CEE Animation Workshop 2024: Selected Projects

4 short animated films, 1 animated series, 1 TV special, 5 animated feature films, and 1 XR animated film are the results of this year's selection of the CEE Animation Workshop, the multi-module European training programme that has now entered its sixth edition.

CEE Animation Workshop is carefully structured in a series of  2 online and  2onsite modules, managing every aspect from the animation production, from script writing to production details and film marketing.

"It is especially thrilling to welcome the first XR project attending our programme. We are preparing a rich and intense training for 2024 and are excited to visit Lithuania and Croatia during our residential modules this year. There, we will put a spotlight on their animation industries" Saša Bach, Managing Director of the CEE Animation Workshop.

The selection was made out of 38 applications from 26 countries. The final results include established animation names, like both Estonians Sander Joon and Chintis Lundgren (both in their first feature efforts). Two Ukrainian animation projects are highlighted (one of them the feature film project 'Red Zone' by Irina Tsilyk). Norway, Italy, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania (this year's focus country) are represented.

CEE Animation Workshop 2024 Selected Projects

Finding Home,  s. Trond Morten Kristensen Venaasen / p. Lilian Løvseth, Trollfilm, Norway (Feature film)
When the musk-ox calf Musky is stolen away from home, he is forced out on a dangerous journey, teaching him about his inner strength and that home is where the heart is.

Kopli, with love, d.& s. Sander Joon / p. Aurelia Aasa, AAA Creative, Estonia (Feature film)

We examine post-Soviet landscapes and their inhabitants through the bird's eye while observing the absurdities of life through quirky humor. Get ready for this animated extravaganza.

Red Zone, s.& d. Irina Tsilyk, p. Darya Bassel, Moon Man, Ukraine (Feature film)
One day of life of Iryna Tsilyk – a Ukrainian filmmaker and poet, a mother, and a soldier’s wife – in a war-affected Kyiv. She is waiting for news from her husband, serving on the front line, that he is still alive.

Riamise, d.& s. Francesco Forti / p. Federico Turani, Ibrido Studio, Italy (Feature film / direct access from the CEE Animation Forum 2023)
Riamise is a city devasted by drought,crime and giant reptiles. A boy and a girl will discover the secret behind the absence of water and will change the fate of the city forever.

Saima - Scenes from a Midlife Crisis, d. & s. Chintis Lundgren / p. Draško Ivezić, Adriatic Animation, Croatia (Feature Film)

In a vibrant world of anthropomorphic animals, 40-year-old fox Saima navigates love, betrayal, and unexpected pregnancy, amidst friends dealing with their own emotional tumults.

Rainy Days, d.& s. Dimiter Ovtcharov / p. Ani Antonova Hristova, Bulgaria (TV Series) 

When four little rains Roy, Dropetty, Thundery, and Tormenta dream of visiting Earth and meeting people and rabbits, they embark on an adventurous journey to learn the skills necessary to become real rains.

The Great War of Marie Curie, s. Camille Alméras / p. Delphine Schmit, Tripode Productions, France (TV Special)
1914. Marie Curie was a widow. Suddenly idle in her laboratory because all her colleagues had been called up to the front, she looked for something to do: she wanted to take part in the war effort! She's going to fight with her strong will and her science.

Conductor, d.& s. Antanas Skucas / p. Justė Michailinaitė, BROOM Films, Lithuania (Short Film)
‘Conductor’ is the film of a prison warden in a dystopian city who has broken his musical instrument. Without him – so he thinks – the whole city will come crashing down. But even after he steals another musical instrument from a prisoner, will it be enough to stop the city from collapsing?

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!, d. Andreaa Szelesová / p. Kristina Škodová, Cinepoint, Czechia (Short Film)
Yiós, a lonely boy from a mythical world in the clouds, is bullied by the other children for having a head which shines like the sun. After being pushed down to Earth as the loser of a wicked game, he wins something far more important.

Pearls and Bikes, s. Haidy Kancler / p. Maja Zupanc, Invida, Slovenia (Short Film)

In a quest for cycling glory and gender equality, lifelong friends Mila and Dora embark on a daring journey to crash the male-dominated Giro d'Italia, but as they pedal through the decades of women's cycling history, they discover the path to victory is anything but smooth.

The Black Fox, d. Elene Murjikneli, s. Salome Skhirtladze / p. Margo Zubashvili, The Black Fox Animation, Georgia (Short Film)
The Arctic fox, with prey in its teeth, flees from attacking red foxes, but loses something important in the process. The fox is bleeding, but continues its trek through the arctic desert and gets transformed during this journey.

Eglė, the Queen of Serpents, d. Tomas Mitkus /p. Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė, Studio Mitkus, Lithuania (XR - Short film)

This VR experience is based on one of the most famous Lithuanian fairy tales, in which Eglė - the protagonist of the story - is forced to marry the king of serpents. However, the newlyweds are happy, and the couple has four children

CAREER-ORIENTED PARTICIPANTS
Ildiko Takacs, producer, Liberty, Hungary
Martin Lorenz, producer, LWZ Design& Animation, Austria

Producers Tonje Skar Reiersen (Mikrofilm, Norway) and Corinne Destombes (Folimage, France), along with experienced script consultants Phil Parker (United Kingdom) and Rita Domonyi (Hungary), are reprising their roles as group leaders.

The first module will be taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania, between 26 February and 2 March 2024. In addition to more than 30 representatives of the local animation industry, the following guest lecturers will attend the first module, Jeremy Clapin (FR), Edmunds Jansons and Sabine Andersone (Atom Art, LV), Luca Toth (HU), Agne Adomene (Art Shot, LT), Kristel Toldsepp (A Film, EE), Ulrich Michel (Noerr, DE), Ben Morris (UK) and others.

The second residential module will take place between 29 July – 4 August on the Croatian seaside.

(Cover Image: 'Red Zone')