09/12/2024 - The seventh edition of the International Festival of Contemporary Animation of Madrid takes place between 12 and 15 December, with Poland as guest country and several Spanish premieres

Cineteca Madrid will once again host Animario, Madrid's International Festival of Contemporary Animation, from 12 to 15 December. Curated by Carolina López, this seventh edition presents a selection of titles in different genres, formats and languages, from stop motion to virtual reality, including documentaries and experimental speculative fiction.

For example, its opening session will include the screening of Rock Bottom [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by María Trénor. Presented at Annecy, it tells the story of the self-destructive love between a young couple of artists immersed in the hippie creative maelstrom of the early seventies. The brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay, at the forefront of stop motion animation, will present their latest film, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass [+see also:
film review
interview: Quay Brothers
film profile], which premiered at the Giornate degli Autori in Venice.

With a production that is as interesting as it is extensive, Poland will showcase the great period that its animated cinema is currently experiencing. In cooperation with the Polish Institute of Culture and the National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute of Poland, three sessions of short films will be programmed: Pioneers and Masters, Festival Favourites and Stop Motion Essentials; plus two retrospectives of filmmakers Marta Pajek and Jerzy Kucia. The master Jerzy Kucia will also give a seminar for professionals.

The Animario PRO forum will also be held in collaboration with Madrid Film Office. The forum is aimed at creators working on their first pieces and future professionals in the sector. The scheduled talks, lectures and round tables will be given by specialists in creating and producing animated films. This year, Animario PRO is supported by RTVE,  and Yago Fandiño, director of children's content at TVE, will explain the funding and quality policies of the public broadcaster's content.

Women filmmakers take centre stage and their voices will have a prominent place with the success stories of Isabel Herguera's Sultana's Dream [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Herguera
film profile], presented by its producer Mariano Baratech, and Rock Bottom, presented by its animation director, Marta Gil, and its art director, Ana Collado. Animario PRO is completed with the presentations of PixelClúster, MIA (Women in the Animation Industry) and the pitches of the selected projects.

As in previous editions, the festival will screen the finalists of the Animario Award for Best International Short Film and the Animario Award for Animation Production, and will award the prizes for this year's edition, worth 5,000 euros and 18,000 euros, respectively. For the former, the jury includes prominent names such as the Polish Marta Pajek, the Spaniard Pablo Berger (Oscar nominee this year for Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and the animator Joseph Wallace, winner of the Animario Award 2023. This jury will select the winning short film for this year's edition, which will be awarded a prize of 5,000 euros. The jury for the Animario Animation Production Award includes the art director of Robot Dreams José Luis Ágreda, the director and winner of this award in 2023 Blanca Bonet, and the animation director of Rock Botton Marta Gil. Aimed at works in progress, the award hopes to encourage the production of animated films with a prize of 18,000 euros. 

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)