from www.zavod-iskra.org/stoptrik:

Oct. 9th,

Stoptrik IFF 2012, international film festival devoted exclusively to stop motion animation, ended last Sunday. Let us summarize the unique festival month:

07. – 09. 09. 2012 MARIBOR

On Friday our audience met with Igor Prassel, director of Animateka (Ljubljana) and curator of special Stoptrik's selection “ex-YU 2002 – 2012: New Wave Stop Motion from the Lands of a Country Once Called Yugoslavia”. Natalia Brożyńska, young and ambitious Polish artist presented her film SHIVERING TRUNKS and her own puppets on the screening “Polish School of Animation. Its Satellites and Continuators”, hosted by Stoptrik thanks to the cooperation with Etiuda&Anima IFF from Krakow. In the evening first two selections of international competition were presented. Festival day ended with spectacular concert of Russian-Ukrainian-Estonian-Latvian band Grand Astoria.

Saturday started with panel discussion about conditions of production and distribution of animated films in post-socialist countries. The panelists, among them Igor Prassel, Piotr Kardas (Animation Across Borders), Smail Jušić (www.slocartoon.net), Natalia Brożyńska, Olga Bielańska and Michał Bobrowski (Stoptrik IFF) and other disputants such as Sanja Čakarun (Animateka), Jerneja Rebernak (Maribor 2012 European Capital of Culture) discussed possible strategies for artists, producers, distributors and journalists in the frames of national funds, co-productions and independent enterprises.  After the screening of “Eastern Transformations: 25 Years of Ukrainian Stop Motion” curated by Illya Gladshtein from Molodist IFF, Kiev, last three selections of international competition were presented to the Maribor audience. That was a real marathon for cinephiles gathered in Dvorana Gustaf! After the screenings Stoptrik AfterParty started with DJ Kozmonaut on the stage.

On the last day of Stoptrik IFF in Maribor Piotr Kardas presented his historical selection of Polish achievements in the field of stop motion “Polish.Stop.Triks”. The results of the international competition were announced – the best film chosen by Maribor audience turned out to be THE CHRONICLE OF OLDŘICH S. directed by Rudolf Šmíd (Czech Republic); special mention for best Slavic stop motion went to Ivana Laučíková and Martin Snopek for THE LAST BUS (Slovakia); festival director, programme director, curators Igor Prassel and Piotr Kardas, had a privilege to honor one title with the individual special mention, which were successively: THE TRIANGLE AFFAIR by Andres Tenusaar (Estonia), MOUTH WIDE OPEN, EARS SHUT TIGHT by Tom Madar and Emmly Noy (Israel), BLANCHE FRAISE by Frédérick Trembley (Canada) and VERTIGE by Christophe Gautry and Mathieu Brisebras (France, Belgium).

During all three festival days in Maribor a group of stop motion enthusiasts under the leadership of Leon Vidmar managed to create probably the best workshops film ever, thank you Brina Fekonja, Gaja Naja Rojec, Alina Kotnik, Jakob Korošec, Emeline André, Asja Trost, Andreja Kuhar and Lucija Smodiš!

05. – 07. 10. 2012 NIEPOŁOMICE

Team of the Center of World and Sound of Małopolska was already prepared for Stoptrik IFF: Stoptrik in Niepołomice video.

Friday started with the presentation of Etiuda&Anima IFF 2011 winners and laureates. Just after the first part of “ex-YU 2002 – 2012” selection, Mr. Tadeusz Wilkosz, nestor of Polish animation, arrived to Niepołomice holding an amazing puppet of Barnaby The Dragon. The unique meeting with Mr. Wilkosz lasted more than an hour, his speech was full of anecdotes and advices for curious animators who kept asking and asking precise questions.

Saturday was a day devoted to the art of stop motion and Stoptrik achievements. Selection of winners and laureates of Stoptrik 2012 brought an amazing crowd to the little cinema of MCDiS who later on filled the space of MHX audiovisual performance. The wall became a screen for projection of first films made by Władysław Starewicz and MHX illustrated the images within new, vinyl arrangements.

Despite of unfriendly Sunday weather audience came back to MCDiS to the screenings of Etiuda&Anima winners from 2010, selection of Ukrainian animation and second part of post-Yugoslavian animation. Finally we met with Jack Lowson and Laura-Beth Cowley, British artists and stop motion lovers who came all the way from England just to participate in our fest.

The greatest pleasure for the organizers was the arrival of Leon Vidmar and his creative team – Lucija Smodiš, Gaja Naja Rojec and Brina Fekonja came to Niepołomice to participate once again in Stoptrik Workshops. They joined forces with Kaja Kajder, Rafał Klimczak and Iwona Lisiecka and new Stoptrik workshops masterpiece is going to be unveiled soon.

photos: Daniela Kičić, Marcin Wójcik