Română18th Edition
An award-winning Polish animation filmmaker. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, she studied at the Animated Film Studio headed by legendary animator Jerzy Kucia. Pajek later trained under the mentorship of Estonian animator Priit Pärn at the Turku Arts Academy in Finland. Pajek’s filmmaking style has been shaped by an interest in the arts and graphic design, as well as dance, psychology, spirituality and human experiences. She has directed several animated shorts, including After ‘Apples’ (2004), ‘Sleepincord’ (2011) and most recently the award winning ‘Impossible Figures and other stories triptych’ (2016-2021).
Belgian director, illustrator and scriptwriter, Britt creates cute characters that are not only for kids, and dark stories not only for adults. Her debut short film ‘Catherine’ (2016) travelled to over 200 festivals, collecting 50 prizes along the way. Her second short ‘Luce and the Rock’ (2022) received a Special Mention at the Berlinale, amongst 160 festival selections and 35 awards worldwide. She's currently writing a series for kids, a children's book and a short for adults.
She likes (dark) chocolate, hugs, sketching animals at the zoo and NVC. When travelling, she collects rocks to paint eyes on.
Sabine has educational background in law and theory of culture. She is the managing director of animation studio Atom Art and producer with almost 15 years of experience on different genre and format of animated films - artistic animation shorts, pre-school series, and TV specials, as well as features. Her award winning productions have been selected to festivals all over the world, such as Berlinale, Annecy, Ottawa, Hiroshima, Zagreb, Clermont-Ferrand and others. She is Co-founder and member of Latvian Animation Association and member of European Film Academy.
Latvian born film director living and working in both Norway and Latvia, Ilze has done eight documentaries and more than 20 hours of TV animation-/documentary series. The last ten years Ilze and her production company Bivrost Film have worked on ‘My Favorite War’, as well as on several animated documentary series for children with topics like abuse and violence. She and her team won an International Emmy Award for ‘My Body Belongs to Me’ in 2018.
Director, producer, illustrator and teacher. In 2000, with his 25-minute film ‘The Suspect’, he received the CARTOON D’OR. In the last few years, he directed the stop-motion TV series for children entitled ‘Home things’, the short film ‘Journey To Cape Verde’ and the short film ‘Fragments’, selected to short-film competition at Locarno IFF 2016 and received the prize “Best documentary” in Clermont-Ferrand SFF 2017. In 2022, he finished the production of the animated feature film ‘Nayola’, premiered in the official competition of Annecy IFF, France, and received the award for best animated feature film at Animest Romania.
Born in Lyon, France, Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo is a dancer, animator and filmmaker of Cameroonian descent. He studied animation at the Emile Cohl School in Lyon. His first short, The Heart is a Metronome (2007) won "Best First Film” at Hiroshima Film Festival in 2008. The Sense of Touch (2014), also internationally recognized, is the perfect example of the connection between dance and animation. For the film, he learned sign language and worked with born deaf French actress Emmanuelle Laborit. Also a trained dancer, Jean-Charles choreographed his first show Les Mots – a solo for two performers in 2017. His 2018 short, Make It Soul, a tribute to black American music, was nominated for the César for Best Animation Short Film in 2020. The hybrid documentary series Ex æquo! (2020), was produced for the Paralympics Games of Tokyo in 2021.
French media artist and electronic music producer. Since 2012, he has been composing soundtracks for films, animation shorts and series (Candide, Zsuzsanna Kreif, 2017 ; The New Kid, Arnaud Dezoteux, 2020; Amok, Balázs Turai, 2022; Inner Feels : Everything Flows, Carin Klonowski, 2023). His artworks and performances have been shown in France (FIAC, Paris, 2015; Galleria Continua, Paris, 2016; Nuit Blanche Paris, 2017; La Panacée/MoCo, Montpellier, 2018; FRAC Normandie, Rouen, 2018; Stunfest, Rennes, 2023), Japan (French Institute, Tokyo, 201; Earth + Gallery, Tokyo, 2016; Nuit Blanche Kyoto, 2018; Next to Hojo Komuten Gallery, Tokyo, 2022), Hungary and China (French Institute, Budapest, 2020 ; Dimensions Art Center, Chongqing, 2023).
Sijia was born in China and currently lives in Japan. She makes time-based works including animation, video art and installations. In 2020, she received her master's degree from the Department of Animation at Tokyo University of the Arts. By getting inspiration from other art forms, she develops her films through experimentation and seeks liberation from visual language. She occasionally is making music and sound design for films. Her works have been screened at film festivals around the world, and in 2022, her film "Be Gone" won the Award of the Music Video Competition at ANIMEST..
Teodora Vamvu is Online Content Manager at Radio Guerrilla and has been part of this beautiful, dynamic and cool team since 2017. At the radio she takes care, among others, of the Social Media, running and managing www.guerrillaradio.ro website, copywriting and strategic media partnerships, on which occasion she became the contact and crucial person in Radio Guerrilla for Animest communication.
When she's not making sure, from the shadow, that the radio run smooth, she reads at every opportunity, writes short stories in English, some of them published online, and binges movies and series. So many of them. And yes, in her top favorite movies of all time we can find... an animation. Theodora has seen ‘Finding Nemo’ 14 times, until she could almost recite all the lines top-to-bottom. She still believes that many animated films, feature and short, are funnier than most comedies or more profound than many so-called art films. If you dare, question her, she awaits and dares you. Until then, she has some work to do, she juries Animusic, and she's very happy about that.
Claudia Larcher is an Austrian visual artist known for her multi-disciplinary work, which encompasses video animations, collages, installations, and photographs. Her art often addresses themes of home, memory, and identity, merging digital and analog techniques to create surreal and immersive environments. Drawing inspiration from architecture and nature, Larcher's pieces explore the uncanny and challenge viewers' perceptions of space and reality. Her unique approach has earned her exhibitions at international galleries and festivals, establishing her reputation in the contemporary art world.
Mihai Grecu was born in Romania in 1981. After studying art and design in Romania and France, he has been pursuing his artistic research at the Fresnoy Studio of Contemporary Arts. Recurring topics such as environmental crisis, political allegories, new technologies and catastrophes articulate the whole of his exploration of mysterious and subconscious beginnings. These visual and poetic trips mix several techniques and may be seen as propositions for a new dream oriented technology. His work has been shown and awarded in numerous film festivals (Tribeca, Locarno, Rotterdam, Festival of New Cinema in Montreal) and exhibitions (‘Dans la nuit, des images’ at the Grand Palais, ‘Labyrinth of my mind’ at the Cube, ‘Video Short list: the Dream Machine’ at the Passage du Retz, ‘Studio’ at ‘Les Filles du Calvaire’ Gallery).
Ciprian is an XR architect of immersive and interactive experiences, creative explorer and researcher in new media technologies. He is a co-founder and lead designer at Augmented Space Agency and a research assistant at the International Center for Research and Education in Innovative and Creative Technologies at the National University of Theatre and Film "I.L. Caragiale" Bucharest. Exploring new technologies at the intersection between reality and virtuality, Ciprian contributes to the development of XR (extended reality) solutions across multiple domains: academic research, education, arts, creative and industrial fields. His mission is to creatively explore new innovative ways of communication and artistic expression that can generate sustainable connections with an ever-increasing mixed reality world.
Born (literally) on the banks of the River Thames in London, Dave King spent many years as a cartoonist and writer, working on books, newspapers, magazines and comics strips including Animaniacs, Barbie, Beetlejuice, Looney Tunes and Rugrats, for publishers such as Marvel Comics UK, DC Comics and Warner Bros Worldwide Publishing. Moving into animation, as a director, producer, writer and storyboard artist, King worked with Cartoon Network UK, Nickelodeon, MTV Europe, Cosgrove Hall, and the BBC, among others, on TV and web series, commercials, and music videos (including an MTV Europe award-winning video for U2). After ten years teaching animation at bachelor and master levels in Norway, he has returned to the industry with his company, Dave King Creative, to develop films, TV series, documentaries, and multimedia projects.
Matea Milić has worked for the production company Hulahop since 2012, where she has collaborated in production and distribution of documentaries and feature projects and the distribution of feature animated films. Since 2015 serves as the festival producer of the World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb and is responsible for fundraising, team management and collaboration with partners. She has participated in the work of juries and selection committees of festivals in the country and abroad, and coordinates the AFN - Animation Festival Network, network of animation festivals from the CEE region.
Bastien Martin is currently the manager and producer of Camera-etc, a 40 years old animation studio based in Liege, Belgium. Before that, he studied communication then cinema & arts at the University of Liege before working in different areas (theatre, literature, non-profit associations). During 10 years, he worked for several production companies and on different levels of production on more than 50 projects including shorts and lengths documentaries, shorts and lengths features, animated shorts and experimental films. He was also screenwriter for a 10x52’ TV show during one year and directed two documentaries for television (his first one is about Raoul Servais, the father of animation in Belgium).
“My name is Clara. My favourite colors are yellow, orange and pink. Walks on summer evenings are the best. I love seeing new ideas and hearing stories. Discovering new worlds in movies and media is truly fascinating. I'm so excited to be part of the Teen Jury this year!”
“My name is Paula Benu, I'm 17 years old and I love everything that has to do with art, especially cinema. I really like to play around with audiovisual media. I experiment a lot and spend the majority of my time thinking about films. These days my main focus is observing and learning as much as possible in order to share the things that I find interesting, valuable, important.”
“My name is Pop-Cohuț Zena, I'm 17 years old, I'm in the 11th grade and I'm from Oradea. I love books, movies, music and photography, being a creative and sociable person. My passion for audio-visual comes from my love to create content on the internet, on my Youtube channel where for 4 years I reviewed the books I loved. I spend most of my time volunteering, through which I managed to explore my passions and through which I discovered Graphic Design and photography.”
Maria is 10 years old and loves watching movies with her brother, Kristof. They also have a favourite director. They love Hayao Miyazaki's films. Her favourite movie is Ponyo. She loves to dance, read and play. She likes holidays with family and friends and loves horses very much.
Medea is 11 years old and a fifth grader. She has a sense of humour and loves gymnastics, playing outdoors with friends, and traveling. She is passionate about music, drawing, photography and animated films. She plays the piano wonderfully, and loves the piano, the guitar and, obviously, the cats. Traveling with her family delights her all the time and she is fascinated by any place in the world. She enjoys making stop-motion animations, and her first animated film was a stop-motion with kitten figures. She has been in the Animest audience since she was a very young and the idea of being a Minimest jury member excites her. She can't wait!
My name is Sara and I am almost 10 years old. I'm a scout. I love chocolate, skiing, youtube and my cat, Mr. Jinx. I start each day with a few minutes of cartoons, and I like to discover resemblances between cartoon characters and my friends or family.
The city joins the festival! Our favorite locations around town will be offering discounts to everyone who presents an accreditation, festival pass or tickets to Animest, for the whole duration of the festival!
Find below the benefits at each location.
See you around town!
Berliner Donuts
Founded in 2021, the Berliner Donuts laboratory brought on the Bucharest stage the homemade Berlin donut desserts produced from carefully selected ingredients, with a special concern for quality. The vision of the Berliner Donuts is to turn childhood donuts into a premium confectionery product and bring them into an urban, contemporary universe. In the Berliner lab, donuts are prepared every day, from slow leavened dough, then filled with fine confectionery creams, from ingredients such as pistachio paste or vanilla, chocolate of origin, fruit puree or handmade ice cream. Since March 2023, Berliner has invited you to the new flagship store in the center of Bucharest, to Matei Millo 5. Here you can enjoy the total taste experience: fresh donuts, specialty coffee and cocktails, and throughout the Animest festival you benefit from 15% discount on any card payment in the shop. Discover more at www.berlinerdonuts.com or on the Instagram @berliner.donuts page.
Offer: 15% off when paying by card
Address: Strada Matei Millo 5
Schedule: Mon-Fri 8:30 - 21:30 / Sat-Sun 10:00 - 22:00
Beans & Dots
Beans & Dots Coffee Shop is one of the leaders of the specialty coffee and the only distributor in Romania of The Barn Coffee Roasters Berlin and currently has two coffee shops in Bucharest, one located in the building of the Universe Palace on the mezzanine and another on the ground floor of the Museum of Recent Art in Bucharest where they also developed the seasonal cuisine. Beans & Dots brings every year in Romania over 100 types of single coffee originating, many from the exclusive farms of The Barn.
This fall, Beans & Dots and Alex Petricean join forces for development the gastronomic component of the specialty coffee brand. For starters, it will sign the season menu of the Beans & Dots bistro inside the Museum of Recent Art ( MARe ) in Bucharest. Alex Petricean, the famous chef and founder of the New and New Bar restaurants, has created for Beans & Dots a series of specialties available in the Spring 15 space, starting with September 29th.
Offer: 10% discount la băuturile pe bază de cafea
Address: Palatul Universul, Strada Ion Brezoianu 23-25
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08.00 - 18.00 / Sat-Sun: 09.00 - 18.00
Address: Muzeul de Arta Recenta (MARe), Bulevardul Primăverii 15
Schedule: Mon-Sun: 09.00 - 19.00
Balls
Informal, cozy, nostalgic and very personal, we want that "balls." to be for everyone and all pockets. The meatballs and the culture around them were the initial idea for our story that began in 2019, with the menu naturally enriched by the people who have stepped through our doors - colleagues and customers alike.
Permanently on the menu and in quick service we have three soups, seven types of simple or marinated meatballs and a few side dishes. simple but honest recipes, executed correctly and above all, with a consistency we hold dear. "bistro" because we often experiment with new recipes and ideas, limited seasonal specials, host large tables with set menus and noisy clinks of glasses. (whatever the code of manners says).
Offer: 20% la orice comanda
Address: Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta 26
Schedule: Mon-Sun: 12:00-22:00
Zebra Cat
At Zebracat we use only natural ingredients and we import the teas from Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. Pearls directly from Taiwan, without synthetic dyes. We chose to use purees, made from 100% fruit, kept cold, not frozen. Everything prepared fresh, every day. We tried to bring together the classics with the anti-classics, the eastern with the western, the reinvented with the invented, to play with mixing goodies sought and brought from all over the globe, to give birth to drinks as different from each other as the cultures of the world. Because for us this is what boba means: a new species of drinks with contemporary relevance that we honor at Zebracat through a diverse menu, which will never get boring.
Offer: 15% la toate produsele
Address: Strada Tache Ionescu 8A
Orar: Mon-Sat: 10:30-21:30 / Sun: 12:00-21:00
Address: Șoseaua Mihai Bravu 112
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 10:00 - 20:00 / Sat: 11:00 - 19:00 / Sun: 11:00 - 18:00
Gyst
A place about good things done simple: brunch & evening food perfect with a beer..
Here, we serve coffee in partnership with Coffee Collective, food & bakery with Danish artisans, local beer from the creative Bârlog and To ØL beer from our Danish friends. A concept with a Scandinavian-inspired design through which we want to make a connection between Bucharest and Copenhagen.
Ofertă: 15% la toate produsele
Address: Str. Turnescu nr 1, Bucuresti
Schedule: Sat-Sun: 10:00-23:00 / Wed-Fri: 10:00-16:00, 18:00-23:00
Rio Juice Bar
The story of Rio Juice began a few years ago, during a vacation in Brazil. A holiday like any other, full of culinary delights of all kinds. Leaving aside the food, we were fascinated by the multitude of natural juice bars, the abundance of tropical fruits and the healthy lifestyle adopted especially by those who live in the areas of the famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches in Rio de Janeiro. The real reason why the Rio Juice business was born was the love at first taste of the miraculous açaí fruit. We were enchanted by its unique taste as well as its nutritional properties.
Offer: pentru orice acai bowl sau smoothie bowl cumpărat, primești o cafea, un suc de portocale sau o limonadă simplă, gratuit.
Address: Calea Victoriei, 100
Schedule: Mon-Thu: 10:00 - 17:00 / Fri-Sat: 10:00 - 18:00 / Sun: 10:00 - 16:00
Verona Cafe
Cafe Verona shares the address of 13 Arthur Verona Street* with the bookstore Cărturești. In fact, as many who have visited us have found, the cafe space is actually an annex to the bookstore. It is here that book launches, conferences, exhibitions and various events that enrich the cultural life of Bucharest take place. Opened in 2009, a year after the bookstore's expansion, the Verona Garden is just a few steps away, on the same street, at number 15. This green haven in the city centre is a host to many events, the best known being Street Delivery. In the summer, it's the perfect place to cool off with a lemonade or a good beer in the shade of the lush greenery. There are about 400 seats and there's a well-protected area protected from the rain. In the cold season, you can take part in food fairs, enjoying a tea or a cup of mulled wine.
The menu is varied, with vegetarian options always on offer.
Offer: 10% reducere la bar și 31 de lei meniul de prânz
Address: Strada Pictor Arthur Verona 13-15
Schedule: Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 22:00
Random Space
Daily slices of life in the backyard. Random Space - co-working house and outdoor bar. Unsophisticated, unpretentious, the place where there's no wrong way, at Random Space you can come for a craft beer, a lunch meeting or an event to find out what's new and exciting. Contemporary art, music, film, gastronomy. Or if you want to work quietly in the garden, as if you were at home. At Random you can be a royal junkie or come during the week dressed in your Sunday best. Here you'll find some of the most sought-after craft beers (Hop Hooligans, Brewdog), Romanian wines from family-owned wineries rarely found elsewhere, and rum-based drinks are the soul of the menu.
Offer: 20% discount la bar
Address: Strada Popa Petre 21
Schedule: Mon-Thu: 17:00 - 23:00 / Fri-Sat: 17:00 - 24:00 / Sun: 17:00 - 22:00
Nomonym Coffee Roastery
NOMONYM Coffee Roastery is a specialty coffee cake shop where you will find only the special coffee roasted by Andrei Szabo, a specialist with over 10 years of experience in the field. The cakes also have a small showroom space with an espresso & brew bar.
Offer: cafea la filtru (batch brew) din partea casei + 10% reducere la orice pungă de cafea de la raft pe perioada festivalului
Address: Strada Ilarie Chendi nr. 1
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 17:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 17:00
Londohome
Londohome is located in a house with a courtyard and vineyard on a quiet street in the centre of Bucharest. Although primarily a café, Londohome frequently hosts musical and literary events, screenings, meetings and public discussions. Here you can confidently ask for a lemonade in summer and a ginger tea in winter. You can just as easily propose an artistic project and we will do our best to accommodate it.
Offer: 15% reducere la anumite băuturi
Address: Strada General David Praporgescu 31
Schedule: Mon-Sun: 13:00 - 24:00
M60
M60 Cafe is a place to discover and enjoy the new and exciting specialty coffee movement, an establishment for restless seekers of genuine tastes and a careful host for food lovers. Our aim is to combine simplicity, quality and meaningful details. This is why we created a Scandinavian, home-like environment in the heart of the city. M60 is also a place for working and socializing, especially designed for creative workers, full-time travelers and urban dwellers.
Offer: 15% reducere la tot
Address: Str. D. I. Mendeleev 2
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 18:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 18:00
Mingle Coffee Shop
Mingle is about the joy you feel when you drink your coffee surrounded by antiques. Located in an old house near Gradina Icoanei, Mingle has a lovingly curated collection of unique, vintage and handcrafted pieces. Each with its own soul, character and hidden story. We are your go-to place for gifts if your passions include classic porcelain tableware, vintage cameras, stone and wood carvings and many others. And if you are a coffee enthusiast, we are happy to announce that you are always welcome to enjoy our specialty coffee inside or on our cozy terrace. Let’s mingle together!
Offer: 15% reducere la băuturi
Address: Strada General Eremia Grigorescu 5
Schedule: Mon-Thr 09:00 - 20:00 / Fri-Sun 09:00 - 21:00
Mercato Kultur
Outdoor garden with food, drinks & events. A shelter dedicated to urban culture meant to heal the city, bringing together artists, content creators and great food artisans in a stunning space next to our friends from the German Embassy.
Offer: 15% reducere la bar
Address: Strada Căpitan Gheorghe Demetriade 6 - 10
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 17:00 - 02:00 / Sat-Sun: 10:00-02:00
Ironic Taproom
”The weight of the beer, on his shoulders. A burden one must carry, with hops so heavy that only few can be left responsible. The hero brings the dew of the gods to the joyful earthlings, only to return and bring more for the days to come. On and on, till the end of thirst.”
Offer: reducere de 10% la berile Ironic Taproom (identificate cu ;) pe meniu)
Address: Strada Domnița Anastasia 4
Schedule: Mon-Tue: 18:00 - 24:00 / Wed-Sun: 12:00 - 24:00
Tartelicious
Small artisan bistro of sweet dessert tarts and quiches, with seasonal ingredients and unique combinations. Delicious tarts for delicious people.
Offer: reducere de doi lei pentru tarte și quiche-uri
Address: Strada Ion Brezoianu 35
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 11:00 - 19:00 / Sat: 11:00 - 16:00
Poke Me Up
Hawaiian restaurant with a selection of poke bowls.
Offer: 10% discount la toate produsele
Address: Strada Stelea Spătarul 13
Schedule: Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 22:00
Manasia Hub
Manasia HUB is a cultural hub, bar & kitchen with a quiet garden located in the center of Bucharest.
Offer: 10% discount la toate produsele
Address: Strada Stelea Spătarul 13
Schedule: Sun-Thu: 12:00 - 03:00 / Fri-Sat 12:00 - 05:00
Mugshot
Specialty Coffee by day. Fine Drinks by night
Offer: 10% reducere la soft drinks, băuturi alcoolice și cafea
Address: Strada Aurel Vlaicu 20
Schedule: Mon: 08:00 - 18:00 / Tue-Fri: 08:00 - 22:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 22:00
Baristro
Baristro is a family business, created by two fans of specialty coffee and, at the same time, promoters of a lifestyle focused around the idea of community. It's a nice place, near Carol Park in Bucharest, where people can share their most diverse experiences with a good coffee. “ The name derived, first of all, from “ bar ”, coffee being the essence of this business, combined with “ bistro ”, a concept defined by a friendly, accessible location with simple food, tasty and quickly prepared “
Offer: discount de 10% la toate produsele
Address: Strada General Candiano Popescu
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00-19:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00-19:00
Strong Specialty Coffee Shop
Specialty coffee | To go | To chill | To work
Offer: 10% reducere la toate produsele
Address: Strada General Constantin Budișteanu 6
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 17:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 17:00
FROG
We like minimalism the most. It just doesn't work out. So we piled up at least the essentials of everything we like here. Because we dreamed of this place for about five years, the essentials became large, a space full of flavors, spices, flowers, plants, lights, coffee, vanilla, pottery, wines, old objects, new objects. We told ourselves that we would not change much in design, that we would open it would look anyway, because food would matter the most. Meanwhile, no millimeter remained untouched and each corner is exactly as we wanted. Everything was supported by the kitchen team who did catering after catering ... after catering, to build this dream.
Offer: 10% la orice comandă
Address: Strada Vasile Lascăr 24
Schedule: Mon-Sat: 11:00 - 21:00 / Sun: 11:00 - 22:00
OTOTO
We are committed to making OTOTO the top-of-mind choice when it comes to sustainable lifestyle in Romania and are overly excited to create a unique destination shop, a stage where the simplicity of materials, design and handcrafts can be consumed, enjoyed and fully understood at a slow pace by our community. We believe in a world where there is no compromise design and sustainability, between caring for yourself and caring for the planet. We believe people are willing to change if the better, more sustainable choices are more “at hand”. We want to join and support the brands bringing about change in sustainable fashion & lifestyle."
Offer: 10% reducere în shop, exceptând partea de fashion din locația OTOTO Store Victoriei
Address: Calea Victoriei 153
Orar: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 21:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 21:00
Address: Str. D. I. Mendeleev 5
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 21:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 21:00
Address: Calea Dorobanți 239
Schedule: Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 21:00 / Sat-Sun: 09:00 - 21:00
Map of all the locations: