This niche presents the graduation and exam films students of one of the most exciting Hungarian animation workshop of the 2010/11 term made. The films remain on the KINO programme even after KISKAKAS ends.

All the exam films are unique utilising diverse animation techniques from puppetoons to cartoons. Although the creators often worked on identical themes, still every short film is a stimulating production in quest of its own path ahead, not to mention the whole range of the animated spot series of KAFF 2011, which is on show at the festival.

Applying the diverse display techniques of the animation genre, the graduation films by MOME Anim showcase absurd short films, video clips, pilot episodes of TV series, designs and characters for feature films. Talking boots, suicidal deer, two detectives from a post-utopistic future, urban bike feeling and garage sup-up Hollywood.

There’s one thing in common in these works: the creators are ready to take on the world of animation, have stocked up reserves and we’ll be hearing of them!

Vibrant and lively presentations and stage debates provide the framework for young animators from MOME and film students from ELTE to show the audience what it’s like when theory and practice meet, and what the “thinkers” and “actors” of the same genre may learn from each other.

ELTE representatives are: Zsóka Berta, Miklós Gerdelics, Anna Mohácsi and Lilla Puskás.

MOME represented by: Nándor Bera, András Szabó, Bella Szederkényi and the Ervin B. Nagy – Márton Kovács – Márton Nagy creative group.

The ASF education programme was launched in 2008 in the partnership of four acclaimed European animation workshops. The goal of the animation production workshop run by the four participating universities – Gobelins, Paris, Filmakademie Baden- Württemberg, Germany, The Animation Workshop, Denmark and MOME, Hungary – is to help young career-starter animators.

The four universities have different profiles, albeit all of them are leaders of animation education in their respective countries. Gobelins l’école de l’image provides the best known training in character animation in Europe merging traditions with the potential in digital animation methods. Filmakademie was established to school animation producers, CGI designers, technical directors, and the academy is the home for the most advanced motion picture innovations. The Animation Workshop is the number one animation school in the Nordic region, where the lecturers are the most prestigious personalities of the international animation scene every year. The ASF compilation offers a collection of the 2011 works of the three institutions.

Animation flourished in Central European countries – including Poland – in the years before the regime change. A multitude of studios and training workshops, festivals, globally recognized animation series, Oscar Awards and myriad animated short films integrating the most exciting values of Polish fine arts represented the heyday of Polish animation. The transforming subsidy structure in the 90s brought about search for new directions and existential problems, but Polish animation has apparently survived the crisis. Y2K brought the onset of a new era and the new generation of Polish artist can manage the new conditions without difficulty and can effortlessly combine traditions with new challenges. They seem to know something, which we should also mark, because both popular genres and artistic productions find their audience, because tradition and the creative approach to technology are not in conflict.

Contemporary Polish animation is introduced in two screenings during the KISKAKAS 4 festival. Tomek Ducki collects the latest productions of recent years and the animation department of the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts headed by Jerzy Kucia – the most prestigious institution for Polish animation – is introduced at the festival. Presentations, discussing the recent issues over Polish animation in a symposium manner, will precede the screenings.