For 20 years, Animafest has brought together the industry’s best and brightest in the island’s villages. ALIX NORMAN finds out what makes Cyprus’ rural communities the ultimate animation destination
In 1928, two animators created Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie for less than $5,000. By 1995, and the release of Toy Story, a team of 27 full-time animators (not including the hundreds who worked on editing, modelling, sound, texturing, and lighting) produced the first feature-length film made with the help of 3D technology, at a cost of $30 million. But all that pales in comparison to Tangled which, more than a decade after its release, remains the most expensive animated film of all time ($260 million), thanks in part to almost 100 full-time animators whose work included 140,000 individually animated hairs!
Cyprus’ animation traditions don’t go back quite as far (nor involve the vast teams and multi-million budget of Pixar or Disney productions!). But nevertheless, we’re a country with a passion for animation. A passion so great that for the last 20 years Cyprus has hosted one of the region’s most significant celebrations of all things animated: AnimaFest.
Launched in 2002, Countryside Animafest Cyprus has hugely benefited the island over the years. In particular, areas a long way off the beaten track…
From its inception, the festival has always been held in small, rural villages. Platanisteia was the very first location – a remote hamlet in the Troodos mountains, known primarily as the home of the Hambis Printmaking School. Hambis himself was an artist who firmly believed in bringing art to the people wherever they might be; his son, Yiorgos Tsangaris, along with colleague Yiangos Hadjiyiannis, shared this philosophy. With the help of globally-renowned festival director Dimitris Eipides, the two set up the first event of its kind in Cyprus, “driven by a belief that art is a precious commodity that should be available to all, regardless of social background.
“Art cultivates our humanity and builds a better world for everyone,” explains Yiorgos. “It’s something I learned watching my father as he made the art of printmaking accessible to the people of the countryside, through free printmaking lessons held all over the island!”
That first festival was held in the small open-air amphitheatre of the Printmaking School, with “the projector on crates of grapes!” Yiorgos recalls. “Everything was free of charge. We brought ice in barrels up to the village in order to have cold drinks to offer our audience. Local producers donated cheeses, bakers gave us breads, farmers contributed fruit and zivania. And world-renowned programmers, directors, academics and artists sat side by side with local shepherds and farmers to watch films. It was pure magic!”
20 years on, the magic remains. Animafest has gone from strength to strength, never betraying its philosophies.
“As audiences grew significantly, the festival moved to accommodate the large number of spectators,” explains Yiorgos. “But it’s always been a village effort, organised in collaboration with local authorities with a view to presenting the unique beauty and authentic character of Cypriot rural communities.”
Over the years, the festival has taken place in Anogyra, Prastio Avdimou, and the ancient site of Palepafos at Kouklia. Today, it makes its home in Salamiou, a charming rural community in the Paphos hills. “An essential part of our founding principles is cultural decentralisation and the dissemination of the values of independent cinema and high art to a large number of people across the social spectrum,” Yiorgos reveals. “And, since its inception, Animafest Cyprus has been instrumental in the creation of a new culture for animation on the island…”
The festival’s roots may be deep in the countryside, but it’s been key in attracting the international community to the island. In effect, Animafest has not only put Cyprus firmly on the animation map, it’s also enticed well-known figures from the wider art community: “From the start, we built an international network of friends and collaborators, and we’ve always actively cultivated collaborations between local and global artists,” explains Yiorgos.
Far more than just a showcase for animated films, the festival has vastly expanded in scope to offer residency programmes, opportunities for major collaborations, and countless related activities, such as workshops, educational events, active exhibition spaces, and sidebar music events.
“There are three exhibition spaces active during the festival, showing the work of the resident artists, as well as other temporary exhibitions such as this year’s poster exhibition,” Yiorgos reveals. “There’s always a rich musical programme with concerts and DJs, a post-screening get-together at the village coffee shop with impromptu music, and visits to local wineries and beaches!”
Along with showcasing both the island’s rural beauty and a number of significant films (this year’s programme includes both a national and international competition, with 33 films selected from a total of 800 submissions) it’s also led to many a prestigious internship abroad. And the festival has also encouraged younger artists to develop their talents through an Animation Development programme, along with the seminars, presentations, workshops and screenings of the Animafest Cyprus Junior Edition.
“The festival’s defining quality is that it opens up the world of independent, artistic animated film to non-experts and experts in equal measure, a fact that makes Countryside Animafest Cyprus stand out internationally,” says Yiorgos. “It’s very rare for an animation festival to have such a wide and diverse audience: in other countries, festivals of this kind are mostly attended by professionals and students of this field.”
Here, collaboration, inclusiveness, equality, justice and peace are the order of the day, with people from diverse communities both encouraged to share their creations and attend the screenings. “Groups who share the vision that art can light the way for a world we hope to build, overcome their differences and join forces,” says Yiorgos. “And the flourishing community of Cypriot animators working and creating today is how we measure our success.”
We may not yet be seeing multi-million dollar animations with a supporting cast of thousands produced on the island. But, thanks to Animafest’s 20-year effort, Cypriot animators are becoming known around the world – working on major projects, showcasing their work to big industry names, and collaborating with the industry’s best. Cyprus, it seems, is now the region’s key animation destination!
Countryside Animafest Cyprus runs from August 11 to 14. For more information and bookings, visit https://www.animafest.com.cy/
