on aspects of animation industry, history, education. He is currently writing a book on Animated Propaganda, which is also the subject for his screening here at Ottawa. You can see his programs “Brainwashed,” at the festival this year.

Animator Nina Paley says “In everything he writes he has only the progress, survival, and preservation of our art as his goal. I love that man.”

We love him, too. Congratulations, Karl.

Karl Cohen with ASIFA Prize. Photo by Normand Roger.

Deanna Morse

Vice President, ASIFA International

Deanna Morse mailto:morsed@gvsu.edu 2008-09-18

ASIFA BOARD – All members Dear Mrs. President, esteemed Board Members, Dear friends,

The first evening of 2007 Annecy festival, which I’ll never forget, is already one month behind us, and during this past 30 days I experienced the feeling of deepest possible joy and the feeling of aching sorrow.

I returned from Annecy as the happiest person in the world finding out already at the airport, that one of my closest collaborate passed away the day before without a single notice of illness. I was shocked and disorientated, and may be for the first time in my life I felt how thin the line is which divides absolute happiness from absolute pain!

But after a while I found out the old truth that the life has to go on, and I felt the need to thank all my collaborators for the long years of devotion to an idea inherited from the people who invented the World festival of animated film in Zagreb. I am only the one who tried her best to keep their idea alive. The 2007 ASIFA Prize proves that the idea was worth fighting for.

I am afraid even to think about the names of the masters who have been awarded the same prize, and the only thing I can promise to all of you – with or without Zagreb festival – animation and the feeling to belong to it, the feeling of respect for the art of unpredictable possibilities will be a guideline for me in the years to come.

I thank you for all the wonderful moments I had the honour to live inside of the ASIFA family.

Margit (Buba) Antauer 2007-07-17

'Buba' Antauer, Joanna Quinn (author of the prize), Sayoko Kinoshita

We are all very grateful to Margit Antauer — our dear Buba — for her many years of enthusiastic contribution toward the development of animation art as well as encouraging numerous filmmakers all over the world. With her great talent, she has been dedicating herself, not only to organize and develop Zagreb Festival, but also to carry out various activities under her basic spirit respecting the art and artists of animation in the very first place.

Dear Buba,

On behalf of ASIFA, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to you, and please kindly accept ASIFA Prize 2007 as an expression of our respect to you.

I should be most pleased if you could continue your contribution for the betterment of our animation field for the next generation.

Thank you,

Sayoko Kinoshita

President of ASIFA

Sayoko Kinoshita 2007-06-20

Nous sommes tous très reconnaissants à Margit Antauer — notre chère Buba — pour toutes ces années de contribution enthousiaste au développement de l’animation ainsi que pour le soutien qu’elle a accordé à de nombreux réalisateurs de partout dans le monde. Armée de son grand talent, elle s’est donnée corps et âme non seulement pour organiser et faire grandir le Festival Zagreb, mais également pour mener à bon port une multitude d’activités dans le respect qu’elle voue à l’animation et à ses artistes.

Chère Buba,

Au nom de l’ASIFA, je désire vous exprimer notre sincère gratitude. Veuillez accepter le Prix ASIFA 2007 en témoignage du respect que vous nous inspirez.

Je souhaite du fond du cœur que le monde de l’animation continuera de bénéficier de votre apport pendant encore une génération.

Sayoko Kinoshita

Présidente de l’ASIFA