Outstanding Slovak representation in Annecy

Four Slovak films will compete at one of the most important animation film festivals in Europe. Two feature-length films and two shorts are presented in the official competitions of the 47th Annecy International Animation Film Festival (11-17 June 2023).

Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light, a children film by Filip Pošivac, will have its international premiere in competition section Feature Films Contrechamp. Its main character is eleven-year-old Tony, who has a unique feature he was born with - he glows. He spends his days at home in his blanket bunker and dreams about having a friend. Before Christmas, a peculiar girl named Shelly moves into his house and turns his world upside down. Together, they embark on an adventurous search for the origin of the mysterious tufts of darkness which suck the sunshine out of their house. "The film about Tony and Shelly is actually an ordinary story, the kind that can affect any of us. It is 'just' a statement of the fairytale beauty hidden in all the good deeds we do for others," says Filip Pošivač, the director of the film. "Let's not forget that each of us carries at least a small light inside us that can burn out whenever we show empathy, tolerance or help someone else. Any one of us can become the hero of a great story."

In the Feature Films Contrechamp competition, the sci-fi drama White Plastic Sky, directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó, which had its world premiere at this year's Berlinale, will also vie for an award. The film is set in the future, when the Earth is on the brink of catastrophe due to the loss of fertile soil. Scientists develop an extremely nutritious plant, but one that can only grow in a human body. The inhabitants will be divided into two groups - those who eat and those from whom the food is grown. "It’s a love story of two people in a world where nature disappeared and humans are the only thing left. It is modern and topical since it clearly raises the question of what will we do when climate change takes a turn for the worse, which is what all the evidence suggests. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of the story of Adam and Eve. In other aspects, it’s like the ancient tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, it is mythological, even." says Juraj Krasnohorský, the film producer.

Slovakia will also be represented at the festival by two short films. The Official Short Films competition includes the wild visual poem Electra. The film was made by the young talented director Daria Kashcheeva, winner of the Student Oscar for Daughter, which was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short Film category and has won more than 90 different international awards, including the top prize at the 2019 Annecy Film Festival. In Electra, the protagonist struggles with her past, rethinks her 10th birthday, mixing memories with dreams. Film Money and Happiness, directed by Ana Nedeljkovic and Nikola Majdak Jr. will compete in the Perspectives Short Films section. It features hamsters who live and work in a perfect state with a flawless economy, but it turns out that every attempt to create a perfect society has its dark side.

Web: www.annecyfestival.com/home

published: 08.06.2023
updated: 09.06.2023