| Back to index of Festival Previews |
| Interview with two FANTOCHE directors | Thomas Renoldner  |
|
|
|
Thomas Renoldner:
"FANTOCHE is one of the youngest and most dynamic international animation festivals. In contrast to many others, Fantoche does not invite an international jury for the selection of the entered films. This work is done by a constant team of festival directors. For the filmmakers as well as for the audience it might be interesting and nice, to get a more personal image of this selection jury. Therefore I invite you to introduce yourselves and ask you for a short statement about how you became interested in animation, and what your motivation is, to do all that tremendous work." |
|
Suzanne Buchan:
"Born in Canada, humanities studies in Canada Switzerland. Besides Fantoche, I currently teach and work at the Department of Cinema Studies at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. The key experience for the direction my research has taken was during my studies of James Joyce's works: sitting in a dark screening room, I watched the Quays "Street of Crocodiles" and realised I was watching a visual equivalent to Joyce's mindscreen and experimental style in language. Animation had always been a passion and I am trying to contribute to development of an informative critical and aesthetic reflection on animation; FANTOCHE has an important role here, and I have taught courses on this at a number of universities and film schools in Switzerland and abroad, write about it and have curated various animation programmes besides. Other fields of teaching and research include experimental film, special effects, science fiction, feminist theory and James Joyce, and I am currently writing a dissertation on the Brothers Quay. My fascination is not limited to theory. I have tried my hand at experimental animation with my lovely little 16mm Beaulieu, made a number of little films and have plans for a group work on a passage of "Finnegan's Wake"; anyone out there interested in collaborating?" Otto Alder: "Professional path: diploma as Economist, otherwise self-taught; therafter diverse jobs; work for cultural centres; work for various festivals (founding, organisation and programming for various festivals (film, theater, music, cabaret, literature), host play director at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart, 1987-0992 Intenational Animation Film festival Stuttgart; since 1992 responsible for the animation programme at Leipzig; since1995 Fantoche; consultant and assignments for animation festivalsthroughout the world. 27 years ago I discovered the frame-by-frame technique for the first time with my Super-8 camera and was so fascinated by the effect that in the meantine I have made ten of my own small animation films. The initial fascination has not lost any of its attraction. I also collaborate on many documentary films. My latest film "The Spirit of Genius" is currently been shown with much success at many festivals." |
|
|
|
Thomas Renoldner:
"In the Fantoche'99 promo flyer I find the statement, that "for its 'International Competition', FANTOCHE adheres to artistic and innovative criteria to select films from the wealth of this vital art form, reinforcing the visions of young talent." To me this seems the only possible concept to promote any kind of art. In my opinion all animation festivals should try to strengthen innnovation and new tendencies, which in most cases naturally can be found in the work of young artists. Fantoche offers also a "Best of the World" - programme. Could you explain me the characteristic of this programme compared with the competition program?" |
|
FANTOCHE:
"Animation is a broad field. FANTOCHE aims at cultivating the generally neglected aesthetic edges of this independent art form. In order to do so, one must simply orient the selection criteria accordingly andcontinually reaveal their verification publically. FANTOCHE does exactly this and garners thereby recognition in the amazingly fruitful peripheries of the genre. What else can we say? Animation festivals are like the Olympics - the same people win all the races, but there are always the forgotten finishers who miss by milliseconds. In analogy, the competition wants to give these often younger "runners up" the chance to win and gain recoginition for their achievements, and the "Best of the World" is the 'Hall of Fame' programme." |
|
|
|
Thomas Renoldner:
"Festivals should always be places for communication. FANTOCHE is the biggest animation event in Switzerland, though not over-crowded. Together with the pleasant atmosphere of the town of Baden this are the best conditions for enjoyable talks. Which international festival guests will be present at FANTOCHE'99, that you would like to mention specially?" |
|
FANTOCHE:
"Those who are engaged in a critical dialogue with us and many others who, with a bucolic insistence, try to challenge mainstream sluggishness with vital ideas. In other words, our jury, the artists to whom we dedicate reptrospectives, all competition participants and of course each and every visitor." |
|
|
|
Thomas Renoldner:
"Was it difficult for you to get the necessary budget for Fantoche'99 and can you forsee, if in the next years FANTOCHE can go on? Would you like to say few words about your working conditions?" |
|
FANTOCHE:
"Whoever tries to cultivate the edges naturally enters an equally difficult path of economic woes. Without the dedication and obsession of each of us (to the point of personal masochism) and an array of engaged and flexible volunteers, Fantoche would be impossible. Our ideal budget has increased with each festival and has yet to be reached, and the deficit is covered by salaries that are simply not paid out. Over time a certain idealism is exhausted, and the fixing of Fantoche as an important international festival in the Swiss cultural landscape is the only guarantee that it will continue to gain the esteem it has already received from the global community." |
|
Thomas Renoldner:
"I thank you heartly for that interview. The festival dates of FANTOCHE'99 are August 31 - September 5 1999. I wish the festival many guests and success." |
|
| Back to index of Festival Previews |