Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 9, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The competition impresses with a highly exciting blend of imaginative stories and a willingness to experiment. In 2009, DOK Leipzig’s supporting programme for animated film will once again highlight new trends and innovations, stimulate discussions between filmmakers and audiences, and provide interested visitors with an overview of the current state of artistic animated film.
Extract from the 2009 Animated Film Programme
Competition – Special Programmes – Retrospective – Discussions
The selection for the animated film programme will once again highlight new trends and innovations in 2009, stimulate discussions between filmmakers and audiences, and provide interested visitors with an overview of the current state of artistic animated film. Alongside some new names, many renowned directors are represented, including Signe Baumane, Nick
Park, Andy Glynne, Cordell Barker, Vladimir Lesciov, Alex Budovsky and Gil Alkabetz.
New discoveries in Leipzig include Rischat Gilmetdinow and Cristiano Mourato. As in previous years, France, Great Britain, Canada and Russia in particular are again visiting DOK Leipzig with high-quality and interesting films. The increased presence of US films is striking. The independent scene there, especially in New York,
delights with cheeky, unusual and provocative films. Equally remarkable is the quality of the Russian films, especially those from smaller studios, which must secure their survival despite the uncertain economic situation and ever more cuts. Alongside the well-known Golden and Silver Dove, the award for Best German Animated Film, sponsored by Saturn Leipzig, will be presented for the second time in 2009.
International Animation Competition
From around 600 submissions from 53 countries and approximately 1,200 additional animated films viewed, 36 films from 16 countries made it into the four programmes of the International Competition.
As always, they present the best and most innovative works of artistic animated film. The experimental DER DA VINCI TIMECODE by Gil Alkabetz works with the painting of the Last Supper and develops a new interpretation of the image through rhythmic re-editing of individual image details. NEVER DRIVE A CAR WHEN YOU ARE DEAD by Gregor Dashuber is a declaration of love for Berlin: its characters, punks, sick people and freaks. In PLEASE SAY SOMETHING, David OReilly tells the not entirely simple love story between a cat and a mouse in a cold, synthetic masterpiece of computer design. Black humour is guaranteed by Cordell Barker’s film RUNAWAY, in which an initially leisurely train journey escalates into a fight for sheer survival. Or there is the dreamlike GOSHKA’S TALE, in which Dimitri Naumov tells the enchanting story of a night somewhere out in nature. Then there is also the new WALLACE & GROMIT – A MATTER OF LAOF AND DEATH, simply brilliant…
ANIMA TALK: Discussion with attending filmmakers about the competition films shown the previous day.
Daily Wednesday to Saturday from 15:30 in the smoking lounge of Restaurant Telegraph.