Animated in Poland
2.06, 11.00 – 13.00 PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS – MOS 2
2.06, 15.30 – 18.30 ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS – MOS 4
access with passes: Industry, Industry Pro, Industry Light, Media, Student
RECORDED PITCHING WILL BE AVAILABLE TO WATCH IN THE KFF INDUSTRY GUEST ZONE FROM 3rd JUNE
Presentation of Polish short animated films at the last stage of production. The representatives of the selected projects will talk about their films, before they are included in the programmes of film festivals in Poland and abroad. Each year international animated film industry professionals, such as festival programmers, distributors, sales agents and commissioning editors, participate in the pitching and one-on-one meetings afterwards.
Moderated by: Zofia Ścisłowska
SELECTED PROJECTS:
- Garden Weeds, dir. Laura Pietras, prod. Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
A love-starved lily searches for happiness in a world where there seems to be no place for it. Driven by desperation, it is willing to completely distort its identity just to experience what it sees around it – perfectly matched pairs of flowers. Yet sacrificing what once defined it brings no result. Even a seemingly fortunate coincidence fails to change its tragic course. Disillusioned and stripped of hope, the lily returns home, where its fate is fulfilled.
- Sugar Boys, dir. Jakub Siedlecki, prod. Letko
The Sugar Boys is a modern tale about the strained relationship between a father and his two sons, who are struggling to cope after the sudden loss of their mother. They make caramel in a lonely cottage in the middle of an endless field of sugar beets. They do not speak, the caramel has sealed their lips. Everything changes when the younger brother discovers a secret. Under the ground, a woman’s voice sings a song. The family will have to decide whether to sing along or silence it forever.
- To You Who Are Alive, dir. Zuzanna Szor, prod. WJTeam
The film To You Who Are Alive is a moving, atmospheric animation in which the central narrative axis is the strong yet tension-filled bond between Marta, who is preparing to become a mother, and her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and decides to leave before reaching an advanced stage of the illness.
- Momster, dir. Anna Błaszczyk, prod. Animoon
In a geometrically ordered world of agricultural utopia, the rhythm of daily life is set by a machine — a combine harvester that serves as both home and shelter for M. When an asteroid strikes this sterile order, reality fractures and a mysterious Newcomer appears. Chaos invades the heroine’s life, forcing her to confront the unknown. In a process of adaptation, M. fuses her own body with elements of the machine, undergoing an unstable metamorphosis into a hybrid — the Momster. The transformation is unpredictable, and the boundary between her former self and the mechanical form grows increasingly blurred. Learning to function in this new body, M. moves awkwardly yet persistently toward the future. From a being once part of a machine, she becomes an entity capable of crossing boundaries and discovering new horizons.
- Freaking Cake!, dir. Yelizaveta Pysmak, prod. FUMI Studio
On the day of his Birthday Petro – a grown man that looks like a giant sad Pierrot – learns that he has absorbed his twin brother before birth. It evokes a deep sorrow inside of his soul. Bewildered and terrified, he travels inside of his own body to find his brother, the Other. Would he forgive him? This film merges real-life filming with vivid fever-dream animation.
- Sauna, dir. Maria Waszczyszyn, prod. Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
The film tells the story of a man trapped in the labyrinth of everyday life, whose existence is reduced to the mechanical performance of duties. Initially lost and uncertain, the protagonist begins to lose his individuality in the crowd, routine, and constant rush. Instead of resistance, resignation sets in—routine, rather than organizing reality, becomes a source of alienation and self-loss. The film warns against losing oneself in the monotony of life, showing how one’s inner identity can gradually fade away.
- Spotlight, dir. Anna Walczak, prod. Munk Studio – SFP, Animoon
A cool-toned evening in Łódź opens the story of a small moth drawn to the warm glow of a tenement window. Falling into a puddle and unable to fly, it wanders into a jazz club basement and fixates on the light above the stage. Chasing it, the moth is swept into a chaotic jam session, bounced between instruments. Music engulfs it: swirling shapes, colors, rhythms. Torn between instinct and the magnetic pull of sound, it climbs toward the bulb just as it goes out. Lost in darkness, it resists—until the music’s colors draw it in. Finally, the moth lets go of its goal, embraces the music, and becomes part of the performance, alive and fulfilled.
- Picasso’s Mermaid, dir. Karolina Gołębiowska, prod. Fundacja Las Sztuki
The story is set in post-war Warsaw and tells of an artwork created during Picasso’s visit to one of the newly built housing estates. It is also a story about a modest married couple who must confront the persistent consequences of living under the same roof as a work by a great artist. An inconspicuous drawing changes the lives of the couple and the entire neighborhood, becoming a thorn in the side of the Party, which ultimately carries out the “execution” of Picasso’s Mermaid. Will this stop the residents from being free? A story based on true events
- Death in a Little House, dir. Michalina Musialik, prod. Yellow Tapir Films
The story’s protagonist shuns the hustle and bustle of the city. Whenever possible, she escapes the city to the forest. She finds peace and solace among nature. Her vision of Eden is interrupted by the clearing of her beloved forest. The changes that have taken place in the landscape shock her. The girl, feeling like a terrified animal, transforms into a deer. Seeking a new refuge, she discovers the ruins of a burned-out house abandoned among the fields. Wanting to learn more about this place, she reads an archived article from the local newspaper, learning about a tragedy from years ago – two people burned to death in the house.
WORKSHOP:
The presentations will be preceded by consultations and a workshop on pitching techniques held by Maarten van Gageldonk – the Head of Program for Kaboom Animation Festival, the largest animation festival in the Netherlands. He also teaches in the Master of Animation at the Master Institute of Visual Cultures (MIVC) in Den Bosch. In recent years he co-edited the book Animation and Memory (2020), published by Palgrave Macmillan.
AWARDS:
The sponsors of the awards and Animated in Poland partners are the Studio Sound Mind, No Problemo Music, XANF and Crew United. Projects will be awarded with:
- a voucher for Studia Sound Mind covering 10 days of film sound post-production (provided that the entire sound post-production is carried out at Studia Sound Mind);
- a voucher for XANF Studio for visual post-production (VFX) services worth PLN 10,000;
- an award from No Problemo Music – a license for unlimited use of music from the Audio Network library for the film and its promotional materials;
- a five-year premium subscription to Crew United for the director and producer of the awarded project.
Sound Mind Studio, founded by Michał Fojcik MPSE CAS – sound designer, supervisor and re-recording mixer (“White Courage”, Emmy winner “Pianoforte or Netflix “Mothers of Penguins”) offers full sound postproduction service for features, documentaries and animations.
XANF is a boutique VFX and animation studio formed by visual artists. From storyboarding and previsualization to on-set VFX supervision and internal quality control, XANF prides itself on understanding every aspect of cinematic storytelling and delivering unique, impactful solutions. The studio specializes in VFX, title sequences and 2d/3d animations for films and television series having gained its experience working on Polish and international projects for Opus Film, Extreme Emotions, Lava Films, Netflix, HBO MAX, AXN and Canal Plus, amongst others.
Crew United is a networking platform and database for the European film industry. It allows users to showcase their filmmaking across all audiovisual formats, facilitate direct collaboration and networking, and conduct extensive market research. The portal has been operating for 30 years, is available in nine languages, and has over 60,000 registered users.
No Problemo Music has been selecting and licensing the best songs for film for over 15 years.Their lives orbit around music – the No Problemo team consists of musicians, DJs and music consultants. This team believes that the right music complements a story and highlights the emotions contained in it. They love to juxtapose sound with image – they select, license and produce music as well as co-produce films, organize music workshops and collaborate with, among others: New Horizons Festival and PWSFTViT in Lodz.
