Pitch It! – Animators and creatives take the spotlight at the Kino Jusuf Gervalla stage

Nine directors and aspiring animators showcased their projects

Nine directors and aspiring animators showcased their projects in the Regional Pitching Presentation “Pitch It!” as part of the 16th edition of the International Animation Festival Anibar. Like this, Anibar continues its commitment to supporting new initiatives and is a thriving space for all of those who want to pursue their passions and work on animated films. 

This year’s edition of “Pitch It!” is organised as part of the project “Co-Producing between France and the Western Balkans: Structuring, Supporting and Promoting Creation”, supported by the Fonds Equipe France of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and co-funded by the Kosovo Cinematography Center (QKK). Animators from Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia presented their ideas and projects, while at the same time creating meaningful contacts in the industry, mentorship and production support, feedback from industry experts, and so much more. 

The jury consisted of Bastien Dubois (France), Rianne Stremmelaar (the Netherlands), Vasco Sá (Portugal) listened to the pitches and offered insightful comments to the participants, bringing their expertise and experience to the voices of animators from the Western Balkans.

Kick-starting the sessions was Blend Leci from Kosovo and his project titled “Ashphalt”. His journey in animation started at an early age, while currently he works primarily as a character and feature animator. He pitched a dystopian narrative in a brutalist city where corruption is multi-layered and the characters navigate in a debatable moral grey space. Another creator from Kosovo, Diellza Bylygbashi presented her project “TIKA”, focusing on animal care, drawing from her own experience in dealing with finding proper treatments close to her for FIP (Feline infectious peritonitis) in cats. Coming from a career of both cultural and commercial work, she explained, this project has an awareness element to it. 

For Erin Krasniqi, another participant from Kosovo, who is not new to “Pitch It!”, presented the idea titled “Free Bird”. Drawing inspiration from the animated cartoons from the ‘50s, he brought this game-infused project that also has entertaining qualities. Next up was Flaka Kokolli with her new project titled “I still haven’t cried” exploring the anguish on how to disseminate anger and fear through a female perspective. 

Katarina Zaharijeva from Serbia, together with the producer of the project titled “The Last Bookstore in the World”, wants to narrate and depict the near-future fear of the artistic and cultural physical spaces, tackling power structure and holding on to tradition, while in the midst stands human resilience. Leke Cervadiku (Kosovo) pitched his project titled “Xhoko and Quku in Asylum”: a story that taps into the magic of fables, meeting the urban and social realities of smaller cities in the Balkans.

Nikola Andric from Serbia presented the project titled “It will rain”, a game structure featuring an operatic infusion as a play on sound and image. Tinka Kelmendi from Kosovo presented “What the Roots Remember”, a project infused with a poetic touch and experimental approaches. And this session concluded with the one presentation from North Macedonia, by Verica Tenekedjivave titled “Transporting Women”, an emotional, yet raw experience on how to navigate life.

Rianne Stremmelaar, a member of the jury, praised the diversity and creativity of the pitches, noting that “the pitches were interesting and diverse. There were standout projects that caught our attention—some socially engaged, others imaginative, humorous, or innovative.” She also emphasized the event’s structure, highlighting that it was “well-organized, and the jury had sufficient time for questions.” Stremmelaar added that the jury has tailored feedback for each selected project, with the aim of helping both the ideas and their creators grow to their full potential.

Anibar is proud to be the host of giving life to different artistic approaches, flourishing through unlimited support and dedication. Hence, the future, today, looked very bright.

This year’s PITCH IT is organized as part of the project “Co-Producing between France and the Western Balkans: Structuring, Supporting and Promoting Creation”, supported by the Fonds Equipe France of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and co-funded by the Kosovo Cinematography Center (QKK).