"Together with you all, I am delighted to celebrate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan."
The largest and oldest animation festival of Hungary, Kecskemét Animation Film Festival is organized for the 14th time. Screening more than 300 films at seven venues, the festival offers several exhibitions, masterclasses, book launches and related professional events.
According to Tamás Gergely Kucsera, secretary of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, Hungarian animation should take a path different from the ‘70’s-’80s: those paths are gone, though there will be always new ones, “waiting to be discovered”. He claims, however, that rich traditions should be preserved in the new political and economic environment, with the support of the most promising national projects.
One of the most anticipated masterclasses of KAFF will be held by animation director Marcell Jankovics, awarded with the Kossuth Prize and Balázs Béla Prize. He also works as a graphic artist and culture historian. He will be the first person who reveals information and images from the TV series Toldi, which is to be completed next year. Holder of the honorary title “The Nation’s Artist”, Jankovics was asked about not only his newest works, but his original style, the pinnacle of his career, the emphasized role of Kecskemét and his great plans for the future.
Ferenc Mikulás: We are highly esteemed in Tehran. In the first week of March, the 11th Tehran Animation Film Festival was held. Ferenc Mikulás was also invited to be a member of the jury, which included one Dutch, English, German and two Persian experts. We interviewed the managing director of the animation studio Kecskemétfilm, also the director of KAFF.
Producer Gábor Csupó, Canadian film director Ishu Patel, sculptor Pál Lakatos, writer János Bán, also director of Kecskemét Media Centre; and Zsolt Pápai, colleague of Eötvös Loránd University’s Faculty of Arts will be the members of the jury for Hungarian films.
Kecskemét Animation Film Festival is now accepting submissions in its 2019 edition.
The best feature film of the 10th Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV-film was The Red Turtle. The Audience Award was given to My Life as a Courgette.