The CEE Animation Forum has announced the official project selection for its upcoming edition, set to take place in Pilsen, Czech Republic, from 8-9 November. In addition, this year's event will introduce a new platform called the Market, which aims to provide visibility to animated projects at any stage and facilitate one-to-one meetings between industry professionals.

The selection boasts a line-up of 28 diverse projects across various categories, with a total budget of €29 million, showcasing the ambitious scale and potential impact of these productions.

To cater to different target demographics, the selection includes eight projects for children up to ten years old, six for teenagers, eight for young adults and seven aimed at adult audiences. Hungarian animation is the best represented, with five projects, followed by four from the Czech Republic, three from Estonia, two each from Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain, and then Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Slovakia and Ukraine, with one each.

In terms of animation techniques, there are 16 projects that employ drawing, 14 that have been made with 2D animation, seven with 3D animation and seven with stop motion. The gender representation among directors and producers is balanced or skewed towards female participants, except in the feature category, which includes two female and three male directors.

The newly introduced Market platform offers a dedicated space within the event for professionals to engage in one-to-one meetings with decision makers. Film professionals can secure their participation in the Market by purchasing the accreditation (available from September) for their project(s) at any stage of development, production or distribution, including completed works. Early access to a reservation system allows participants to schedule meetings in advance with esteemed European professionals, including producers, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters, scriptwriters, festival programmers and market-event representatives.

“Every year, we witness a growing number of ambitious and high-quality projects being submitted to our event,” explains Marta Jallageas, managing director of the CEE Animation Forum. “We recognise the importance of helping them gain visibility and capture the interest of decision makers. That’s why we’ve made the strategic decision to introduce the Market as a new feature. The objective is to create a dedicated showcase for animated projects that are still seeking partners – regardless of the stage.”

The CEE Animation Forum will take place on 8 and 9 November in Pilsen (Czech Republic). Accreditations for the Forum and the Market will be available for purchase on the website from September 2023.

The event is financially supported by the Czech Film Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Audiovisual Producers’ Association (APA, Czech Republic) and the Pilsen region.

Here is the full list of projects:

Feature Films

Dr. Howl - Anna Jasińska-Koronkiewicz (Poland)
Producer: Anna Mroczek (Likaon | WJT)

Moss - Judith Colell (Spain)
Producer: Jordi B Oliva (Imagic TV)

MouMoush - The King of Plastic - Milorad Krstić (Hungary)
Producer: Radmila Roczkov (Mumus Production Ltd)

Nine Lives Left - Zacharias Mavroeidis (Greece)
Producer: Maria Kontogianni (Wild at Heart)

Riamise - Francesco Forti (Italy)
Producer: Federico Turani (IBRIDO Studio)

Series/TV Specials

Dolls - Joachim Hérissé (France)
Producer: Stéphanie Launay (Komadoli Studio)

Faulas - Michela Anedda (Italy)
Producer: Nicola Contini (Mommotty)

Magic Molly (Cyprus)
Producer: Maria Pavlou (Pixel Giants)

My Little Heroes - Javier Galán (Spain)
Producer: Ivan Agenjo (Peekaboo Animation)

Rainy Days - Ani Antonova Hristova (Austria)
Producer: Ani Antonova Hristova

The Treflix: Christmas Special - Piotr Ficner (Poland) - TV special
Producer: Kazimierz Wierzbicki (KAZStudio)

Short Films

Be Still My Heart - Melinda Kádár (Hungary)
Producer: Bella Szederkényi (CUB Animation)

Displaced Garden - Kateryna Voznutsya (Ukraine)
Producer: Yuliya Serdyukova (Yutopia Films)

Last Minute - Joanna Kozuch (Slovakia)
Producer: Joanna Kozuch (Plackartnyj)

Nightbloom - Kata Gugić (Croatia)
Producer: Vanja Andrijević (Bonobostudio)

Period Drama - Michaela Mihalyi (Czech Republic)
Producer: Jakub Rálek

The Heaviness of Absence - Jalal Maghout (Germany)
Producer: Karsten Matern (Matern-Trigo-Maghout-Magnuska-Plucinska-Solomon-Ziółkowska Animation GbR)

The New Suburb - Francesco Rosso (Estonia)
Producer: Edina Csüllög (Red Sherberth)

Toxik - Bárány Dániel (Hungary)
Producer: Bárány Dániel (Boddah)

Wrestlers - Joni Männistö (Finland)
Producer: Kimmo Sillanmikko (Böhle Studios)

You Are My Light - Hana Stehlikova (Czech Republic)
Producer: Zuzana Kučerová (Frame Films)

Student Films/Rising Stars

Autopilot - Patricie Švadlenková (Czech Republic)
Daisy - Dorota Kaustová (Czech Republic)
Eruption - Zoé Nagy (Hungary)
It Is (Not) Yours - Santiago Ordoñez (Estonia)
My Grandmother Is a Skydiver - Polina Piddubna (Ukraine/Germany)
Stuck in a Wasp Nest - Agnes Milla Bereczki (Estonia)
The Way Out - Dániel Diószeghy (Hungary)