ANIMAFEST PRO | BOOK PRESENTATIONS

BOOK PRESENTATION: FIFTY YEARS OF WORLD FESTIVAL OF ANIMATED FILM – ANIMAFEST ZAGREB (1972–2022)

MM CENTAR
10/06 FRI 14:30

With this book we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb, the only Croatian film festival of global significance and renown, considered one of the most important cultural events in our country. It is a living tradition that binds, but does not stifle – it rather encourages new reflections and approaches to its history, present and future. Therefore, in addition to the occasional, celebratory, commemorative and anniversary character, we decided to give this publication a professional and analytical one, as well as to shed light on Animafest from as many diverse angles as possible.

We graced it, through 12 comprehensive chapters, with articles on both theoretical and practical ‘text’ and the socio-political context, covering the festival’s position in general history and art history, architecture and urbanism, design, musicology, video game theory, media and personal reception, and pointing to its contributions to cinema and fine arts, as well as education and technological development. We presented its production, financial and infrastructural challenges it faced and the diverse visions of its artistic and organisational leaders. We observed the parameters of its audiovisual identity and its unbreakable connections with Zagreb, brought reflections on its global position and far-reaching influence from the point of view of award-winning authors and acclaimed experts. Whether it is the testimonies and anecdotes of the protagonists of the time, juicy essays or meticulous scientific works that inevitably refer to the Zagreb School of Animation, we believe that this bilingual publication will make a modest contribution to the culture of remembrance and animation studies and it will be of use to future researchers from the entire world (because the world is the home of Animafest). No less important, we try to tell the story of half a century of gathering at this authentic celebration of animation with selected image contributions from the rich festival archive, the Zagreb Film holdings and collections of foreign production companies and private holders.