“Time flies, doesn’t it?” – Anibar celebrates the end of its 15th edition with a grand ceremony in Peja Park announcing this year’s winners

This magnificent event marked the end of an intense week of the international festival.
The International Animated Film Festival, Anibar 2024, concluded its 15th edition with a grand closing ceremony held at Kino Liqeni in Karagaq Park, Peja. The event celebrated the festival’s achievements and announced this year’s competition winners.

This magnificent event marked the end of an intense week of the international festival, which, in addition to films and animation competitions, included various activities such as workshops, discussion panels, and after-parties.

Zana Berisha, the host of the closing evening, emphasized the significance of this edition and the emotions experienced during the festival. “Time flies, doesn’t it?!” she began with great enthusiasm, greeting all attendees and thanking them for their participation and support throughout the week.

She mentioned how the festival had brought together animation film enthusiasts who had attended presentations, competitions, workshops, and discussions, dancing and celebrating every night. Zana summarized the festival’s experiences and achievements, highlighting that participants had the opportunity to learn and enjoy, gaining new insights into the world of animation.

She also praised the young talents who participated in this year’s workshops and introduced the films created by the participants. “Wow, you’ve learned so much…” she said with a laugh at one point, encouraging everyone to continue with their passion for animation.

The closing ceremony continued by presenting the films of the seventh generation of the Animation Academy, who had worked for nine months under the guidance of Flaka Kokolli, Edvin Susuri, and Ari Zharku. She described it as a great pleasure to see the forms animation is taking through these talented students.

The evening proceeded with the award announcements, where 119 films in 6 competitions were evaluated by 4 juries. The Youth Jury awarded the prize for the best film for young people, while the Human Rights Film Competition reminded everyone that art is resistance, opposition, rebellion, and a call for empathy.

Supporting and gathering animators and animation enthusiasts has been a main goal of the Anibar Festival since its inception. This year, with the help of the Kosovo Cinematography Center and Toon Boom, Anibar awarded three prizes to three young animators, hoping this would help them develop their ideas.

Winners were announced in the student and pitch competitions, while the audience’s favorite film was declared “Our Uniform” by Yegane Moghaddam. Zana concluded the ceremony by thanking everyone who made this edition possible, including the staff, volunteers, supporters, audience, guests, and other followers.

List of Winners:

International Competition

International Winner: Zima by Tomek Popakul and Kasumi Ozeki

Young people seek freedom while experiencing a conflict of expectations from the older generations. Using animals as metaphors to hold onto cruel traditions, they also desire a different life.

Student Competition

Student Special Mention: Adios

This film presents an unexpected change in the relationship between father and son with focused accuracy. While the distance between them has grown over the years, the young man is finally leaving the place where he grew up. Their farewell hunt does not go as planned. The story offers a gentle depiction of the changing bond and masculinity.

Student Winner: BunnyHood

The editing, sound design, and visual aesthetics are created in a refreshingly punk way. The main character’s perception of her surroundings feels like an endless fever dream. She is not only losing control of her body, but Bobby is also losing faith in her mother.

Balkan Competition

Balkan Winner: The Family Portrait by Lea Vidakovic

A portrait of a declining society, the fall of a dark empire, the emptiness of the upper class, the absence of love, a broken family, division, and misery, decisions leading to social disasters only for power and money.

Animated Music Video Competition

Music Video Special Mention: Stop the Music by Weronika Anna Marianna

Special Mention goes to a unique visual piece that connected our heartbeat to the music and left us with a sweet taste when the music stopped.

Animated Music Video Winner: Illusion by Jin Woo

A music video that presents its mesmerizing audiovisual composition as a whole. In a fluid universe, nothing is certain; everything can be true, but it can also be an illusion.

Human Rights Competition

Human Rights Special Mention: Kissing Day

How do you express love? A touch? A kiss? But what if you risked your life when you kissed? A brave team has created a disturbing and informative story about LGBTQI+ activism in Russia that left us uneasy.

Human Rights Winner: Chicken by Anna Benner

A film that not only destroys the patriarchy but also calls for burning it down. From the catharsis of fire comes an extraordinary tale. For its unique visual approach that manages to depict violence in a delicate way, the Human Rights Award goes to “Chicken.”

Young Audience Competition

Young Audience Special Mention: Hoofs on Skates by Ignas Meilūnas

This charming and beautiful animation tells us about the value of friendships and the courage to overcome fears. Through storytelling, it shows in a funny and creative way that we can make a long lasting relationship by putting our judgments aside.

Young Audience Winner: Out There by Evgeniy Golovin and Alexander Afonasyev

In this short animated film, we follow the journey of a young boy who navigates the complexities of forming friendships. Despite his kind heart and vibrant imagination, he finds it challenging to connect with the others in the ways they expect. This story dives into the unique perspective of a child who sees the world differently, emphasizing the importance of empathy, understanding and the beauty of diversity in human connections.