In November, we will slip away from the mainstream into the world of independent productions, short films and works by students at film schools. 

The 28th International Film Festival Etiuda & Anima presents art animations and short films by up-and-coming directors from all corners of the globe.  

Around the World 
This year’s events are held in a hybrid format, and all live screenings at cinemas will also be available on the festival’s VOD platform. But the format will not put a damper on the lively competition for the Dinosaur (Etiuda) and Gold, Silver and Bronze Jabberwocky (Anima) statuettes. 

The Etiuda 2021 competition features 30 films from all over the world, including China, Brazil, South Korea, the US, Germany, Russia and the UK alongside works by Polish students.  

The Anima 2021 competition presents 55 animations from far flung countries including Canada, Argentina, Estonia, Israel, Iran, Japan and Australia – plenty of variety for everyone! The competition screenings will be interspersed with online Q&A sessions with filmmakers, jurors and festival guests.  

While most events will be streamed online, there will be several opportunities for in-person meetings. The festival launches with a gala held at Kino Kijów on 16 November, accompanied by a screening of the animation My Sunny Maad (2021, dir. Michaela Pavlátová). 

Not just competitions 
Although the competitions form the core of Etiuda & Anima, the organisers have prepared plenty accompanying events. The event’s partner festivals, the Dutch Kaboom Animation Festival and the Spanish Animac Film Festival, present a selection of animations from the respective countries. This year’s Etiuda & Anima also features a selection of ten best Hungarian short films from the last two decades, picked by Géza M. Tóth – acclaimed filmmaker specialising in animations. 

The programme also features screenings for kids: on 16 November we will see the feature-length animations Even Mice Go To Heaven (2021, dir. Jan Bubeníček, Denisa Grimmová) and Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary (2020, dir. Rémi Chayé).  

There will be in-person animation workshops for kids and adults and sessions exploring environmental issues. We will also discover the winners of the competition Photographic Memory for students at Kraków’s Academy of Fine Arts.  

Nostalgic November 
As usual, the cycle Farewells recalls filmmakers who passed away last year. Screenings commemorate the Korean director Kim Ki-duk, representative of the Czech film school Jiři Menzel and member of the Czechoslovakian New Wave of the 1960s Ivan Passer. We will also celebrate the Polish film historian Alicja Helman with a screening of her favourite film: Luchino Visconti’s Death In Venice (1971). 

Don’t feel like braving the autumnal weather? Fear not! This year’s Etiuda & Anima is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the magical world of world class indie cinema from the comfort of your own home!