StopTrik Festival , 27-30/10, Maribor: Competition results & Programme Highlights
StopTrik IFF opens for the sixth time in Slovenia and Poland with 31 stop-motion titles, along with 19 titles in the Borderlands section (experimental shorts that combine stop motion animation with other means of cinematic expression).
StopTrik targets both highly artistic creations and pressing socio-political issues at the same time. According to its festival director, Olga Bobrowska, it aims to provide the audience with tools crucial for analysing, interpreting and understanding of global and local media discourse. In times when escalation of social and political conflicts becomes more and more apparent in symbolic sphere, progressively understood film activism ought to stimulate the development of the competences in decoding visual language of mass-manipulation and mind-control.
So, it is very fitting that this edition's overall theme is propaganda. STOP MOTION AGITATION, a historical review curated by the Programme Director Michał Bobrowski, highlights the most significant examples of stop motion animation serving political regimes of the 20th century global superpowers.
Among Soviet and US propaganda efforts, a unique jewel of classical Chinese animation, You Lei's The Little 8th Army, will be screened during the 6th StopTrik.
Little 8th Route Army
Two films that test the spectrum from orthodoxy to radicalism will be the opening films of StopTrik. Both Mr. Prokouk the Filmmaker (1948, dir. Karel Zeman, Czechoslovakia) and Revoltoso (2016, dir. Arturo Ambriz, Mexico) disarm the language of manipulation and call for reflection on role and function of the cinema in the ideological machinery.
Mr. Prokouk
"MIDNIGHT MOVIES: SCREEN ANXIETY"prepared by acclaimed animation filmmaker Robert Sowa, focuses on authorial animated films that twist and deconstruct the official modes of expression developed under authoritarian systems of 20th century.
The 3rd curated programme by Ana Nedeljković (Rabbitland) is aptly named Dark Worlds, and examines human condition in the critical moments, where ideologies have fallen from their pedestal.
Hollow Land by Uri & Michelle Kranot is part of the Dark Worlds Tribute at the 6th StopTrik IFF
The international competition is varied, independent and highly interesting.
Watch out for Heavy as a Hill (Emily Neilson), Datum Point by Ryo Orikasa and more stop-motion gems. All films will be judged by audiences in Maribor and Łódź, who will decide on Best Stop Motion Animation and Best Borderlands Animation.
Datum Point
For the first time, StopTrik IFF introduces Maribor Students Jury, five students from the University of Maribor, accompanied by Piotr Kardas (O!PLA Festival Director, Poland), that will grant their own awards.
Partner festivals for this year's StopTrik include Stop Motion Montreal (Canada), South Taiwan Film Festival (Taiwan) and Anibar (Kosovo). Screenings will be held at the high schools and academic faculties in Maribor: Srednja šola za oblikovanje (Artistic High School), Prva gimnazja (1st High School), FERI Faculty of Electronics, Computering and Media Communication, University of Maribor and Architecture Faculty, University of Maribor.
As a part of the accompanying events programme, there will be an exhibition of intriguing Czech video-art works Meshes of Despotism in GT22 by Jiří Neděla, while in honor of the 20th anniversary of MLADINA's Proglas an exhibition of selected socially involving ads, addressing current issues of society, people and environment will take place in the Salon of Applied Arts.
This year's educational program – Workshot will be led by Miloš Tomić, a renowned Serbian stop motion author and a versatile artist. The goal of the workshop is to inspire the participants to pay attention to precious, small and everyday things which they see but maybe do not notice.
Puss in Boots by Garri Bardin, presented during Midnight Movies at the 6th StopTrik IFF
Thomas Johnson, Croatian-based British animator, feeds the artist's and the audience's obsessions with his "GRAFFITI ANARCH-IMATION" performance. Johnson animates a puppet of his likeness over a 6 hours period; the artist's puppet-self will perform the task of spray-painting a piece of graffiti artwork upon a public wall in Maribor.
The festival will open with a seminar entitled Emancipatory Potential and Political Influence of Cultural Practice. The seminar will join film culture activists from Slovenia, Poland, Serbia, Kosovo and Croatia to reflect on the questions of critical participation in culture, deconstruction of propaganda mechanisms, citizens' activism and protection against hate speech in the public sphere.
The festival's academic activities also include a discussion of the Subversiveness of animated art in the book presentation "OBSESSION, PERVERSION, REBELLION. TWISTED DREAMS OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN ANIMATION" (its associated academic conference was conducted during last year's StopTrik IFF). At the panel discussion Trik Show, StopTrik IFF invites stop motion directors to share their making off or work-in-progress and by those examples explain their craft, artistic and intellectual choices. "Trik Show" videos, provided by the authors, are distributed on Festival's website, YouTube channel and Facebook profile.
The discussion in Maribor will be attended by Diego Akel (Brazil), Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak Jr. (Serbia), Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson (Croatia), Denis Fras, Stevan Čukalac, and Žoel Kastelic (Slovenia).
View the full programme of the 6th StopTrik IFF, as well as the lineup of selected competition & panorama films, below:
SELECTED FILMS
"INTERNATIONAL STOP MOTION COMPETITION"
31 titles
Films realized in Israel, Germany, Japan, Poland, Macedonia, Spain, UK, Switzerland, USA, Russia, Italy, Sweden, Taiwan, Estonia and The Netherlands
- And If You'll Come/ Ve'Im Tavo, dir. Tom Madar, Emlly Noy, prod. Tom Madar, Israel, 2016, 4'52''
- Build Up Anger, dir. Guy Shahaf, Naday Faibish, prod. Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2015, 0'50''
- Café d'amour – A Pixilated Slapstick Comedy/ Café d'amour – Eine pixilierte Slapstick Komödie, dir. Benedikt Toniolo, prod. Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Germany, 2016, 8'15''
- Consumanity, dir. Fabio Enrique Perez Ortiz, prod. Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Germany, 2016, 6'30''
- Datum Point/ Suijun-Genten, dir. & prod. Ryo Orikasa, Japan, 2015, 6'41''
- Endopterygota, dir. Natalia Leszewicz, prod. Academy of Fine Arts Krakow, Poland, 2015, 6'42''
- Falling Girl, The/ Девојката што паѓа, dir. Vladimir Lukash, prod. FlipBook Productions, Macedonia, 2015, 10'26''
- Feardom, The, dir. Pablo Muńoz Naharro, prod. Pangur Animation, Spain, 2016, 2'08''
- Five Minute Museum, The, dir. Paul Bush, prod. Ancient Mariner productions/ Schattenkabinett, UK/ Switzerland, 2015, 6'45''
- Heavy as Hill, dir. Emily Neilson, prod. Rhode Island School of Design, USA, 2015, 4'51''
- I Think You're a Little Confused, dir. Iku Ogawa, prod. Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan, 2016, 8'30''
- Kosmos/ Cosmos, dir. Daria Kopiec, prod. WJTeam, Poland, 2016, 2'29''
- Kukuschka/ КУКУШКА, dir. Dina Velikovskaya, prod. "Pchela" Studio, Russia, 2016, 8'45''
- Leaven/ Zaczyn, dir. Artur Hanaj, prod. Film School Lodz, Poland, 2015, 4'55''
- Lili, dir. Hani Dombe, Tom Kouris, prod. TOM&HANI Animation, Israel, 2016, 10'18''
- Lo Steinway, dir. Massimo Ottoni, prod. Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Italy, 2016, 17'30''
- Locus, dir. Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi, prod.WJTeam, Poland, 2016, 10'09''
- Look at Me Only/ あたしだけをみて, dir. Tomoki Misato, prod. Musashino Arts University, Japan, 2016, 7'30''
- Love Story, A, dir. Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara, prod. NFTS, UK, 2016, 7'04''
- Moms on Fire, dir. Joanna Rytel, prod. Altofilm AB, Sweden, 2016, 13'
- Night Hound, The/ 黑狗精, dir. Lipin Yen, Chien Ju Hung, Wen Chen Yu, prod. Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan, 2016, 4'07''
- Noevus, dir. Samuel Yal, prod. Double Mčtre Animation, France, 2016, 8'
- Sculpture of the Day, The/ Rzeźba dnia, dir. Monika Kuczyniecka, prod. Universal Music Polska, Poland, 2015, 3'30''
- Sexual Practice of Trees, The, dir. Joshua Tuthill, prod. Syracuse University, USA, 2016, 8'20''
- Spring Time Old Man/ Choutian rojin, dir. & prod. Hoji Tsuchiya, Germany/Japan, 2016, 2'30''
- Streaks of Rust, dir. Gates Callanan, prod. Rhode Island School of Design, USA, 4'44''
- Tango, dir. Francisco Gusso, Pedro Giongo, prod. Estudio Tijucas, Brazil, 2015, 14'
- Urbanimatio, dir. Hardi Volmer, Urmas Jőemees, prod. Voldik OÜ, Nukufilm OÜ, Estonia, 2016, 8'
- Wild Frontier, dir. Mascha Halberstad, prod. Superfelix, The Netherlands, 2015, 3'46''
- Within Thy Walls/ שאלוה לשלומה, dir. Omer Sharon, Daniella Schnitzer, prod. Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2015, 7'17''
- Woolen Cogwheels/ Druciane oprawki, dir. Bartosz Kędzierski, prod. Piotr Krzykwa, Poland, 2015, 13'
"THE BORDERLANDS COMPETITION"
12 titles
Films realized in Hungary, Croatia, Israel, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, USA, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany, Russia
- Beyond, dir. Milán Kopasz, prod. Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Hungary, 2015, 9'37''
- Dota, dir. Petra Zlonoga, prod. Kinoklub Zagreb, Croatia, 2016, 4'32''
- Hadarim/ הדרים, dir. Shlomi Yosef, prod. Bezalel, Academy of art and design, 2016, 5'23''
- Hurry Up/ Grouillons nous, dir. Margot Reumont, prod. Atelier de production de la Cambre/ ENSAV la Cambre, Belgium, 2015, 4'50''
- Monument, dir. & prod. Marcin Giżycki, Poland, 2016, 2'30''
- Moving Elements, dir. Marko Tadić, prod. Ustanova Zagreb film, Kreativni sindikat, Croatia, 2016, 6'30''
- Mr. Sand, dir. Soetkin Verstegen, prod. Animation Workshop, Denmark/ Belgium, 2016, 8'15''
- Now It's Over, dir. Dave Merson Hess, prod. Night Heron, USA, 2015, 4'37''
- Phantom City, dir. & prod. Patrick Jenkins, Canada, 2015, 6'30''
- Tryptokos, dir. Kaoru Furuko, prod. Nima Marandi, Karou Furuko, Sweden/ Slovakia, 2015, 1'22''
- What Happens in Your Brain If You See a German Word Like...¿, dir. Zora Rux, prod. dffb German Film and Television Academy Berlin, Germany, 2015, 5'
- Windows/ Okna, dir. Angella Lipskaya, prod. School Studio «Shar», Russia, 2016, 7'40''
"PANORAMA" SELECTION
19 titles
Ffilms realized in Israel, Poland, Italy, Germany, Burkina Faso, USA, China, Sweden, Slovenia, UK, Spain
- Above and Below, dir. Liron Narunsky, Oved Poran, prod. Bazalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel, 2016, 9'36''
- Beast, The/ Bestia, dir. Agnieszka Konarska, prod. Film School Lodz, 2016, 3'30''
- Bellaria Film Festival 2016 Official Teaser, dir. Alex Morelli, prod. Bellaria FF, Italy, 2016, 0'48''
- Flowers, The, dir. Limor Salman, prod. HIT – Holon Institute of Technology, Israel, 2016, 3'56''
- Glitch, dir. Mikołaj Sęczawa, prod. Academy of Fine Arts Lodz, Poland, 2014, 3'34''
- Hallux, dir. Thomas Henning, prod. University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HFBK), Germany, 2016, 10'25''
- Le JT, dir. Lazare Sié Palé, prod. Institut IMAGINE, Burkina Faso, 2016, 3'24''
- Little Fishy, A, dir. Maximilian Zenk, prod. Studio Flox, Germany, 2016, 1'10''
- Lovesick Teenage Cyclope, dir. & prod. Harriet Mishoulam, USA, 2014, 0'43''
- My Lost Things/ 我的丢失之物, dir. Weijia Chen, prod. China Academy of Art Hangzhou, China, 2015, 6'
- Neighbour Below, dir. Camilla Linden, prod. Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, Sweden, 2016, 2'39''
- Rattlesnake Moan, dir. Natalia Brożyńska, prod. Natalia Brożyńska, Tomasz Jerzy Tumidajewicz, Jacek Malczewski, Jarosław Daniel, Poland, 2016, 5'30''
- Some-body/ Ne-kdo, dir. Yuliya Molina, prod. Zavod APIS, Slovenia, 2015, 3'51''
- This Way Up, dir. & prod. David Cubitt, UK, 2016, 3'05''
- To Your Liking/ À votre goût, dir. Lauren Flinner, prod. California Institute of the Arts, USA, 2015, 1'15''
- Tulipomania: Shooting Off the Set, dir. Cheryl Gellover, Tom Murray, prod. Tulipomania, USA, 2016, 4'
- Turned Bed, dir. Oved Poran, Orit Oged, prod. Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel, 2015, 2'29''
- UKA, dir. Valle Comba Canales, prod. David Castro González, Spain, 2016, 3'
- Where Does the Chocolate Go?, dir. & prod. Žoel Kastelic, Slovenia, 2016, 1'31''
{tab=FULL PROGRAMME}
FULL PROGRAMME (MARIBOR)
20. - 25. 10. 2016: Partner Festivals Presentations
South Taiwan Film Festival: Srednja šola za oblikovanje (20/10/2016), Prva gimnazija Maribor (21/10/2016)
Stop Motion Montreal: FERI Faculty of Electronics, Computering and Media Communication, University of Maribor (24/10/2016)
Anibar: Architecture Faculty, University of Maribor (25/10/2016)
27. – 30.10.
WORKSHOT: Workshop with Miloš Tomič (StopTrik Children's cinema, play- and reading room, Salon)
28/10/2016, 18:00–20:30
29/10/2016, 16:30–21:15
30/10/2016, 16:30–19:30
Thursday, 27/10/2016
16:00 - 19:00 SEMINAR: Emancipatory Potential and Political Influence of Cultural Practice
16:00 – 17:00 International Round Tabel
17:15 - 18:15 Slovenian Round Table
18:30 - 19:30 Maribor Round Table
20:00 Meshes of Despotism: Czech Video Art
20:00 Chestnut Picnic
Friday, 28/10/2016
12:00 - 18:00 Thomas Johnson's Performance: Graffiti Anarch-imation
18:00 Panorama
20:00 Festival Opening
21:30 Proglas Exhibition Opening
22:00 Concert: Nina Bulatovix & Haiku Garden, Salon
Saturday, 29/10/2016
12:00 Discussion: Trik Show
14:00 "Obsession. Perversion. Rebellion. Twisted Dreams of Central European Animation": Book Presentation
16:30 Stop Motion Agitation
18:30 International Stop Motion Competition 1
20:00 International Stop Motion Competition 2
22:00 International Stop Motion Competition 3
00:00 Midnight Movies: Screen Anxiety
Sunday, 30/10/2016
15:00 Imagining the Author: Q&A with Milos Tomić
16:30 The Borderlands Competition
18:00 Dark Worlds
20:00 – 22:00 Festival Closing & Projection of Awarded Films
22.00 StopTrik AfterParty
The 6th StopTrik festival takes place 27-30 October in Maribor (Slovenia). Competition programmes and the Panorama section will be presented 11-13 November in Łódź, Poland, with the support of O!PLA Festival (Animation Across Borders), Kino Bodo, Klub Krańcoofka and New Prospects Foundation.