Animation according to the Łódź specialists. The Cinema’s guests included Justyna Rucińska from WJTeam studio, who presented a production perspective, Agnieszka Kowalewska from Momakin, who is involved with the distribution and promotion of a range of animation projects as well as Aneta Ozorek, who organises, among others, the festival ‘Kino w Trampkach’ (‘Cinema in Trainers’) aimed at children and teenagers. The meeting therefore included a producer’s viewpoint on cultural events alongside a discussion with experts on film education.

The audience had the opportunity to discover secrets concerning the work of a production studio specialising in animation, the planning of a festival circuit and how to find local and international distributors. The specialists touched on why there are so few full-length animated films in Poland.

Justyna Rucińska – In Poland, the budgets given for animated projects are still small. A full-length film requires large financial input. A certain solution to this problem would be international co-production. Admittedly, this may soon change due to a new production initiative from the Polish Film Institute, which is focused on creating projects for children. It was also underlined that we should adapt our thinking when it comes to animation and not place it in the ‘children-only’ category. We are trying to convey that animated films are not just for children - specifically Polish animation, and definitely not features which incorporate stop-motion and puppetry work - said Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron. Animation is for every age group and it is important to demystify such films, echoed Aneta Ozorek.

They also talked about the interest in Polish animation abroad, where ‘Mami Fatale’ produced by Studio Miniatur Filmowych, is very well known. Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron said that Polish animation is recognised abroad and appreciated in an artistic and festival setting, but it is considered to be depressing. It is easier to reach viewers with Polish films abroad, since British and French television supports and promotes animated features.

The difficulty in accessing interesting animated films was also discussed, as they are rarely broadcast on Polish television. In Lithuania, viewers can watch short-length animations at the airport in comfort, which is a great idea. Justyna Rucińska said that there are many ways of showing animated films. Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron stated that one way of doing so is to group films by theme. For example, it’s possible to place a few short films in one collection depending on awards received.