A total of 1,394 films, from 79 countries, 81 of which are from Switzerland were submitted for the Fantoche Festival programme, which caters to animated film-makers from around the world. As the current range of short films is becoming more and more popular among audiences at Fantoche, the festival organisation decided to compile an “Hors Concours” programme as well.
Launched 21 years ago in Baden, this year marks the 14th edition of the International Animation Film Festival. True to the spirit of the festival, Fantoche will hold its popular international, Swiss and children’s film competitions. Audiences will also be treated to four ‘Hors Concours’ programmes for the first time, one of which is specially curated for children. For this programme, the selection team singled out those efforts that tell an appealing story, dive into an exotic culture, make a political statement, weigh in with a technical innovation or skilfully reveal an unexpected punch line.
Festival director, Annette Schindler asserted, “The world of animation is bursting with new ideas, and the number of submissions is increasing all the time. The selection for the competitions is becoming more difficult with each passing year. We are looking forward to showing an even broader array of current films this year, right here in Baden.”
Technical developments in the digital age mean that films from far-flung and less affluent countries can have their time in the spotlight too. This year, submissions reportedly have been received from countries such as Lebanon, Iran, Costa Rica, Ghana, Cuba, Madagascar, Mauritius and Burkina Faso. This goes to show that the art of animation is not restricted by national borders.
14 feature films will be screened (which will be premiers). Fantoche Industry Day will also be organised which brings together artistic and entrepreneurial creativity and serves as a national platform for current and future animated films in Switzerland.
Heroes of animated film – Georges Schwizgebel, Konstantin Bronzit, Simon Otto (Disney), Claude Barras and other prominent guests will all be in attendance at the festival. The festival will also witness ‘Coming Soon’ presentations, which take a look at the creative processes behind the films of tomorrow, parties in Baden’s Royal auditorium, artist brunches, workshops and much more.