9½th IAFF Animocje 2020

Tentacles before obstacles!  

Blimey, what a time! The pandemic that we are facing since spring (yes, SPRING, the beautiful one that we should enjoy…), cut almost all festivals down. Anyway: almost. We, too, have already accepted the fact that we will not play for you this year. It did not come lightly. No, sir! We even fell sick a little, although it may not be the happiest term at the moment.

Anyway, drowning in sadness, we were already past the fact that this year there is no place for the 10th, jubilee edition of Animocje. We have already put our energy into programming and production of next year's edition when she, Barbara, burst into our office. She popped in and, waving all eight tentacles, she bluntly made us feel that she did not agree to it. That okay, maybe not the tenth, and certainly not in April, but Animocje have to be held this year, and that's it. After all, she promised it in her election spot, and once given promises cannot be broken. Because - maybe you don't know about it - Barbara is a vegetarian, so votive sausage is not her style.

What could we do? This issue is beyond discussing. "You are right Barbara!" - we shouted chorally, punching eight high fives with her simultaneously. Let's do it! Let's do Animocje 9.5. Let us show that we did not lay down our arms, that for our people we are able to face even viruses. So, armed with masks and bottles with disinfectant liquid, we rolled up our sleeves and set to work. True, time was short, but this is not our first time. Yes, we are deadline champions.

We started from the date: The International Animation Day is the right moment to provide you with some animated emotions. And although we have been celebrating it for years, this time we decided to do it with the bang. Yes, we will not be able to show everything we want, but we must not let this year's competition films become covered with a web of oblivion. And how many beautiful, new, full-length films are waiting for its audience. And children? What about the kids??? After all, they are waiting for their news, too. No, we couldn't let them down!

And so, from word to word, from telephone to telephone, from tentacle to tentacle, we set the date: October 28-31 for competition screenings and full-length films for adults, and October 25 for the children's annex. Write these dates down in your calendars today and come (safe) to the Orzeł Cinema for an unusual meeting with animation, which - we want to believe - you need this year even more than usual.

And remember: Your presence matters.