The Minimest competition, animation workshops and other surprises await kids at Animest.17

The end of the summer break doesn’t mean the fun is over for kids who love animation! Every fall, Animest includes an extensive special program just for children. This year, between October 7-16, the Minimest section returns to the big screens in Bucharest with an impressive selection of family-friendly films, workshops by top creators in the industry, as well as special events for students and teachers. In 2022, the Minimest section is brought to you in partnership with Groupama.

The complete Animest.17 schedule will soon be available on www.animest.ro. 

Kids’ jury will select the winner of the Minimest short films competition

24 short films are competing in this year’s section dedicated to children’s films. Both surprising and educational, the productions employ a variety of animation techniques (2D drawing, stop-motion, 3D animation, CGI, collage, puppet animation, glass and wool painting) to address several themes that are relevant to today’s kids: maintaining a clean environment, the importance of healthy eating, the power of community, friendship, the relationship between generations, the courage to overcome unpleasant situations, accepting diversity, and showing solidarity with the less fortunate.

Franzy’s Soup Kitchen, d. Ana Chubinidze

Lovingly created by experienced professionals and animation students at prestigious European schools alike, the Minimest short films are aimed primarily at kids aged 4-12, but adults will surely enjoy them too! Following Animest tradition, a jury of three young cinephiles will vote on the best children’s short film, which will then be announced at the Animest Awards Gala. This year, we’ve got a surprise challenge for children who’d like to join the Minimest jury. Between September 26 and 30, Itsy Bitsy Radio aged 8-12 may participate in the ItsyBitsyNeața show’s contest by sharing their favorite animated films. More details coming soon on the Itsy Bitsy Facebook page.

Special Minimest screenings for the entire family

Love is the theme of the 17th edition of our festival, so of course the Minimest feature film selection was curated with the most beautiful kids’ stories in mind. Exploring the indestructible ties between ourselves and our grandparents and parents, documenting friendship or love’s first flutters, the selection scheduled on weekend mornings will charm kids and teenagers who love animation.

On top of the highest mountains on Earth lives a plant that emanates eternal light. Brave and driven, the protagonist of Yuku and the Himalayan Flower (directed by Rémi Durin and Arnaud Demuynck) embarks on a gripping adventure, searching for the magical flower that will forever keep her grandmother close by. The film, which was celebrated at the Annecy Festival through a special projection, will be screened on both weekends of the festival. Hug Me! (directed by Anna Błaszczyk), the story of how bear cub Teddy and his dad go on a journey full of surprises and learn how to trust each other, will delight even the youngest of our spectators – for that reason, it’s also running on both festival weekends.  

On Saturday, October 15, Minimest spectators will meet Icarus (directed by Carlo Vogele), who starts an epic friendship with the Minotaur living hidden in King Minos’ palace. Then, on the last day of  the festival, Lu Over the Wall, one of the most famous films by Japanese artist and Animest.17 special guest Masaaki Yuasa, chronicles how a lonely teenager’s life is completely changed after he falls in love with a mermaid.

Creative kids’ workshops, facilitated by animation pros

Top professionals in the field will host six weekend workshops for kids eager to explore the creative process behind their favorite animated films. There will only be 10 participants in each workshop, and tickets are available on our Eventbook platform. Participation in the workshops also grants the little artists a ticket to one of the screenings that weekend, as well as a special gift from Arthur Publishing House, Animest’s partner in organizing the workshops.

During the first weekend of the festival, on October 8 and 9, between 10 AM and 12 PM, creator Agata Tabacu will facilitate two intensive stop motion workshops to guide kids through the entire process of creating their first animated film. Inspired by the adventures of Petit Nicolas, paper and playdough in hand, kids aged 10-14 will learn how to develop a script and storyboard, mold characters, and create backgrounds, before experimenting with animating still pictures. 

On October 15 and 16, between 10 AM-12 PM, Refugiu Urban will host two workshops demonstrating stop motion techniques using paper, LEGO and playdough, facilitated by director and animator Damian Groves. Under his guidance, children aged 5-10 will learn how to create characters and tell stories through images, will develop their visual thinking, and train their collaboration skills. To conclude the sessions, kids will receive LEGO sets from LEGO Certified Stores, so they can continue their stop-motion experiments at home.

Between 1 and 3 PM on October 15 and 16, budding artists aged 6-12 will co-author a comic book, which will then be printed for them by the end of this year’s Animest edition. Guided by artist Mihai Ionuț Grăjdeanu, the participants will enter the universe of comics, both international and Romanian, and explore different styles and genres of comic book publications.

The Minimest Academy sets the tone for classroom discussions in Bucharest

The Minimest Academy is turning one! Last fall, we created this educational project to help integrate animated films into the classroom by offering teachers and parents quality resources, through which children aged 4-14 can take their first steps in discovering cinema culture, as well as more easily acquire concepts in other school subjects, in a transdisciplinary way. The Minimest Academy includes a special selection of Minimest films to be screened at Eforie Cinematheque during the festival. Access is reserved to organized groups.

The Animation Incubator enters its final phase 

The Animation Incubator, the Animest project providing support and resources to artistically-inclined high school students in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, to help them develop their animation skills, will conclude during Animest.17. The 10 finalists selected following the mentoring process by director and animator Paul Mureșan are: Miriam Arvunescu, Ana-Maria Boban, Marta Crețu, Lara Matei, Ariana Alexandrina Moldovan, Patricia Iris Naidin, Kamy-Teodora Paraschiv, Mara Pop, Yujin Ana Shin, and Andreea Stoleru.

Their next challenge will be creating an animated sequence, under the guidance of animators and lecturers Laura Pop and Cristian Radu. The animations will be based on the projects developed in the first phase of the Incubator, exploring the theme ‘Night Birds’. Through this project, Animest furthers its mission to educate and support new generations of animators by providing them with a nurturing context and the proper tools to develop their creative skills.

The complete festival schedule will soon be available on www.animest.ro. No need to wait: purchase your Animest.17 pass at https://eventbook.ro/festival/animest! 

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Animest Festival is a project organized by the Animest Association and co-financed through the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, Romanian Film Centre, and Romanian Cultural Institute. 

Animest.17 is co-financed by the Municipality of Bucharest through ARCUB, as part of the ‘București afectiv’ 2022 program. For detailed information on the ARCUB funding programs, please access www.arcub.ro.

Partners: Groupama Insurance, McDonald’s, Domeniile Sâmburești, Kafune, Studioset, ArtHub, Urban DADA, Arthur Publishing House, LEGO Certified Stores, Ogilvy

Institutional partners: the Goethe Institute, the French Institute, the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest, the Cervantes Institute, The Embassy of Japan in Romania, Japan Foundation, The ‘I.L. Caragiale’ National University of Theatre and Film 

Media partners: Rock FM, AGERPRES, Itsy Bitsy, Radio România Cultural, IQads, Smark, Vice, Zile și Nopți, Ziarul Metropolis, Films in Frame, Observator Cultural, Film Menu, Movie News, LiterNet, Sunt Părinte, Cinefilia, Proanimație.ro, Cinefan, All About Romanian Cinema – aac.ro, AIVImedia.hub, Munteanu

Media monitoring partner: MediaTRUST