New Category and Hungarian Projects on the 9th CEE Animation Forum
This year, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest animation pitch forum adds a Rising Stars section led by Györgyi Falvai, MOME Global’s international project manager. The focus of the new category will be comparing the knowledge of different schools of animation. Held this year in the online space, the programme of the CEE Animation Forum will have a strong Hungarian presence with six Hungarian projects included, three of which have ties to MOME.
Hosted this year for the ninth time, for The CEE Animation Forum (previously the Visegrad Animation Forum) is the largest platform to provide visibility for the Central and Eastern European animation industry, with 42 projects from 19 countries presented at the event. Having built a strong professional base, the pitch forum provides those selected with opportunities for consultation and seek out coproduction partners and mentoring in relation to their debut work, draft script, and production plans. Many are involved in the platform to boost their professional relationships and have inspiring professional discussions as these can result in valuable funding and strategic cooperation.
This year, the forum adds a new category, a Rising Stars section led by Györgyi Falvai, MOME Global’s international project manager.
‘We all look forward to meeting new talent with great enthusiasm as they will be driving force behind the region’s animation industry. In addition to other participants in the pitch, students will also get to meet mentors, receive professional feedback, and build their network. Naturally, the best ones will be rewarded. The aim of the Rising Stars category is to improve/develop student projects in terms of quality by creating real market situations and for CEE Animation to start a dialogue with training establishments and workshops in the region. Art schools are the most important workshops for creating freely and sources of rejuvenation for the animation industry, launching new trends; therefore, it is key to pay attention to them’, Györgyi Falvai said about the background of the new section.
10 projects were selected for the new category, including a Hungarian one: it presents the film draft for The Last Drop by Anna Tőkés, which will also be her diploma film at MOME Anim. The short film takes us to the world of rhythmic gymnastics where sparkly dresses, smiles and harmony hide confused teenage girls who face many challenges while training hard. Kata, a member of the national apparatus team, must discover where the team ends and where she begins in order to find her place.
In the series and TV specials category, 11 drafts were selected, including a Hungarian MOME-related project: the pilot episode Rozi és Zafír (Rosie and Sapphire) in the series A rózsaszín fű Pink Grass by Anna Katalin Lovrity. The series is for kids aged 3-4 and deals with topics such as friendship and its challenges and values. It also talks about what we can learn from other cultures and how this helps us prosper at home. The film is made in CUB animation studio with Bálint Gelley producing.
The short-film section of the competition includes Milu’s Dog by Daniel Gray, the protagonist of which is a lonely girl living in a forest who wants a dog, a friend, so much that when she stumbles upon a bear cub she wants to believe that it is a puppy. As the ‘puppy’ grows into a large bear, so does their friendship and bond grow stronger.
The film is an adaptation of the eponymous book by MOME graduate Mariann Máray, published by Spanish publisher Kalandraka in 2019. Milu’s Dog is produced in CUB studio with visual designer Mariann Máray, script editor Rita Domonyi and producer Bella Szederkényi.
CUB studio was established by two MOME Anim alumni, Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi, with support from the MOME+ incubation programme in 2015.
Source: dotandline blog and animationmagazine
