18/01/2013 - The Brussels festival dedicated to animation films will be back in February with a number of recent hits from the European cartoon industry

For over 30 years, the Anima festival has offered audiences from Brussels, but also Walloon and Flemish spectators thanks to decentralizations, the best of the year's production in terms of animation films. The up-coming edition, from February 8 to 17, promises to be both rich and exciting, with a mixture of tradition and innovation.

The festival's opening film will be a re-reading of the adventures of the eternal Pinocchio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Enzo D'Alò
film profile] by Italian director Enzo D'Alò (La Mouette et le Chat). A coproduction between Italy, France, Belgium and Luxembourg, set to music with one of Lucio Dalla's most recent scores, which opened the last Venice Days.

While this year's competition is dominated by Asian productions (4 Japanese and 2 South Korean films), festival-goers will also discover the Spanish film O Apostolo [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (photo) by Fernando Cortizo, a stop motion thriller with a medieval atmosphere, and the latest film by Romanian director Anca Damian, Crulic - The Path to Beyond, [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anca Damian
film profile] an animated documentary combining paper cut-outs, cartoons and photography, telling the tragic tale of a 33 year-old Romanian who died in a Polish prison following a miscarriage of justice. Presented at the Locarno Festival, the film also won the Grand Prix in Annecy. Pinocchio will also be in the international competition for young viewers, together with another Spanish film, Tad, the Lost Explorer [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Enrique Gato, a big success in the Spanish box-office in 2012 and - a rare occurrence -, also in the running for the Goya for Best Director on February 17 next.

In addition to the competitions, Anima will propose a dense programme of encounters, especially in its professional Futuranima days, and various retrospectives (including one devoted to the Swedish musician and animator Borge Ring, as well as Animazioni al dente, dedicated to contemporary Italian creation). "Carte blanche" has also be given to the Czech festival Anifest, which will give a place of honour to modern animation from central Europe.

(Translated from French)