Animated diversity in Baden
Fantoche will take place from September 6 to 11. This animation film festival will screen the best films from among 1,400 submissions from nearly 80 countries and feature an interesting supporting program. From industry professionals to families, there’s something for everyone at Fantoche.
For the organizers, the 2016 edition of the festival is all about expansion: more categories, more prizes and, for the first time, the French language will be included in the programme and festival catalog.
An "Hors-Concours" program will be shown for the first time: Outstanding short films from the competition submissions that stood out during the selection process due to their technical or narrative features and which are to be made accessible to the public through this category. New prizes will be awarded in the Swiss competition this year. For example, a youth jury made up of young people from all three language regions will select the "Swiss Youth Award" from the films in the national competition.
The Humanité Animée focus program shows films that depict all areas of human existence: Worries and fears, growth and joys, relationships and abysses, achievements and failures. Humanité Animée presents animated filmmakers' perspectives on the 21st century in five short film programs, two feature-length films and an accompanying exhibition. Of course, established program sections such as the international competition and the children's film competition continue to play a key role at the festival.
The Industry Day should be of interest to trade visitors. Last year it was held as an Industry Talk on a trial basis and was so successful that a full-day program has now been created. In this way, the festival creates space for the increasingly important commercial side of animated film and promotes the encounter between artistic and entrepreneurial creativity.
Simon Otto, Head of Character Animation at DreamWorks, will talk about his work, as will Moritz Zumbühl, CEO of Blindflug Studios. Representatives from well-known brands such as Swisscom, Freitag and Stories will also be attending the Industry Day.
The festival also features numerous stars and industry experts beyond the Industy Day. Jury members such as Georges Schwizgebel, last year's award winner and responsible for the 2016 festival trailer, filmmaker Konstantin Bronzit from Russia and director Jeanette Bonds from the USA will be in attendance. And Donald Duck. Or rather: Peter Krause, the German dubbing voice of the cult duck.
The Fantoche website and the festival app can now be used to search for programs in which artists are present using the "Artists present" category. Speaking of the app: The Fantoche-app is available free of charge for iPhone, iPad and Android. With the Magic-Eye augmented reality function introduced last year, audiences can now watch short teaser films with clips of the competition films in combination with the program booklet as well as feature-length trailers. The app also contains the complete program and all important information.
No time to go to Fantoche? Three weeks after the festival, "Best of Fantoche on Tour 2016" and "Best Kids 2016" will go on tour through various cities in Switzerland with the highlights of the festival. (nod)
