Over 32,000 Attendees for Animac 2024, Dates for 2025 Edition Revealed
Short Summary:
Animac 2024 saw over 32,000 in-person and online attendees, showcasing 179 films. The 29th edition is scheduled for February 20-23, 2025, in Lleida, with film submissions open from June 10 to October 25, 2024. The festival emphasized diversity, featuring numerous premieres and substantial participation from animation schools.
The International Animated Film Festival of Catalonia, Animac, concluded its 28th edition with remarkable success, attracting 32,737 spectators. This year's festival, held in Lleida and online, saw 30,020 in-person attendees and 2,717 online views through the Filmin platform. The festival ran from February 15 to 18 in Lleida and offered online content from February 22 to March 3. This attendance marks an increase of 5,392 viewers from the previous year.
The 2024 edition, focusing on diversity, featured 179 films, including 8 feature films, 4 medium-length films, and 167 short films. Highlights included 5 world premieres, 58 Spanish premieres, 32 Catalonian premieres, and 2 international premieres. Animac received submissions from fifty countries, totaling 562 films, with 231 from animation schools worldwide, representing 41.1% of the total submissions.
Additionally, the festival's educational component, Animac Campus, saw participation from 725 individuals, nearly 100 more than the year before, drawing from 20 animation schools and universities across Aragon, Madrid, the Valencian Community, and Catalonia. Professional accreditation was granted to 52 industry professionals.
The festival also had a significant educational impact, with 8,903 students from Lleida and surrounding areas attending screenings at La Llotja and CaixaForum. Social media engagement remained strong, with around 22,000 followers across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok, the latter being a new addition this year. The Animac website attracted nearly 12,000 visits between February 5 and 18.
The Audience Award winners for this edition included "La gran cita de Conej" (Spain) by Pablo Río in the Future Talent category, "El gato Tabby" (Tabby McTat) (United Kingdom) by Jac Hamman and Sarah Scrimgeour in the Small Animac category, and "Drijf" (Belgium) by Levi Stoops in the Shorts category.
Looking ahead, the 29th edition of Animac is scheduled to take place in Lleida from February 20 to 23, 2025. The upcoming edition promises to continue showcasing the best in animated cinema, featuring monographic sessions, retrospectives, a curated selection of shorts and feature films, conferences, and masterclasses suited for all audiences. The submission period for the 2025 festival will open from June 10 to October 25, 2024, inviting filmmakers worldwide to participate in this celebrated event.