| asifa.net/news |
| Actual up-date : 30th January 2004 | 1st March 2004 : Next up-date |
| The idea of ASIFA.NET |
Send the material you want to get publised!
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Greetings from Michaela Pavlatova |
| News from ASIFA | |
| ASIFA has a NEW PRESIDENT: |
Noureddin Zarrinkelk (Iran)
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| "Animation & Earthquake" |
Letter of the New ASIFA President
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| ASIFA's new organisational structure: |
ASIFA Board / ASIFA Executive Board
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| ASIFA's new projects... |
...for 2004
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| News from ASIFA Chapters | |
| ASIFA Croatia : Celebrating the |
International Animafion Day
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| Latest News from ASIFA Bulgaria : |
Sent by
Pencho Kunchev
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| Other News | |
| "Cartoons" - the book of G. Bendazzi : |
A new Spanish version is out now
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| The idea of ASIFA.NET : Permanent Call for Papers |
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The concept of the ASIFA Website, and particularily of the news-section, is TO SERVE AS AN OPEN PLATFORM, for all ASIFA Groups and Offices, ASIFA members and friends of ASIFA. It means, that all are invited, to send the material, which they want to be published to the editor@asifa.net, and it will appear at the next up-date. |
| ASIFA has a new president: Noureddin Zarrinkelk |
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During the ASIFA General Assembly in Espinho (November 2003), the ASIFA Board elected a new President. David Ehrlich, who had also proposed him for presidency, was so kind as to write a few words about him: " Noureddin Zarrinkelk was Raoul Servais' student at Ghent 1969-1971 and then returned to Tehran and was instrumental in founding the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Tehran. This was the paramount art institute in the Muslim world until the changes caused by the Islamic Regime. Noureddin's personal films won a number of prizes around the world and even after leaving the Institute, he kept on creating work as a painter, writer, poet and film director in the private sector. He also spent nearly three years in Hollywood directing a feature on Sinbad for a Finnish company supervised by John Halas. He founded ASIFA-Iran 17 years ago, has been its leader ever since and the role model for all the young animators there. He was elected to two three-year terms on the ASIFA Executive Board and served on many festival juries, including Annecy in 1995. As a human being, Noureddin is the most sincere, honest and idealistic man that I know. He is also an Iranian, and part of the thrust of my nomination of him as President was a statement that ASIFA is not primarily a little coterie of white (Eurocentric) westerners but is truly international. Before officially nominating Noureddin, I asked if, as President, he could take responsibility for bringing Muslims from the Middle East into the association and encourage cross-cultural and cross-ethnic communication. He was happy to do this, and I promised all the support all of us might be able to give. I'm really not sure what else ASIFA can do for its artists beyond what it has so far done wonderfully, especially in its beginning years. But with what is going on in the world today, I hoped that this little band of animators might make just a small dent in the international crisis now brewing. That his election to the Presidency of ASIFA was unanimous, expresses ASIFA's hope for Noureddin and for the world. David Ehrlich, USA |
| A Letter of the New ASIFA President: Noureddin Zarrinkelk |
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ANIMATION AND EARTHQUAKE It has been more than three decades that I've been a member of ASIFA and quite a few years serving as its Board member. During these years many things inside and outside ASIFA have changed such as: But the only thing that has NOT changed during this long period is that with the exception of Iran and Cuba, no other countries from Latin and South America, Africa and the Near and Middle East have joined ASIFA. WHY? Is our globe like a coin with only two sides? North America and Western Europe?!!! As far as I understand, the reason is not that in the above-named countries there are no animation activities, because quite often you may find animation studios with a long resume of animated film productions that exist in Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, etc. Therefore again I come to this question: WHY? Why don't they show up in ASIFA? Why does ASIFA have little or no communications with these nations? Certainly it is the choice of many of the animators from these nations. But there is another fact too: Had I not become a member of ASIFA and attended the 1971 Annecy festival, I would not have had the privilege of learning about this organization and subsequently introduce ASIFA and its activities to the Iranian Animators. While I was writing this article and thinking about the WHY questions, the BAM earthquake occurred and this article was left unfinished. The Earthquake brought so much sorrow and heartache to everyone's life. But despite such a catastrophe I witnessed the immediate and sincere response of 26 nations offering monetary and humanitarian help to those victims and their families who suffered in this horrible disaster. After observing such admirable solidarity, I asked myself would such international solidarity happen if an earthquake would happen to the animation world? The answer is: NO. Compare the situation of animation in Eastern Europe before and after 1991. Wasn't it an earthquake? But we never witnessed any kind of assistance or humanitarian aid to be paid to its victims, obviously, because of the difference between the nature of these two kinds of earthquakes. This makes the role of ASIFA more important. ASIFA should be strong enough to provide our colleagues around the world if not anything, but at least something. But lack of interest to join ASIFA, hence taking advantage of this universal NGO, returns to the yearly balance of the activities of the ASIFA Board in particular and of ASIFA members in general. It returns to the quality and the quantity of such acts. And what makes ASIFA continue on without so many of its potential members? Why is it that Egyptian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malaysian, Philippines, Mexican, and Brazilian animators, despite their talented artists, are not yet participating in their own family unity? Is it ASIFA's inability to attract them? Perhaps their animators are simply unaware of the existence of ASIFA? Or perhaps some other reasons that we are not aware of? CONCLUSION DOES ANIMATION NEED AN EARTHQUAKE TO BRING ANIMATORS TOGETHER? Who is going to answer this question? Who is going to bring those many nations into their own worldwide family? You? I? Or who? If you know an animator from those nations, do not delay. Invite him/her to join the club. Who knows? Perhaps there are many hands waving to touch a hand. If for any reason you cannot do it, send THE BOARD his/her/their address. The Board as your representative can do something. Noureddin Zarrinkelk president@asifa.net January 6, 2004 |
| ASIFA's new organisational structure |
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After almost one year of preparations, including many discussions at the Open ASIFA Meetings at international festivals, the Extraordinary General Assembly (Annecy, June 2003) decided to change the way, how the ASIFA Board of directors shall be composed in the future. During the General ASIFA Assembly in Espinho (November 2003), the first meeting of the New ASIFA Board took place. What is new? The essential change in ASIFA's policy is, that now ALL ASIFA Groups and ASIFA Offices (this are groups with less than ten members) have the right to send one delegate to the ASIFA Board. The ASIFA Board is the highest authority of our organisation; here all decisions are made. >>> The main task of the members of this group, is to represent the interests of the members from their regions, and to keep the information between ASIFA Board and the Group members active. The ASIFA Board is elected for a period of three years. The ASIFA Executive Board is elected by the ASIFA Board and composed by people, who have decided to work for a certain working field or project. The members of this group should deliver an annual report about their activity, and can be exchanged also within the period of three years. (e.g. when a project id finished, or when the ASIFA Board is not satisfied with the result.)
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| New ASIFA Projects for 2004 |
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During the first meeting of the New ASIFA Board (november 2003, during Cinanima festival / Portugal) also some very important new projects were decided: > Int. Film Exchange Program Following the wish of many ASIFA Chapters, the ASIFA Board decided, to start this project. The aim is to exchange film programs (mainly on video and DVD) between all ASIFA chapters worldwide. Igor Prassel, president of ASIFA Slovenia, and since many year very active programmes of animation show at the Slovenian cinematheque in Ljubljana, will work out and present his project proposal. > International Animation Day It was the initiative of the former ASIFA president, Abi Feijo from Portugal, to propose in 2002 an International Animation Day, to be hold each year on the 28th october, reminding us of the great work of Emil Reynaud. The French chapter of ASIFA, together with AFCA France, has organised numerous film presentations and many other kinds of events and exhibitions around this date, during one week and on several places all over France. Olivier Catherin, ASIFA France representative on the ASIFA Board, will push the project forward and serve as an international coordinator of the project. We hope that Olivier cna motivate many more ASIFA Groups to join the project. > ASIFA Film Database Beatrice Reichhart, secretary of the Swiss ASIFA Groups (GSFA), proposed an ASIFA Film Database for the internet, where ASIFA Groups can present their local animation film production. So far the French and the Swiss group are more closely connected with the project, but it is intended to make the database for all ASIFA Groups acceible. More news will be published here. |
| ASIFA Croatia celebrated the International Animation Day |
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Reported by Vesna Dovnikovic, President of ASIFA Croatia  ASIFA Croatia celebrated the International Animation Day for the first time, by organising three events. - Screening of animated works made by children and young adults 2000-2003 - Competition program of the Croatian animation 2002/2003. The Jury composed of Monique Renault, filmmaker (The Netherlands), Hrvoje Turkovic, professor, film theretician and critic (Croatia), Neven Petricic, animator (Croatia) awarded four animated films as follows: GRAND PRIX EVERY DAY BY ITSELF, NEVER TOGETHER Directed by Goran Trbuljak Production: Zagreb film AWARDS: KAMOV Authors.: Magdalena Lupi, Ana Šeric, Draško Ivezic, Zvonimir Cuk Production: Zagreb film COMPLEX PREMONITION Directed by Dušan Gacic Production: Zagreb film PLASTICAT Directed by Simon Bogojevic Narath Production: Kenges This manifestation that had a very good promotion in the Croatian media gathered the entire animation community in Zagreb and invicinity. ASIFA Croatia was able to organise it thanks to the collaboration with Zagreb Film, World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb and Croatian Film Club's Association, but first of all thanks to the financial support of the Office for Culture, City of Zagreb. Two film programs for children were organised by the World Festival of Animated Films at Zagreb Cultural Center, one of them being a very successful screening of Kirokou by Michel Ocelot. |
| Latest News from ASIFA Bulgaria |
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During the last year 2003 there were two important events organized by ASIFA
Bulgaria
in collaboration with the Bulgarian Film Archives.
The first one was the programme of Bulgarian erotic animated films, which was dedicated to the Day of St Valentine - February 14th. Titles like "Wedding" by Slav Bakalov and Roumen Petkov, "The Devil in the Church" by Ivan Vesselinov, "Libido" by Velislav Kazakov and "Blue Eeyed Moon" by Pencho Kunchev attracted hundreds of spectators who filled up the cinema Odeon in Sofia. The same collection of films later in the year was shown in a film festival in Georgia. In the beginning of October there was a big presentation of films by Pencho Bogdanov in connection of his 80 anniversary. Many students and young people came again to cinema Odeon to discover for themselves these works and to acclaim their author - one of the most important representatives of Bulgarian animated film in its history. The masterpiece "Jolly Fellows" (1969) looks still modern and topical and made the audience lough like a drain. Some articles in the newspapers and magazines, written by Pencho Kunchev and Boriana Mateeva, and an interview on TV accompanied this event. Finally,after many years of efforts,our new law of cinema is a fact. During its preparation a big role had also some members of Bulgarian ASIFA. In accordance with an article of this law the state will has to support an annual production of 120 minutes of Bulgarian animated films. Pencho Kunchev President of ASIFA Bulgaria e-mail: kunchev@asifa.net |
| "Cartoons - One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation" - SPANISH VERSION ! |
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Dear colleagues, the Spanish language version of my world history "Cartoons - One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation" is just out, published by Madrid-based Ocho y Medio. It is expanded, corrected and updated, i.e. in my opinion better than the current English language version. If some among you (or among your students) is familiar with Spanish, you might be interested in getting a copy (which costs about 50 AM$, but you could have a complimentary one if you want to review it) at libros@ochoymedio.com. Thank you, Giannalberto Bendazzi |
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