This week, Barcelona becomes the European capital of animation for the third year running. From November 26-28, the city will once again be hosting Animar_BCN, the European Animation Convention.
The confab will attract some 90 delegates representing 60 European industry organizations, including associations and federations of producers, public policy-makers, investment funds and broadcasters. Their goal: to analyze European animation, encompassing the sector’s entire value chain and all European territories. A total of 24 European countries will be represented.
Animar_BCN arose from an initiative of the Spanish Federation of Audiovisual Producers (PROA) and ProAnimats and is a platform for debating and promoting the competitiveness, cooperation and visibility of European animation. It has been held since 2022.
One of the key features of this year’s event is the debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. The effect on the intellectual property of works, processes and professionals will be the focus of a working group moderated by Lucía Recalde, Head of the Creative Europe Unit, MEDIA, DG CONNECT — Communications Networks, Content and Technology — of the European Commission, and Moe Honan, Vice Chairwoman of Animation in Europe.
Industry stakeholders will also be reflecting on green animation. They will be analyzing the environmental sustainability initiatives being applied in the sector and will assess the possibility of attaining a European standard. This working group press release will be moderated by Carlota Guerrero, Manager of the Catalunya Film Commission and EUFCN Co-President, and Dirk Beinhold, Vice Chairman of Animation in Europe.
A third working group will focus on the legal framework of European animation works. It will address the implementation of the AVMSD (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) and other European directives that influence the definition of “independent production company” or “European work” and the retention of intellectual property, among other aspects. The group will be co-moderated by Els Hendrix, Executive Director — Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. BKM, and Philippe Alessandri, Chairman of Animation in Europe.
The promotion of European animation co-productions will be another topic up for debate, focusing particularly on public funding programs, minority and pan- European co-productions, and tax incentives. This discussion will be moderated by Alex Traila, Pilot Programme for Series Co-production – Program Manager Eurimages, Council of Europe, and Iván Agenjo, Vice Chairman of Animation in Europe.
To explore this topic further, Animar_BCN will be hosting an event open to professionals, entitled “Let’s talk Europe,” which will analyze the weight of European co-production of both cinematographic and non-cinematographic works. To this end, it will demonstrate how producers, distributors, channels and institutions from all over Europe measure the success of these types of collaborations. The case studies of the film Rock Bottom (with its producers Alba Sotorra and Robert Jaszczurowski) and DeAPlaneta (with its Content and Distribution Director, Carlos Biern) will be discussed.
This session, presented by the Treasurer of Animation in Europe, Pablo Jordi, will also feature the participation of Alessia Sonaglioni, Program Manager at Pilot Program for Series Co-Productions, Council of Europe; Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s & Education at the BBC; Yago Fandiño, Clan and Children Content Director at RTVE; Andrea Basilio, Head of Children’s Content at RTP; Martin Engelhardt Hansen, Director of Business Affairs at DR; Todor Ignatov, Head of Cinema and foreign programs department at BNT, and Muntsa Tarrés, Executive Producer Children’s and animation co-productions at 3CAT.
The conclusions of the four working groups will be shared at a public session to be held on the morning of Thursday, 28 November in the Lecture Hall of
Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University. The session will be facilitated by Cristina Angelucci, editor of the European Animation Journal. (Registration required for
attendance.)
Learn more at animarconvention.com.
