CEE Animation Forum: Dozens Of Eastern European Animation Projects Will Be Pitched

The tenth edition of the CEE Animation Forum will take place in a hybrid format starting tomorrow. It is Eastern Europe’s leading regional pitching, financing, and co-production event.

This year’s program will host 49 animated projects in four categories: feature films, series/tv specials, shorts, and student films. Meanwhile, 33 projects have been selected to participate in this year’s main pitching competition. Additionally, five projects will be pitched out of competition and a further 11 will participate in the CEE Animation Workshop training program.

CEE received nearly 130 submissions from 34 countries this year, which the event says is a strong indicator of an overall rise in animation production in the region. Among the countries with the largest presence are France (7), Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland (5), Germany (4), Slovakia (3), and Slovenia (2). Notably, this year’s field features a majority of women filmmakers (61%).

Here is the line-up of pitches at CEE:

Feature Films

• Dark Horses – Massimo Ottoni, Linda Kelvink, Salvatore Centoducati, Francesco Forti, Victoria Musci (Italy)
• Deleted – Zoran Krstic (Serbia)
• Sorya – Denis Do (France)
• The Helpers – Betina Bożek (Poland)
• The Islands of Salamanders – Catherine Maximoff (France, Slovakia, Germany)

Series/TV Specials

• 9 Million Colors – Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic)
• Billy & the Boingo Band – Shabnam Rezaei (Austria)
• Bug City – Jøran Wærdahl (Norway)
• Endover Groove – Łukasz Kacprowicz (Poland)
• Giggle Wiggle – Marzena Nehrebecka (Poland)
• Lemon and Berry – Ilenia Cotardo, Piotr Ficner (Poland)
• The Song of the Storms – Caroline Attia (France)
• The Three Gadgetiers – Kiril Ivanov (Bulgaria)

Short Films

• Bruno – Danas Bereznickas (Lithuania)
• Father’s Letters – Alexey Evstigneev (France)
• Funfair – Éva Darabos (Hungary)
• Hun Tun – Magdalena Hejzlarova (Czech Republic, France, Hungary)
• I Am Not Here Anymore – Nawojka Wierzbowska (Poland, France)
• Kill, Kokesh, Kill! – Nawojka Wierzbowska (Poland, France)
• Second Hand War – Anna Benner, Eluned Zoe Aiano (Germany, Czech Republic)
• Supersillynurseryrhyme – Veronica Martiradonna (France)
• The Girl with the Occupied Eyes – André Carrilho (Portugal)
• The Lute – Laura Pop (Romania)

Rising Stars

• 5 Cases of Sergeant Goodmind – Filip Tatyrek (Czech Republic)
• Bonefuzz – Mark Laszlo (Hungary)
• Dream Dive – Johana Mlíchová (Slovenia)
• I’ll Be There When You Wake Up – Nina Chubinishvili (Netherlands)
• M-0 – Vivien Csigó (Hungary)
• Noah – Luca Ábrányi (Hungary)
• The Chicken’s Calling – Rebecca Osterberg (Germany)
• The Girl Who Wasn´t Afraid of the Bear – Darya Sidorova (Slovakia)
• The Spell – Dora Pejić Bach (Slovenia)
• Touch of Light – Vanesa Nipčová (Slovakia)

Out of Competition

• MY NAME IS… – Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez (Germany)
• Orban Balazs – The Bone Baron – Fazakas Szabolcs, Romania
• Selfation – Veronika Skalická (Czech Republic)
• The Girl Who Was Not Afraid Of Bears – Lea Vučko (Croatia)
• Three Cups of Coffee – Natalia Krawczuk (Poland)

Accredited guests to this year’s CEE may participate in-person in Pilsen, Czech Republic, or join online. As an added bonus of CEE accreditation this year, the forum has partnered with Animarkt Stop Motion Forum, and an accreditation to either of the events will include access to the other as well.

The full program and accreditation applications can be found here.