Extra Day, Extra Fun! ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival 2024 Preview

Extra Day, Extra Fun! 17th ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival Returns!

• The ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, Greece’s largest and one of Europe’s significant animation festivals, is coming back for its 17th year from September 23 to 29, 2024.

• Now with an extra day for fans to indulge in all animation things, this event set in the heart of the Cyclades promises to deliver a more enriched programming experience.

• The festival is now accepting project submissions until 15th July for the Agora & Agora Pitching Forum.

A Look at What’s Coming in 2024

A Bigger, Bolder Animation Show for Every Art Buff

Let’s get animated! The ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, the Greek god of animation celebrations, is coming back on September 23 to 29, 2024. And guess what? They’ve gifted an extra day in this year’s calendar. Talk about overtime in fun-time! Nestled in the capital of the Cyclades, this animation jamboree is promising an even more enriching experience this time around.

But hang on, there’s more! The festival doubles as an arena for creative battles with the Agora & Agora Pitching Forum Open Call. So if you’ve been brewing some top-secret animation project in your basement – now is the time to let the cat out of the bag – or the cartoon out of the computer, perhaps? Pun intended!

So, artists and animation enthusiasts, make sure you sharpen your pencils, polish your pitches and submit your masterpieces before July 15th.

In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, “That’s all Folks!” – until, of course, the curtains lift at the 17th ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, where creativity and animation splash across every frame!

17th Annual ANIMASYROS Animation Festival, Sponsored by PPC, Returns to Greece, kicking off from September 23 to 29, 2024. The prominent animation festival in Greece and a notable one in Europe, lengthens for an extra day this year and boosts its schedule. As part of the Agora, ANIMASYROS initiates a novel three-year strategical partnership with the Global Animation Film Market (MIFA) of the Annecy Festival, being the biggest animation festival globally, supported by the French Institute of Greece and the Institut français (Paris).

Particularly, the Agora Pitching Forum of ANIMASYROS this year will join the Global MIFA Campus, a worldwide program intending to develop young creators and artists from the Mediterranean region, namely Greece and Cyprus, the Balkan nations, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco, by providing them with valuable expertise and skills. A total of six (6) professionals from these nations will be selected to participate in the program, based on the project plans they submit by July 15.

From September 25 to 28, the 4-day Pitching Coaching Workshop will transpire as part of the Global MIFA Campus in Syros. The Pitching Workshop Instructors are set to be this year distinguished audiovisual experts handpicked by the Annecy Global Animation Film Market (MIFA) crew, namely Delphine Nicolini, Creative Producer & Mentor, Claire Sichez, Writer & Director, and Sylvain Grain, head of MIFA Talent Projects. During the workshop, the six attendees will refine their projects to fit the necessities of the global market and will be effectively prepared to participate in the Pitch Partenaire to be held in June 2025 in Annecy.

Simultaneously, the ongoing annual, presentations, roundtables, seminars, masterclasses, networking events organized under the ANIMASYROS Agora, offer the global audience – regardless of whether they are professional animation artists or simply enthusiasts – the chance to broaden their network, showcase their work, interact with industry professionals, and explore the global community. Naturally, this year’s Agora will spotlight the Festival’s central theme “Africa: An animated continent”;

Several highlights to be unveiled include emerging technologies and virtual reality, advertising, architecture, and the popular, yet intricate technique of stop motion. The presence of ANIMASYROS’ institutional partners such as Creative Greece, Enterprise Greece, Creative Europe, and University of the Aegean, will also bring significance to the Agora.

Some eminent figures of the global animation community making their appearance at the ANIMASYROS 2024 Agora include:

  • Spanish director Isabel Herguera, best known for the praised feature film Sultana’s Dream (2023).
  • Internationally acclaimed Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa bringing an engaging creative masterclass.
  • Moroccan producer Mounia Aram, founder of the production and distribution firm Mounia Aram Company.
  • Vanessa Ann Sinden, producer at Triggerfish Animation, one of the biggest animation studios in Africa.
  • Emmanuel Blanchard, historian and director of the legendary animated documentary Notre-Dame de Paris (2019).
  • Oscar-nominated legendary filmmaker Joanna Quinn and her partner, writer Les Mills, from the UK.
  • Katerina Savva, driving force at Newtons Laboratory, one of the leading advertising agencies in Greece.

In addition, as part of ANIMASYROS’ initiatives to bolster the Greek animation landscape, the highly successful Greek Animation Talks will reoccur this year. Greek creators will converse about their work, the challenges of the creative process and share wisdom. The host of the Greek Animation Talks will be screenwriter, actor, and presenter Yorgos Kapoutzidis.

Continuing from last year, the speed dating sessions are set to occur. Greek creators selected by ANIMASYROS will partake in short 20-minute meetings with internationally celebrated producers and artists from Europe and beyond, pitch their ideas and share their artistic and professional aspirations, aiming to find co-productions or even professional opportunities within the global animation scene.

More detailed information about the ANIMASYROS Agora and the 2-day Animation Agora Days in Athens – held this year in collaboration with AKTO and supported by Enterprise Greece – will be announced in the near future. Stay tuned!


Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/agora-agora-pitching-forum-open-call-for-project-submissions-until-15th-july/