For the third year running, Greek animation travels to Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its International Animation Film Market (Mifa), the leading animation film festival, where 12,000 participants gather each year to see the best new productions, exchange information on new trends, network and embark on collaborations.
This year’s Greek participation consists of 18 productions, two of which have been selected for the competition section (10-15 June, Film Festival), as well as a Greek pavilion (June 11-14, Film Market), on the initiative of Asifa Hellas – Hellenic Animation Association and the Ministry of Digital Politics, Telecommunications and Communication, with the strong support of the National Center for Audiovisual Media & Communication (EKOME S.A.).
FEATURE FILMS
The Night with the Kallikantzarous by Spyros Siakas (in development)
SHORT FILMS
Karim & Hercules (in development) by T. Deligiannis and V. Tsiouvaras, Those Who Live in Ηeaven (in development) by G. and K. Andrias, Man Wanted by Iris Ziogas (in post production), First Thirst (in distribution) by D. Armenakis
TV SERIES
Animini (in development) by I. Texes and D. Savaidis, Kaptens (in development) by K. Koukouraki, Greek Myths: The Antiheroes (in development) by G. and K. Andrias, Future Postman (in development) by S. Kotsovoulos and D. Savaidis, The Treasure at the Roots of the Tree of Earth (in development) by V. Karadimas, Stories of Planet Sentia (in development) by V. Karadimas, Save your Planet by T. Kotsiras (in distribution), Save your Planet- baby by T. Kotsiras (in distribution)
TRANSMEDIA, BOOKS, WEB
Black Holes (in distribution)By Antonis Nikolopoulos (Soloup), Save your Planet (in distribution) by T. Kotsiras, Top 5 European goals (in distribution) by Ant. Smyrniotis, Telis flipbooks (in distribution) by A. Papadaniel, Cavafy | The City (in distribution) by A. Papadaniel and P. Kountouras
FILMS IN COMPETITION- SCREENINGS
Violent Equation, by Antonis Doussias, Heatwave, by Fokion Xenos
“Violent Equation”, Antonis Doussias
The EKOME and Asifa Hellas synergy reflects a coordinated national effort to support Greek animators in their quest for foreign co-productions through the use of the incentives introduced by Greece to attract investment in audiovisual productions. The Greece Animated 2019-2020 program is in the framework of this collaboration, aiming at the development of co-productions with Greek content and international standards of the animated creative industry, featuring as its emblem Talos of Crete, which, according to Greek mythology, was the first robot ever created.
The two short Greek films in this year’s competition section are Violent Equation by Antonis Doussias and Heatwave by Fokion Xenos: the first, Violent Equation, is a visual 3D Animation poem based on the paintings of Kostis Georgiou. Doussias, in collaboration with Aris Fatouros, participated in the competition section two years ago as well, causing a sensation with Enigma, which focused on the paintings of surrealist artist Pantaleon; the second film, Heatwave -a plasticine stop motion about a hot day on the beach and the effects of the heat wave on bathers- participates in the Graduate Film Competition and is Xenos’ graduation work from the National Film and Television School in London. Both contestants are members of the Greek delegation and will be honored at the reception hosted by the Ministry of Digital Politics, Telecommunications and Communication at the Greek Pavilion on Friday June 14, the last day of the Annecy Market, where all those interested in collaborations with Greek producers will be invited as part of Greece Animated 2019-2010 programme.
All 18 production projects from Greece are featured at the Greek pavilion and those that have audiovisual sample materials will also be featured on the festival’s Videotheque, where they will be accessible by potential co-producers until April 2020. Among these are the feature film by Spyros Siakas on the Kalikantzaroi, supported by the Greek Film Center program Grafi, as well as the short film Man Wanted by Iris Zhonga, which began with funding by the Greek Sate Broadcaster ERT microfilm program and will be completed this year as an international co-production of the National Film Centers of Estonia, Albania, Serbia and Greece.
A new wave of productions with Greek content addressing television audience series is targeting the international market. Constantina Koukourakis’ Kaptens, Vangelis Karadimas’ children’s series with educational content, and the mythological antiheroes of the Andrias brothers are all targeting different audiences at the Annecy through their pilot projects. More advanced animations, such as Animini and Future Postman, promoted by Dimitris Savaidis and his company Add Art have attracted the interest of foreign investors since the previous Annecy Festival. Savvaidis will also promote at Annecy the completed ecological series for children, Save your planet and Save your planet baby by Tassos Kotsiras, which are aired in Greece by Nickelodeon.
Tasos Kotsiras also participates in the transmedia category given the availability of the same content in television series, illustrated books and interactive computer applications, targeting an international transmedia market. Taking part at Annecy with transmedia projects are also prominent comic artist Soloup (Antonis Nikolopoulos) and multi-talented graphic designer and cartoon director Aristarchos Papadaniel, with his multimedia audiovisual experience for the great Alexandrian poet C. P. Cavafy.
“Man Wanted”, Iris Zhonga
Thus the Greek animation community is coming of age and claiming its share in the international market, which is growing more and more through hundreds of channels broadcasting children’s programs world-wide, but also by expanding into computer games, books, comics, internet platforms and byproducts (dolls, t-shirts, etc.) reaching a global audience. Now is the right time, given the existence of the right tools to attract investments in audiovisual projects so as to support creators and producers of Greek cartoons. Another fruit of the EKOME and ASIFA HELLAS partnership an updated guide for the use of investment incentives in English, which describes in detail how to use the incentives and lists all companies active in Greece with access to these incentives. The guide has been made in collaboration with Angelo Rouvas’ Greekanimation.com portal and will be shared in all Greek Animated 2019-2020 events both in Greece and abroad, and will remain active digitally until the beginning of next year’s Festival in June 2020.
F.K.
Source: Asifa Hellas
Read also: Kostis Georgiou: “Art’s purpose is to provide a zone of unlimited paths”, Greek animation’s second landing at the Annecy Animation Festival, General Secretariat for Media and Communication boosting Greek Gaming & Animation, Lefteris Kretsos on bringing Greece on the global map of the Game and Film Making Industry, One more reason to film in Greece: A new legal framework of economic incentives, General Secretariat for Media and Communication boosting Greek Gaming & Animation, Lefteris Kretsos on bringing Greece on the global map of the Game and Film Making Industry, 10 Reasons to film in Greece, “Filming Greece”: our series of interviews on Greek Cinema.
