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FESTIVALS Belgium

Swiss animation in the spotlight at Anima

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From February 17 to 26, Brussels will once again hold animation film festival Anima. In parallel to a selection of short and feature-length films from the last years in competition, the festival will also honour Switzerland, with more than 40 films on show!

The festival will, in particular, articulate itself around four axes.

“In the land of the Helvetians” will regroup 13 short films that illustrate the incredible vitality of Swiss animation over the last ten years. Far from clichés, these high-quality graphics animation films reflect a generation of young Swiss writers with unbridled creativity who have visited international festivals. Among these are The Bear’s Hand by Marina Rosset (2008) that we saw in over 50 festivals from Hiroshima to Rio, via Varsovia and Cork, and The Cable Car by Claudius Gentinetta and Frank Braun that visited over 70 festivals.

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Anima will also honour the Hélium animation studios, created in Lausanne in 2003 by scriptwriter Cédric Louis and director Claude Barras. Specialising in stop motion, the creations of Claude Barras and his partner took flight in the international scene in 2005 with The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli. The studio is currently preparing its first feature film, Ma vie de Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile
]
(lit. “My Courgette Life”).

But the spotlight will also shine on the directors of tomorrow, with a programme dedicated to the creations of the Art and Design School of Lucerne’s animation students. A dozen of films produced between 2008 and 2011 will show us the wealth of films to come.

Finally, Anima has recruited director Isabelle Favez to its jury. Since her first film in 1993, Favez has continued to explore a very personal universe, made up of little day-to-day dramas and tragicomical flights of fancy. With relatively sober graphics, she shows great narrative mastery. A session will review her work at the festival.

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(Translated from French)

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