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Report on the events of KAFF – Kecskemét.

June, 21 to 25. 2017.

The multiple events at the festivals-of-festivals has brought the City of Kecskemét into the spotlight!

Over 5 intense days at Kecskemét – „Capital of KAFF” animated-film buffs have been able to savour an impressive range of animated movies boasting a high degree of variety and quality.

The 13th Anniversary of KAFF is internationally renowned event featured a range of styles, genres and techniques were testament to the vibrancy and relevance of creative animation.

Local communities and European and global onlookers filled the city with numerous viewers, animators, jury members from several countries as: Australia, Israel, China, Iran, France, Estonia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Romania.

Compared to the previous years, this year at its 13th edition had made additions to the European Animated Film Festival whereas the Hungarian animations films were introduced. The TV Film held for  the first time the 10th European animations, the TV specials and TV series  under the new name KAFF which were competed in a separate category.  The animated feature films and television specials brought from over Europe, television series participating in the competition.

During the 5 days Animation Film Festival the audience had a chance to see the production of Hungarian animation films from the last two years. These were 36 short films, 25 television series episodes, 22 student films and 33 animated animations  from nearly 400 works from 27 countries in the entire program of the festival. In addition to the festival favorites, many fairy tales and historical themes were screened.

Within a handful of events the KAFF organisers held a tribute to the memory of one of the great sons of the City of Kecskemét,  Zoltán Kodály with screening  the 1981, one and a half hour animated tale of Háry János by Zsolt Richly, which tells the story of the ancient Beowulf, citing the Monty Python movies. Zoltán Kodály’s work, who was born 135 years ago and passed away 50 years ago, certainly inspired Hungarian animation. Mostly Zsolt Richly turned to Kodály pieces and to his folk song variations. Richly created cartoon series, short and feature-length animated films and these animations blend Kodály’s music with folklorists visual stylization.

The film was screened on the main square at the open-air theater set up next to the Grand Church.

Daytime no time to layback, because the films were running one after the other  at the Hírös Agóra Cultural and Youth Center and the Otthon Cinema. In the frame of  KAFF festival, other venues had join with attractions such as, offering a visit to the Ráday Museum where the commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with cartoon films on “The life of Martin Luther”.

Then in the evening, concerts and the Kecskemét Wine Festival took the floor … meant populated the main square.

The KAFF festival showcased a mix of films and gave the audiences a complete, up-to-date snapshot of the local and international creative animation. A series of free talks and workshops were held where local filmmakers and other participating countries professionals provided those with questioning minds a chance to learn more about how and why these films get/were made.

At the 13th Kecskemét Animated Film Festival the jury of the international competition handed out its awards within a ceremony. The Best Short Film Award to the“Judges Wunder” – Kötelék, and Réka Bucsi – „LOVE” as the best in short film category. Animation of the 10th European Animated Feature Film and TV Film Festival Best Animated Animation „The Red Turtle”. The audience prize was taken home as My Life Cocktail.

Below are the further awarded animations with the animators names and prizes:

• AWARDS OF THE 10th EUROPEAN Animated Feature Film and TV Film Festival – Best Full Feature: The Red Turtle – Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
• The Best Television Series: A Very Long Vacation  – Director: Paul Leluc
• Best TV Species: Rebellious Rhyme 1 . – Director: Jakob Schuh, Jaw Lachauer
• He was awarded the National Jury Award by the Rebel Rhyme 1 .  – Director: Jakob Schuh, Jaw Lachauer, and The A Cut Off Girl / Director: Sebastien Laudenbach
• The jury speaks two TV specials for praise: We Go to Bear Hunt – directed by Joanna Harrison) and The Reindeer – directed by Arnaud Demuynck, Nicolas Liguori).
• In judging the television series, the jury received a film with a praise:
• Lili welcomes guest – director: Siri Melchior.
• AWARDS OF THE 13TH Kecskemét Animated Film Festival
• Grand Prize for the Festival: Commitment / Director: Judit Wunder – (Kecskemét City Fee, 1.5 millionHUF)
• Category Awards: Best Short Film: LOVE  – Director: Réka Bucsi – (The fee of the National Media and Communications Authority, 1.5 millionHUF)
• Best TV Series: Hunor –  Director: Árpád Koós and Béla Klingl
• (The fee of the National Media and Communications Authority, 1.5 millionHUF)
• Best Animated Animation: Clean Heart – Director: Ertsey Áron Donát
• (Software package worth $ 340,000)
• Best Student Film: The 13th Princess  – Director: Russian Tina
• Special awards
• Best First Film: Fiasco –  Director: Szabolcs Nagy
• Best Picture Language: Mouse –  Director: B. Ervin Nagy
• The Best Screenplay: Kojot and the Pale Shadows  – Director: Áron Gauder
• Best Animated Work: Mimik –  Director: Varga Petra
• (Fee for Photograph and Film of the OCT, 500,000HUF)
• The Best 3D Movie: Gipsy Tales – The Firefighter Snake / Director: László Balajthy (FocusFox Studio’s 300,000HUF Service)
• The jury is commended for the harmony of text and image (director: Attila Bertóti) and the film ” Awakening “ for the personal formation of actors – Director: Fruzsina Zángó.

To be continued with:  Australia as the honorary guest – XIII. KAFF festival

Update Aggie Reiter