Slovakia’s 17th Fest Anča International Animation Festival official selection has been announced, showcasing standout animation from the past two years. In total, 1,340 films from 71 countries across the globe were submitted, of which the pre-selection committee has chosen 206 for festivalgoers to enjoy in Žilina from June 25 to 30.
The Anča Award winners of the Best Animated Short and Best Slovak Animated Short categories are eligible to compete in the 96th Academy Awards for animated short. Fest Anča was named an Oscar qualifying festival last year.
The year’s main international short film competition features a range of animation techniques and progressive approaches to animated narrative. Contemporary issues are also reflected in these films, which delve into war, immigration and the disintegration of relationships. The selection is also healthily balanced with humor, kindness and absurdity.
“Pushing the usual boundaries is demonstrated by the films’ longer runtimes. This trend makes us happy since it’s a sign of an ongoing emancipation of animated films,” said Jakub Spevák, program director and pre- selection committee member.
Pre-selection committee member Peter Gašparík noted, “For the first time, many submitted films are AI-produced. Yet few deployed AI well, while the rest fell short of official selection.”
The main competition includes 32 films, a third of which are student-made and will compete for the Anča Award in Best Student Animated Short. “Students have the courage to introduce atypical topics and experiment with means of expression. The gap between professional- and student-made films is getting less discernible year-by-year,” said pre-selection committee members Peter Gašparík and Ema Nemčovičová.
Student films include the American work fur by Zhen Li (CalArts), which explores how mutual fondness can turn sour and go completely pear-shaped. Carcinization by Denis Souza (Brazil) is an atypical work about the desire to become a crab. Fest Anča visitors may already know Polish student Barbara Rupik’s new film Such Miracles Do Happen, about saints’ statues that come alive, which has also been selected for the prestigious festivals in Annecy and Clermont-Ferrand.
Among the films created by professional animators around the world, Fest Anča visitors can look forward to seasoned Hungarian animator Flóra Anna Buda’s 27, which has already made an impression at Cannes, Annecy, Toronto and Sundance. The selection also features the documentary film Maurice’s Bar by Tom Prezman and Tzor Edery that depicts a queer hang out. The main competition also includes I Smell a Mouse by Finnish filmmaker Iiti Yli-Harja, whose Blush – An Extraordinary Voyage screened at Fest Anča 2023. This category also includes The Rubbings of Trajectories by Cheng-Hsu Chung, a jury member at last year’s festival.
Slovak animation comprises a major part of Fest Anča’s selection. Hello Summer by successful filmmaker duo Veronika Zacharová and Martin Smatana will be screened in both the main and Slovak competitions. The Slovak section also features Wereawolf by animation student Niko Mlynarčík, which depicts online manipulation and harassment.
“It’s great to see Slovak animation growing every year — as proven by our student films in the Slovak competition,” said Spevák.
Turning to the music video selection, program assistant Ema
Nemčovičová commented, “We were surprised by the wide range of animated music genres this year. Fest Anča’s visitors can watch a fusion of visuals with post-punk, dream-pop and even a jazz rendition of a medieval song.”
Visitors can see Raman Djafari’s newest works, which accompany DJ Piper’s “RIP TXL” and Ashnikko’s “Worms.” He is joined by renowned Chilean duo Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León’s stop-motion music video that uses life-size puppets to visualize PJ Harvey’s “I Inside the Old I Dying.” The directors were jury members at Fest Anča 2021, and their films are regularly awarded at film festivals around the world.
Slovak music videos in competition include Prezident Lourajder’s “Lunapark” with visuals by Matej Mihályi, Cassels’ “About Not Writing” by Michal Mikuš and Ankramu’s “Majstre” by Marián Vredík.
Fest Anča 2024 also has a varied film program for children and families. Original works speak to kids about the world in a way that stimulates their imagination and ability to think, and these films are an especially big draw for the event because they are rarely screened at regular cinemas.
Spin Cycle from the competition section portrays the importance of new friendships, while the Croatian film Butterfly features environmental issues and Battery Mommy depicts a winter afternoon’s kindergarten hero.
Slovakia is represented in the children’s competition by FAMU student Eva Matejovičová’s Writing Home, about a little bug who loses its home because of human negligence, but with the help of kind people finds its home again.
Non-competition sections feature the newest films by well-known animation names such as Sasha Svirsky, Luca Tóth and Max Hattler. Fest Anča wil also be screening the distinctive Electra by Oscar-nominated artist Daria Kashcheeva. Programs spotlight animated documentaries, contemporary abstract and non-narrative animation, and even extremely short films, as well as the ever-popular Anča in Mordor and Anča in Wonderland with their atypical cinematic collections.
Visit festanca.sk/en for more information.
