PRESS RELEASE
17.11.2009

Estonian only animation festival Animated Dreams will take place between 18-22 November 2009 in cinema Sõprus and gallery EAST Creative Space.

Black Nights Film Festival’s (PÖFF) sub festival Animated Dreams, dedicated on animations, will begin tomorrow at 18:00 in cinema Sõprus. It takes place for 11th time. As an addition to wonderful films it is possible to participate in lectures by animation and new media experts and take a look at a comic exhibition “Graphic dreams” (EAST Creative Space gallery - Pikk 36).

Animated Dreams is the only animation festival in Estonia that introduces Estonian directors work and popularizes international high-level animation culture. Unique event started in PÖFF in 1999 and is now held as a small separate festival.

Core of the festival is international competition programme with 40 animations from the last couple of years from all over the world. From Estonia are competing “Crocodile” by Kaspar Jancis and new puppet animation “Oranus” by Mari-Liis Bassovskaja and Jelena Girlin (the pair is also known as Girlin Bassovskaja). At the opening ceremony also “Divers in the Rain” by Priit and Olga Pärn and “In the Air” by Martinus Daane Klemet will be screened.

Animations will be adjudged by international jury: Regina Pessoa, animation director from Portugal; Tatia Rosenthal, author of feature length animation “9.99 dollars” and Estonian animation director Hardi Volmer. For the first time a special award is given by the degree students of Estonian Art Academy animation department.

There will also be a special program Animate Projects, supported by the British Artistic Animation Fund and a special program of Portugal’s modern animation. For the first time there will be a special program for children. One thing to look forward to is the retrospective of Juri Norstein, author of beloved animation “Hedgehog in the Fog” and Soviet animated propaganda films program.

There are more feature lenght animations this year than usual. In cinema Sõprus screens four artistic animations - Adam Elliot’s touching doll animation “Mary and Max”, horror-film “Fear of the Dark”, sci-fi computer animation “Metropia” and Tatia Rosenthal’s magic-realistic doll animation “9,99 dollars”.

Internationally known artists and film-makers will speak in festival’s lecture programme “Keyframes” about using animation in different fields of creation. Speakers include Jürgen Hagler from Linz, jury member of a reputable new media festival Ars Electronica and animation director Sebastian Buerkner whose work has been presented in many international art exhibitions. Director, writer, film-maker and multimedia artist Virgil Widrich from Vienna will speak about the making of experimental short animations “Copy Shop” and “Fast Film”.

In EAST Creative Space gallery can be seen an exposition “Graphic dreams” by Joonas Sildre, that includes best pieces of Estonian comic artists. Their vision of graphic dreams will be presented by Edvin Aedma, Doodletom, Elina Kasesalu, Kati Kesküla, Peeter Krosmann, Ed Labetski, Triinu Lille, Kristel Maamägi, Marjanne Männi, Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, Aleksander Rostov, Jaan Rõõmus, Martin Rästa, Alar Sapelkov, Elina Sildre, Joonas Sildre, Stella Skulatšjova, sPoom, Veiko Tammjärv, Martin Tõnts, Paco Ulman and Karmen Vigor. Exposition can be seen every day until 26th November between 12 – 6 PM.

Festival will be finished with a huge party on 22 November in cinema Sõprus, during which we’ll bid farewell to reputable cinema-house. Animation festival’s organizers and friends will step up as DJs. Main performer is Daniela Concepción Valdez Calzado from Madrid.

Tickets are sold in all Piletilevi ticket counters and in cinema Sõprus.