The 13th Animocje Festival (14-20 April 2024, Bydgoszcz, Poland) continues to provide an outlet and an opportunity to watch animated films (of arthouse quality) and films for children -carefully selected in a programme that again includes much more than screenings. Several events, either industry-oriented, educational or simply community-building are arranged.

Its 2024 theme is TASTE:

The way things are going, this year ANIMOCJE will celebrate its round, thirteenth birthday. An opportunity like this doesn't come along every day, so we will make sure that none of you leave our festival hungry this year. We’ll take care of all your tastes because we want to satisfy your every, even the greatest, hunger. Especially the hunger for animation…- Animocje Festival

So, here's a taste of its competition. The 2024 Animocje competition includes titles like the Cannes-premiered 'Electra' by Daria Kashcheeva; the Cannes Palme D'Or '27' by Flora Anna Buda; Nienke Deutz's poignant 'The Miracle';  the deadpan comedy 'Eeva' by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov (for the full list of films, scroll below).

Polish films are part of Animocje's international competition, like the quirky comedy 'Misaligned' by Marta Magnuska (in co-production with Latvia).

Misaligned

Its children's competition programmes are varied; programmes for children aged 3+ to young adults (15+). In the latter category, we find 'Margarethe 89'; by Lucas Malbrun, France. The 18-minute film tells the story of young punk Margarethe in 1989 Leipzig; opposed to the East German regime, she is detained in a psychiatric hospital.

The festival's Play-Off section (the film with the highest number of votes by the audience enters the International Competition) includes another Polish gem; the stop-motion 'Such Miracles Do Happen' by Barbara Rupik.

Such Miracles Do Happen

Two equally big indie names located in the US and Europe respectively will grace Animocje Festival.  Bill Plympton will talk (20 April, 2pm) about 'How to survive in the world of independent animation' (plus screening a selection of his shorts - free participation with registration). His illustrious career in the indie animation world is the best assurance that his talk and workshop will be highly interesting.

His latest animation feature 'Slide' will be the closing festival film (Saturday, April 20, 7:30pm)

Slide

Another indie luminary, Marta Pajek will present her masterclass (19 April, 1pm), 'Impossible figures - writing a triptych'. The triptych is inspired by the concept of impossible figures - those that can be drawn on a plane but cannot be replicated in three dimensions. The Cannes-selected animation filmmaker will make more explicit the numerous hidden motifs and creative process behind her trilogy 'Impossible Figures and Other Stories' (In Polish, free participation with registration).

Animocje has devoted itself to a yearly award for dubbing, an indispensable but somehow neglected aspect of the animation screening. This year's recipient is translator, dialogue writer, dubbing director, and musician Bartosz Wierzbięta.

Movies are not made to teach. That's not why people go to the cinema. You go to the cinema to laugh, to be moved, or to be scared. Dubbing should serve that purpose, not language learning. Perhaps that's what schools should focus on - Bartosz Wierzbięta,2024  Special Achievement Award in Dubbing.

In a festival devoted to tasting, special screenings including animation tasty shorts is necessary. Curated by Ewelina Leszczyńska, the 'Big Salty. Around the Crumbling' screening presents films about taste and relationships (with food). The Greek animation horror 'Dinner with Few' by Nassos Vakalis (2014) is included.

We also have 'Sour', a curated screening by Krste Gospodinovski.
Rather than providing a conventional sugary escape, this is a selection of films that emerge with an ambiguous narrative thread, exploring the intricate nuances of interpersonal relationships and complex societal dynamics. The 2023 Annecy winner 'Amok' by Balázs Turai is part of the screening.

In contrast, the 'I Like It Sweet' screening curated by Britt Raes brings the more colorful, sweet, and intimate (sometimes) version of animation shorts. For the latter, check the 'Hi Stranger' erotic short by Kirsten Lepore.

Hi, Stranger

Two more screenings complete the 'Taste' programme. 'Umami. And Despite It All, World Makes Some Kind of Sense' curated screening by Aleksandra Ławska, and 'Left with a Bitter Taste' - a curated screening by Naima Alam.

Feature films, like 'Art College 1994' by Liu Jian, concerts and book presentations (“Invisible Hand. Animated films by women in (male) animation structures in Poland" - meeting with Hanna Margolis) complete this year's Animocje program.

Animocje 2024: Films In Competition

International Competition I:

• Ice Merchants, João Gonzalez, Portugal, 2022, 14’33’’
• Fox Tossing, Zénó Kristóf Mira, Hungary, 2023, 7’48’’
• Crush, Michał Socha, Jakub Socha, Poland, 2022, 8’18’’
• Electra, Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic, 2023, 26’33’’
• Astrogolem, Thorsten Fleisch, Germany, 2023, 6’23’’
• 27, Flóra Anna Buda, Węgry, France, 2023, 10’40’’

International Competition II:

• The Miracle, Nienke Deutz, Belgium, 2023, 15’02’’
• Dog - Apartment, Priit Tender, Estonia, 2022, 14’14’’
• Whatever moves is alive, Noémie Marsily, Belgium, 2022, 11’05’’
• Nun or Never!, Heta Jäälinoja, Finland, 2023, 10’52’’
• World to Roam, Stephen Irwin, United Kingdom, 2023, 12’21’’
• Misaligned, Marta Magnuska, Poland, Latvia, 2022, 7’

International Competition III:

• Make or Break, Mike Plitt, Falk Schuster, Germany, 2022, 8’06’’
• Eeva, Lucija Mrzljak, Morten Tšinakov, Estonia, 2022, 15’57’’
• There Are People in the Forest, Szymon Ruczyński, Poland, 2023, 9’53’’
• The Family Portrait, Lea Vidakovic, Croatia, 2023, 14’35’’
• Her Dress for the Final, Martina Meštrović, Croatia, 2023, 8’47’’
• Lack, Paweł Prewencki, Poland, 2023, 10’45’’
• All Is Lost, Carla Pereira, Juanfran Jacinto, Spain, 2022, 7’05’’

International Competition IV:

• Magda, Adela Kaczmarek, Poland, 2022, 9’07’’
• Curiosa, Tessa Moult-Milewska, United Kingdom, 2022, 9’31’’
• Winter, Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki, Poland, 2023, 26’26’’
• The Master of the Swamps, Sasha Svirsky, Germany, 2023, 4’11’’
• Rosemary A.D. (After Dad), Ethan Barrett, USA, 2022, 9’38’’
• A kind of Testament, Stephen Vuillemin, France, 2023, 16’24’’

Films for Children and Young Adults Competition 3+ (additional screening):

• The Big Tantrum, Celia Tisserant, Arnaud Demuynck, France, 2022, 7’
• Prince the Frog, Bartosz Zarzycki, Poland, 2022, 7’
• A Tiny Voyage, Emily Worms, France, 2022, 7’45’’
• All My Colours, Marc Riba, Anna Solanas, Spain, 2023, 4’55’’
• Foxtale, Alexandra Allen, Portugal, 2022, 5’53’’
• Kitty Kotty in Space, Marta Stróżycka, Poland, 2023, 7’
• Battery Mommy, Seungbae Jeon, Republic of Korea, 2023, 8’39’’

Films for Children and Young Adults Competition 7+ (additional screening):

• Go Away, Alfred!, Célia Tisserant, Arnaud Demuynck, France, 2023, 10’43’’
• Urban Legends, The Filth, Maria Boros, Hungary, 2022, 3’06’’
• Bunnies and Opossums, Thomate Larson, Brazil, 2022, 10’26’’
• The Little Poet, Justine Yixuan King, Australia, USA, 2023, 4’34’’
• Prinzessin Aubergine, Dina Velikovskaya, Germany, 2022, 7’37’’
• The cheddar daisy, Liselotte Macagno, France, 2023, 4’50’’
• Dreamer, Piotr Kaźmierczak, Poland, 2023, 2’33’’’
• La Calesita, Augusto Schillaci, Argentina, 2022, 9’37’’

Play-off I:

• Being Ten, Fatemeh Jafari, Iran, 2023, 18’07’’
• Cyclepaths, Anton Cla, Belgium, 2023, 12’25’’
• The Water Ghost, Hongzhou Xue, United Kingdom, 2023, 4’50’’
• Temporarily Removed, Dotan Goldwaser, Yoav Brill, Israel, 2023, 14’13’’
•  Just Keep Breathing, Anej Golčar, United Kingdom, 2023, 6’15’’
• Baking With Piggu, Claire Schlaikjer, USA, 2023, 3’27’’
• Braided, Chenxi Zhang, USA, 2023, 6’19’’
• Wait for me in a dream, Natalia Durszewicz, Poland, 2023, 14’56’’

Play-off II:

• Such Miracles Do Happen, Barbara Rupik, Poland, 2023, 13’48’’
• Love Me True, Inés Sedan, France, 2023, 7’40’’
• Vercors, Lyonel Charmette, France, 2023, 19’40’’
• Think something nice, Claudius Gentinetta, Switzerland, 2022, 6’02’’
• A kind of Testament, Stephen Vuillemin, France, 2023, 16’24’’
• ((O)), Joanna Żybul, Poland, 2022, 1’
• Mano, Toke Madsen, Denmark, 2023, 6’58’’
• Holly Molly, Kamil Pośnik, Poland, 2022, 11’10’’

Jury: Britt Raes, Krzysztof “Freeze” Ostrowski, and Wiktor Stribog

Junior Jury: Marcelina Łachowska, Sebastian Zieliński, and Wojciech Hofman

Check the full festival programme

The 13th Animocje International Animated Films Festival will take place from 14 to 20 April 2024 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.