The World Festival of Animated Film –ANIMAFEST  is the only film event in Croatia that is fully dedicated to animation production. Three decades of its existence, an ideal combination of tradition and contemporariness, professionalism and quality is the formula of the success of ANIMAFEST, a festival that attracts and assembles many generations of experts, lovers and enthusiasts of all genres and categories of animation with each of its editions.   

This year’s festival programme is devoted to feature animated film and it includes more than 30 top-quality films from the world animation production intended for different age groups (from 7 to 77).  On account of the festival’s exceptional importance for Croatian culture and artistic animation, great interest of the audiences all over Croatia and the fact that films screened at the festival rarely come to the Croatian cinemas, we have decided to organise appearance of ANIMAFEST in other Croatian cities. After more than a successful edition in Split in 2007, this year ANIMAFEST will again visit Split, but also Rijeka.

This year’s edition of ANIMAFEST in Split will be held from 12th to 14th June in the newly opened and refurbished Zlatna Vrata cinematheque at the Open University in Split, which is also a co-organiser of the edition in Split and at the attractive location of the open cinema in Bačvice. The programme includes six feature and eight short films, most of them box-office hits in the world of animation. 

ANIMAFEST SPLIT, 12th -14th June

THE ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE / BAČVICE OPEN CINEMA

Friday, 12th June

6 pm THE ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE

Nocturna

Victor Maldonado/ Adrià García

Spain/ France, 2007, 35 mm, 83’

What is it that makes night so mysterious? What is hiding behind all those unfathomable things that happen when the dark falls? Could it be that there is someone, somewhere who actually makes sure that everything happens as it is supposed to? Tim’s fear has given birth to a dangerous monster whose sole aim is to destroy every source of light.  

8 pm THE ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE

OPENING CEREMONY

Mia and the Migoo

Jacques Rémy–Girerd /France / 2008, 35 mm, 92’

The second feature film made by renowned filmmaker Jacques Rémy–Girerd follows Mia, a young girl searching for her father, a worker on the construction site of a hotel complex in the heart of a tropical forest and her encounter with a mythical forest creature called the Migoo.

Seemingly, a naïve story of an adventure and friendship between a girl and a friendly ghost is actually a serous appeal for the preservation of our planet and family values.  

Saturday, 13th June 

6 pm THE ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE

Michel Ocelot – short films programme

France, 1980-1992, 73’

A collage of short films, suitable for all children, made by Michel Ocelot, a classic of world animation. 

9 pm BAČVICE OPEN CINEMA

Mary and Max

Adam Elliot / Australia / 2008, 35 mm, 92’

Oscar winning Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot brings us this bitter-sweet story about an unusual friendship between a lonely eight-year old girl from the suburbs of Melbourne and an overweight, forty-four year old Jewish man from New York. The film deals with different issues, from autism, obesity, kleptomania to mating of dogs and agoraphobia in a delightful and unique way. The likable characters are voiced by well-known actors – Toni Collete and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  

11 pm BAČVICE OPEN CINEMA

Sita Sings the Blues

Nina Paley/ USA / 2008, 35 mm, 82’

In her first feature film, Nina Paley managed to skilfully intertwine a multi-layered narrative and different visual styles and create a highly entertaining yet moving vision of the Ramayana. She received the Cristal for Best Feature at the festival in Annecy for this film.

Told from a woman’s perspective and interspersed with musical tracks by famous jazz singer Annette Hanshaw, the film tells a parallel story of the author’s own painful divorce.

Sunday, 14th June

6 pm ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE

The Three Robbers

Hay Freitag / Germany/ 2007, 35 mm, 79

An insightful story about Tiffany, an orphaned girl, who is by accident taken away by frightening robbers. .. Their relationship develops in a quite unexpected direction. The Three Robbers have not only won Tiffany’s heart but also the hearts of the audience at the Annecy Festival, which gave it the Audience Award.  

9 pm BAČVICE OPEN CINEMA

Immigrants

Gabor Csupó / Hungary/ USA/ 2008, 35 mm, 87’

Immigrants is a comical but also bitter story of the quest for the American dream, which for the lead characters, best friends Vladimir, a Russian and Joska, a Hungarian, becomes an attempt to adjust to shocking cultural differences.

A film you should not miss, made by one of the authors and producers of “Simpsons”, “The Rugrats” and “Duckman”, also an illustrator of Zappa’s album “The Lost Episode”. 

A festival party in the open follows after the screening. 

FILMS MARKED * ARE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

IN CASE OF RAIN, FILMS WILL BE SCREENED AT THE ZLATNA VRATA CINEMATHEQUE INSTEAD OF THE BAČVICE OPEN CINEMA, ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE. 

TICKETS

Tickets for ANIMAFEST 2009 can be purchased at the box offices of the Zlatna Vrata Cinematheque and the Bačvice open cinema an hour before each screening. 

Ticket price:

Zlatna Vrata Cinematheque – 15 Kuna

Bačvice Open Cinema – 20 Kuna

Animafest passes (for all screenings) + Festival Catalogue for free – 80 Kuna