4 years ago

Veton Kasapolli: This year, Anibar-online brings a good amount of interesting content

The city, I believe is aware that the festival is happening. The promotions that the festival is doing, the various advertisements, and billboards can be seen in different public spaces. However, I think that the atmosphere that the physical festival creates is missing, but everything is understandable. People maybe did not expect that the festival was going to be held physically, so I think this new reality is acceptable.

  1. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of the online festival?

This I think depends on the audience that you are asking this question to, since there are people who are used to seeing content online and do not follow a lot of events or a lot of television. So the switching to online content, to some people including me, is not a new and extraordinary thing because online streaming is an everyday activity for me, something that I do for years with cultural content and information. It is only a new platform that Anibar is providing online where the content is grouped by categories in the same website, a platform where the there is a battle of trying to decide which content to watch, the same dilemma we face when we scroll through Netflix or Amazon prime, or any other online streaming platform where you do not know what to watch first. More or less, we are facing a similar challenge when we log into Anibar Online because there are a lot of interesting content. In general it is not a novelty for me to watch online content, but it is a novelty for me to be the audience of a festival online, a novelty that is pleasant and that I like.

  1. What is the thing that you have liked the most during this 11th edition of the festival?

Every year the content of Anibar is different and focuses on some highlights that make the festival interesting and I like the organizing a lot. The way that the sections are divided, and also the way you find yourself in the middle of the discussions, forums, that double the content because they are talking a lot about what you can find in animation also. It is visible that a lot of work has been dedicated to the part of forums. I think that it holds a good basis to see that there is a lot of vibrancy behind a festival, although not physical, there is virtual vibrancy.

  1. What do you miss the most from the previous editions compared to the online edition of this year?

The good thing about each festival is that it gets people together. Those people get together for a bunch of reasons, each one of them has a personal one. I remember in the previous years when a large group of people came, you could understand what somebody is doing in another country, in another cultural activity, another political activity, an acitivism which is translated in animation. This is it, the lack of exchange of experiences and ideas, which is best lived during a festival. This is definitely the spirit that the festival is lacking. Other than that, the afterparties as well, it is known that those are what best strengthen friendships, and they are also the place where many cultural and artistic projects arise. Starting from the common cultural interest, to making it a personal fun experience where many collaborations are made, many ideas are born to work again for the audience in the upcoming years.

  1. Can you share with us your favorite films of this year?

I would like to point out “Zero Impunity” which I saw yesterday, it was so powerful. For this particular reason I listened to the discussion in the forum yesterday, why was animation used, how can many people portray themselves in animation much easier than in real characters. In this sense, the connection between the animation and the topic was deeply interesting and really makes you think what you can do through animation, also confirms how animation is not only for lighter topics. On the other side, I chose to see some films with my young son, I really enjoyed seeing the films related to lighter topics as well. This way, a good combination between the content for adults and children is made.

  1. How would you prefer the 12th edition of Anibar to be?

I would definitely continue practicing this way of publishing all films at once. This is a Netflix style, where you publish the whole season of series at the same time. This gives people the opportunity to follow the films the way they prefer; somebody wants to see them not necessarily at the cinema, they want to take it with them, and stay informed. I would absolutely make a combination of the online format with the traditional screenings, and I would perhaps communicate more with the audience; I would send them personalized content of the material, of the films and ask them what they are interested in, in order to organize the content and make it customized for that particular audience. Such a combination of the online and the traditional has been confirmed to continue being a part of us, whether we want it or not.

Related