Fredrikstad Animation Festival Unveils 2022 Lineup, Including Domestic Premiere Of Kajsa Næss’ ‘Titina’

Norway’s Fredrikstad Animation Festival (FAF) has revealed the official program for this year’s event, kicking off on October 20 with the domestic premiere of Kajsa Næss’ Titina, and running through the 23.

“The Fredrikstad Animation Festival has been extremely important for the Norwegian animation industry, for Mikrofilm, and for me as a director,” said Næss. “[I]n 1994, FAF’s forerunner Animerte Dager showed our first short film Toothsome, during what was the very first year of the festival. Since then, we have followed each other closely. So, it’s a great honor to share my feature film debut almost 30 years later with good industry colleagues, students, and the audience in Fredrikstad.”

Each year, FAF stands out as one of the most important events on the Nordic animation industry calendar, providing a spotlight for works and filmmakers from Nordic and Baltic countries including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. FAF also hosts an international short film competition, a selection of films for kids, retrospectives, and a queer night program. This year’s expansive lineup includes 112 short and feature films, 16 seminars, and several panel discussions.

FAF 2022 is also hosting a special anime program, billed as the largest-ever anime event in Norway, and has invited some true legends of the Japanese animation industry to participate.

Below, we look at some of the highlights from the upcoming FAF 2022.

Nordic-Baltic Short Film Competition

• A jewel in the FAF crown, the Nordic-Baltic short competition is hosting 68 short films this year in four categories: short film, student film, commissioned film, and children’s film. Shorts from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Latvia, and Sweden are eligible for consideration.

Nordic-Baltic Feature Film Competition

• Four features have been picked to screen in this year’s Nordic-Baltic feature competition: Kajsa Næss’ Titina, Signe Baumane’s My Love Affair with Marriage, Amalie Næsby Fick’s The Human Antenna, and Rasmus A. Sivertsen’s Just Super.

Animation Production Day

• Another of FAF’s most important activities each year, Animation Production Day 2022 will focus on Japanese animation and feature well-known Japanese producers and directors as guest speakers. Speakers include Studio 4°C founder Eiko Tanaka (Memories, Mind Game, Tekkonkinkreet), longtime Lupin III producer and Tokyo Anime Award Festival director Koji Takeuchi, and Studio Rikka founder and direcctor Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Time of Eve, Sing a Bit of Harmony).

Animation Research Symposium: Nordic Perspective

• During this in-person symposium, FAF will address questions facing Nordic filmmakers about animation literacy, media archaeology, collaboration in virtual reality, potential health benefits of video games, and the political impact which comes from allowing students to tell their own stories.

FAF 2022 Masterclass Lineup

• Character designer and illustrator Peter de Séve (Treasure Planet, Ice Age)
• Screenwriter Mark Burton (Shaun the Sheep Movie, Madagascar)
• Animator Marie-Laure Guisset (The Secret of Kells, The Triplets from Belleville)

Festival passes and more information, including a complete day-by-day schedule, can be found on the festival’s website. Some of the events, including the masterclasses, will be livestreamed.