Researching, Curating, Programming: StopTrik Festival Perspective

StopTrik International Film Festival, an international celebration of stop motion animation from around the world, has been taking place in Maribor, Slovenia, since 2011. Once a year, this free festival transforms Maribor into an alternative capital of animation, thanks to top-quality film programming, inspiring side events, and inventive professional stop motion filmmaking workshops. StopTrik IFF emphasizes the critical reception of film art. Each year, a specific topic related to cultural, social, or political issues is explored through the films presented in special thematic retrospectives. This reflection also recurs in the themes of additional events such as panel discussions, exhibitions, performances, and more. Past editions have posed questions about: animated cinemas from Latin American countries; feminism and animation; rebellious animation and propaganda film; “animation as a weapon”; mythological storytelling; the motif of the doppelgänger; historical and contemporary forms of censorship in animation; transhumanism in animation; and the poetics of irony, blasphemy, and carnival in animation. The presentation will explore junctions between curating concepts and research in animation, film culture, and cultural theory.