Cartoons on the Bay
Proceedings were noticeably more intimate at the 18th Cartoons on the Bay, a festival and professional program held April 16-18 in Venice.
Israel was the guest country, chosen because it is technologically advanced and is home to a large number of tech startups and innovators, said Costanza Escaplon, president of RAI Com. In addition to honoring Albert Hanan Kaminski with a Pulcinella Career Award, a panel explored the nation’s animated works with director Liran Kapel, Talit Communications’ Ron Isaak, Animix Festival’s Dudu Shalita, director Yuval Nathan, Snowball Studios’ Yoni Cohen and Israeli diplomat Eldad Golan.
A panel on women in animation featured Lindsay Watson of Animated Women U.K.
saying there are an estimated 5,000 women in the U.K. working in animation or visual effects.
Mad Entertainment presented its project Cinderella the Cat: A Mafia Fairytale and stated it sees a strong audience for animation aimed at young adults.
The Fashionable World of Victoria and Luisa won the Pitch Me! contest for pilot episode.
And a spotlight on the animation industry in Italy revealed the nation has 81 production companies, most of which work in television, with 36 producers and 45 service providers. Of those, 44 percent had less than 250,000 euros in revenue.
At the same time, Italy has 22 children’s channels — the highest count in Europe — and 11 percent of their programming is from Italy. The discussion on how to rectify the situation grew political, with the presenters comparing the 16 million euro state contribution in Italy to 96 million euros from France. It was proposed that Italy could make more animation than France does with less money, and once the talk turned to the question of whether the event organizer RAI had too much of a monopoly situation, the English translation for press cut out mysteriously ...
Meanwhile, the winners of the Pulcinella Awards, with jury comments, are:
Preschool TV series: (Amigos), for helping kids to open their minds and face others, respecting their own emotions. TV Series for Kids: The Owl & Co. (La Chouette & Cie), a simple story able to surprise kids and families with funny characters, good animation and essential dialogue. TV Series for Tweens: Gypsy Tales (Cigánymesék), for bringing new life to traditional tales, balancing traditional animation and new technology. Interactive Animation: Evolve, for using animation to give a great visual impact and make fantasy come true. Educational and Social: Broken Branches (Anafim Shvurim), to let old memories of Diaspora come alive again, telling a true and difficult story in a very touching way. TV Series Pilot: Ivan and the Wolf (Iwan und der Wolf), for using colors in an intense way that gives a fantastic dimension from the very beginning of the story. Advertising and Promotional: Clean Up the World (Puliamo Il Mondo), for promoting an ecological approach through an original mix of documentary and animation, even with a low budget. Short Film: Autumn Leaves (Premier Automne). This poetic film is a complete creation in both visuals and sound. Best European Work: The Day Henry Met (TV Series Preschool). A fresh design for this educative film, but still very entertaining. Best Character: Tereza from Boles (Short Film). For the plastic way the puppet was structured for acting and how the animator succeeded in bringing it to life. Best Music: Gypsy Tales (Cigánymesék) (TV Series Tween). The jury was won over by this traditional music that fits perfectly into the rhythm of the show.