Oscar-nominated animations and unforgettable stories for the entire family: enjoy them all at Animest this October

Every year, Animest is a dazzling celebration of animated films, a 10-day delight when fans of all ages enjoy the first ever Romanian screenings of the most noteworthy new international productions. Our 2022 edition promises all this, and much more. Between October 7-16, over 340 short and feature-length animations will take over Bucharest: the most diverse selection in our festival’s history. Animest.17 #MustSee films include five films that have captured the limelight at this year’s top international festivals and of the animation industry in general.

Flee, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen

Three Academy Award nominations, two BAFTAs, the Cristal at Annecy, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and a long list of other distinctions at the world’s most important festivals – we’re talking about the animated documentary Flee, the extraordinary true story of Amin, a boy who makes his way from Afghanistan to Denmark. A tale of belonging and identity, revealing a secret that’s been hidden for over 20 years.

Unicorn Wars, directed by Alberto Vázquez

In the latest film written and directed by Spanish author Alberto Vázquez, a teddy bear army indoctrinates young recruits to wage war against the unicorns who threaten the bears’ survival. Brothers Bluey and Tubby, along with a group of other inexperienced recruits, are sent on an extremely dangerous mission to save the magical forest. Are they up to the challenge?

Unicorn Wars, the anti-war animated fable recently premiered in the Annecy Festival competition, masterfully mirrors the current political and military global situation.

Icarus, directed by Carlo Vogele

Animator Carlo Vogele is famous for his contributions to developing some of Pixar’s most popular characters. His debut feature film revisits the legend of the Minotaur. Young Icarus leads a carefree happy life in the sculpture workshop of his father, the great inventor Daedalus. A tender friendship blooms between Icarus and a little boy with the head of a bull who lives hidden in the royal palace of Knossos. When King Minos traps the so-called “Monster” in the secret labyrinth built by Daedalus, Icarus loses his best friend, as well as his trust in his beloved father. Will Icarus be able to save his friend and change the course of a story written by the gods? 

Where is Anne Frank, directed by Ari Folman

Israeli director Ari Folman, creator of festival favorite Waltz with Bashir, returns to Animest with Where is Anne Frank – a film for the entire family, following the adventures of Kitty, Anne Frank’s imaginary friend and the person to whom Anne dedicates her diary, written when she was 13 and living in Nazi-occupied Germany. The film premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the European Film Awards.

Eager to mark your calendars for these gems, and more? The complete festival schedule will soon be available on www.animest.ro. To enjoy the full festival experience, get your Animest.17 pass on the Eventbook platform!

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The Animest Festival is a project organized by the Animest Association and co-financed through the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, Romanian Film Centre, Romanian Cultural Institute, and Groupama Insurance, with support from the Goethe Institute and Studioset.

Animest.17 is co-financed by the Bucharest Mayor’s Office through ARCUB, as part of the Bucuresti Afectiv 2022 program. For detailed information on the Mayor’s Office’s funding program through ARCUB, please access www.arcub.ro.

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