The future of animated film industry in Slovakia

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Is Žilina centre of animated film in Slovakia?

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Katarína Kerekesová, founding member of the international association CEE Animation and author of the animated series Websterovci and Mimi and Líza, Juraj Krasnohorský, successful film producer and director of CEE Animation Workshop and Martin Smatana discussed the future and possibilities of the development of the animated industry in Slovakia.

Juraj Krasnohorský is film producer based in Bratislava. He lived in Geneva, Bilbao and Paris for 14 years, where he studied physics, mathematics, worked at CERN in Geneva for a year and then studied film in Paris and taught film acting at the famous Parisian school Cours Florent. He returned to Slovakia in 2009 and founded the production company Artichoke, where he released his directorial debut – the feature film Tigers in the City (2012). He has been fully dedicated to the work of a film producer for several years and is active in the field of professional education, where he leads the international program CEE Animation Workshop.

Katarína Kerekešová is the director, animator, screenwriter, artist and producer of animated films is a graduate of animation at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. She made her debut in 1997 with the author’s short film „Lovers without clothes“, and in 2002 she won the Igric Award for the film „The Origin of the World“. She was also impressed by the musical animated-puppet film „Stones,“ which also enchanted the juries of foreign film festivals and brought her the award „Slnko v sieti.“ The author also devotes herself to painting and illustration, and often collaborates with her husband – documentary filmmaker Peter Kerekes. She illustrated, for example, the fairy tale book „The Wizard of OZ.“ She is also the director and producer of the children’s animated evening show „Mimi and Líza,“ as well as the new animated series „Websterovci.“

Martin Smatana is a native of Žilina is a graduate of animation at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and at FAMU in Prague, during the school he also worked in the Estonian studio Nuku film. His debut Rosso Papavero (2015), which was screened at more than 200 festivals and won 13 awards, was a success. The graduate film Šarkan (The Kite) premiered at the Berlinale 2019, won 65 international awards, including the national „Slnko v sieti“ (Sun in the net) award and the Audience Award at Febiofest. He was also in the semifinals of the Student Oscars and was the first Slovak film to be included in the MoMA library in New York. A few months ago, he was included in the prestigious 30 under 30 Forbes magazine in the „Arts, Creative Industries and Entertainment“ category. This summer, Martin will also be shooting his new animated film „Ohryzené ohryzky“ which will be part of the feature animated film „About Unnecessary Things and People“.