ANIBAR ANIMATION FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 17th EDITION!
Join the dance of animation from July 12 to 18, in Peja, Kosova!
The Anibar Animation Festival, the only festival dedicated to this medium in Kosova and one of the most recognized in the region, invites us to join the dance of animation along the Lumbardhi River in Peja, from July 12 to 18 this year.
Born out of the need to spark cultural life and to encourage the artistic community to activate abandoned spaces in the city, Anibar, 17 years later has come closer to fulfilling this mission by growing in program, audience, and responsibility.
Up to now, Anibar has used its platform to reflect on collective states, depending on the phenomena surrounding us. The festival team has stood alongside its audience through Hopes & Fears, Superstitions, and Uncertainties (WTF?!), in the need for Liberation and Belonging (Isolation), in LOVE, and in the fight for equality (Smash the Patriarchy).
This upcoming edition is no exception and goes even further. From past themes to those that preoccupy us today, instead of focusing on just one, this year we are allowing them to manifest through the selected films that will be screened across five cinemas, in discussions with filmmakers and festival guests, in workshops and masterclasses suited for every curious mind, as well as in exhibitions, picnics, and music shared among friends.
Among other things, this year the festival invites us to briefly disconnect from the rhythm of the digital world, reminding us to be present with one another in time and space, as well as with the creative process itself. Throughout the festival, we will explore our relationship with the senses, nature, materials, and memory.
While this year’s full program will be revealed in the coming days, we invite you to discover fragments of the festival through the official trailer of this edition, created by Finnish animator Jenny Jokela.
If you have never been to Peja, this clip brings the city to you in its most vibrant colors, and for those who have visited, we warn you of waves of nostalgia.
Jenny Jokela (1990) is a Finnish animation director and illustrator based in Edinburgh. She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2017, where she completed an MA in Animation. Her graduation film *Barbeque* has won numerous awards, including the Cristal at Annecy 2018. Last year, she won second place in Anibar’s International Competition with her film *Dollhouse Elephant*. In her colorful and expressive personal work, Jenny explores the visualization of the invisible—feelings and emotions—often around themes of sexuality and trauma.
