GoCritic! Anifilm 2025
The next GoCritic! workshop in partnership with the Animation Festival Network will take place at the Anifilm International Festival of Animated Films in Liberec, Czech Republic, from 6–11 May 2025. Three promising international film journalists and critics will work with tutor Vladan Petković on reviews, interviews, industry stories and essays focused on the animation scene. These articles will be published on Cineuropa and Zippy Frames.
GoCritic! Participants at Anifilm 2025
Arsalan Awais
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” This profound belief by Roald Dahl resonates deeply with Arsalan and inspires his work as a multidisciplinary visual artist, animator and puppeteer. He focuses on creating stories that promote inclusivity, diversity and mental well-being, particularly for children. Over the years, he has directed campaigns, curated exhibitions and collaborated with renowned mentors to bring transformative ideas to life. Arsalan’s ultimate goal is to establish a children’s television studio in Pakistan (along the lines of Nickelodeon), where he can reshape cultural narratives and create innovative, impactful content.
Botagoz Koilybayeva
Botagoz Koilybayeva is a Kazakh-born, Prague-based film writer, PhD student and Berlinale Talents Press alumna. She writes about cinema in academic and cultural as well as English-language and Central Asian contexts. She has contributed to Little White Lies, Klassiki, Senses of Cinema and Modern Times Review. Her bylines in Russian include the art journal Art of Her, ’98mag and Manshuq. Her current PhD research centres on the intersection of film, ecology and the more-than-human.
Will Rowan
Will Rowan is a British film critic, programmer and researcher exploring the intersection of technology and film in its many forms. In his research, he develops new methods for real-time relighting and visual effects in film and TV production. Most recently, he led a workshop on the future of virtual production at the Basecamp artist residency during the 2024 Locarno Film Festival. An alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2025 and the Young Critics’ Campus at the 25th Far East Film Festival (Udine, Italy), he regularly covers film festivals both nationally and internationally. His bylines include Taiwan News, Eastern Kicks, Movie Marker and more.
