CINANIMA festival in Espinho, Portugal, one of the oldest festivals specialized for animation. This year the 35th edition was held from 8 to 12 November, 2011.

CINANIMA festival is one of our partner festivals which hosted our General Assembly in 2009 and a number of ASIFA Board meetings.

Espinho Mayor and ASIFA President

Every time the Mayor of Espinho invites the guests for the reception in the City Hall.  This time there was a new Mayor, a young, handsome and very friendly person.  Our President gave him a present – ASIFA Anniversary Book.  He was very pleased to see the nice presentation of Cinanima Festival in the book, and according to Cinanima organisers, it will be very precious to them for getting the financial support from the City in the future.

Festival organisers and guests at the picnic. Banjaluka 2010

The Third International Animated Film Festival in BANJA LUKA (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is one of the new animation festivals which have a serious intentions to fulfill the established basic ASIFA conditions for international animation festivals. Already in its third edition BANJALUKA festival demonstrated these intentions with the following important achievements: sophistically composed film programmes, international jury, good catalogue, very well hotels and excellent restaurant for guests-participants, city sightseeing, excursion to the interesting part of Bosnia, the capable managing and very kind Festival stuff…  Film programmes took place in a multiplex cinema (in the City centre) with a few halls for competition and other screenings. Festival office, space for press-conferences and meeting-place with small caffe bar were in the spaces of the City Children Theatre (also in the City centre). Organizers said that already  next year the whole Festival will be held in this huge building, and guests will get everything under one roof. As the closest international airport is in Zagreb (in the neighbouring Croatia), the Festival had a permanent car connection between Zagreb Airport and the city of Banja Luka.

 This year Banjaluka festival was focused on the Canadian animation – McLaren’s classics and the works of Cordell Barker and Pierre Hebért, who both were personally present.

 ASIFA Secretary General Vesna Dovnikovic composed and presented the film program on the ocassion of the 50th Anniversary of ASIFA, which was held exactly on the International Animation Day.

Banjaluka 2010 - Festival Jury

 Banjaluka Animation Festival was held under the strong support of the Republic and the City, and other sponsors.

There was one minus only: weak attendance rate of audience, especially at accompanying programmes, what is, however, the problem of many animation festivals in the world. The task for organisers is finding the way to attract domestic people, specially youngsters, for art animation events.

The Festival programme:

• Films in competition
• Panorama – films out of competition
• Films for children
• Musical animated films
• Canadian animation: Norman McLaren, Cordell Barker and Pierre Hebért
• Nedeljko Dragic (Croatia)
• Czech puppet animation for children
• Channel 4 animation (presented by Clare Kitson)
• Early Serbian animation (1925-1960)
• 60 years of Zagreb animation (presented by Bordo)
• French animation classics
• 50 years of ASIFA
• Cartoon D’OR 2010
• Cartoon East 2010
• Festivals: Animafest 2010, Animazing 2009, NAFF 2010
• Feature animated films
• Workshops, Promotions, Installations

The International Jury:

• Dino Krpan, President (Croatia), Pierre Hebért (Canada), Clare Kitson (UK), Sandra Desmazieres (France), Vesko Kadic (B/H)

Awards:

• Grand Prix (3.000 €):
• ESTERHAZY by Izabela Plucinska (Poland)

Other Awards:

• BIG BANG BIG BOOM by Blu (Italy)
• FARD by Luis Brisceno and David Alanport (France)
• SPARNI UN AIRI by Vladimir Leschiov (Latvia)
• SHAHRE KHAMOCH by Amir Mehrana (Iran)
• VIDEOGIOCO A LOOP EXPERIMENT by Donato Sansone (Italy)

Promotive screenings of awarded films and special programmes of  the Banjaluka Animation Festival 2010 were held in severals towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina after that.

Borivoj Dovnikovic Bordo

In the organisation of the NeumStudio and under the patronage of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Founation for Cinematography of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the second edition of the International Animated Film Festival took place in Neum from 29 June to 5 July 2007. Neum is the unique tourist city on the short coast of B & H on the Adriatic See.

ASIFA Croatia was very well represented at that Festival – from Ivan Cacic Charly as the member of the international jury to Tomislav Gregl, Davor Medjurecan and Marko Mestrovic who participated with their films in the official competition program.

The President of the Jury was Nikola Majdak the renowned animation director, professor and the President of ASIFA Serbia.

The Croatian animator Josko Marusic got the special award for his contribution to the art of animation from the City of Neum.

The screenings were held in the evenings in an open- air theatre and during the day there were rich tourist programmes for guests – visits Artist’s Colony in Pocitelj, the old town from the 15th century, the tour in Mogorjel, the monument of the ancient culture and the canoe-rafting on the Trebizat river.

The festival was very well organised and hosted a big number of renowned international animation artists. Federal TV and journalists were especially interested in the recent Croatian animation production, so the Croatian artists gave many interviews for the Bosnian media.

Tomislav Gregl
ASIFA Croatia
2007-07-27