Third Edition of Rise & Shine Animation Lab to Kick Off in Croatia
The third edition of the Rise & Shine Animation development and pitching lab is set to commence, showcasing young talents and their short films in a two-part workshop. This event is organized through a collaboration between Animafest Zagreb, Animateka IAFF, and CEE Animation. Designed to support short films in development, the workshop offers participants the chance to refine their skills under the guidance of seasoned industry professionals, network with fellow animators, and present their projects to an international professional audience connected to both festivals.
The first part of the workshop will take place during Animafest Zagreb from June 5 to 8, 2024. Participants will benefit from a comprehensive program that includes lectures, individual and group sessions led by experienced animation professionals. This segment will emphasize the narrative aspect of the projects, with notable mentors Pedro Rivero and Michaël Dudok de Wit providing specialized guidance.
The second part will be hosted at Animateka IAFF in Ljubljana from December 4 to 8, 2024. Here, selected teams will focus on honing their pitching skills and presentation techniques, with mentorship from Anna Vášová. Jelena Popović will join this phase to offer insights as a creative producer. Additionally, the participants will engage in a live pitching presentation, with the winning project(s) gaining direct entry to the pitching competition at the CEE Animation Forum 2025.
This year, Rise & Shine attracted a record number of 45 applications from around the globe, out of which 11 outstanding projects were selected to participate. Matea Milić and Saša Bach from the Rise and Shine organizing team expressed their excitement about the program's growth: “We are extremely happy that, together with our friends from Animateka, we have had the opportunity to organize this wonderful program for the third year in a row. Fantastic mentors, excellent projects, and the progress they show, but above all, the incredible positive energy and mutual support provided by the workshop participants are the reasons why it is a great joy and privilege to provide a platform for their professional development.”
The selected projects for Rise and Shine 2024 include:
- Ant, directed and produced by Jonatan Schwenk, Germany
- Countergrowth, directed by Mackenzie Fincham, produced by Peter Lindhout, Spotted Bird, Netherlands
- Foolish Fish Fable, directed by Yiyang Sun and Lei Chia Hui, Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia
- Hungry Heart, directed by Nikolina Žabčić, produced by Andrijana Vidaček, Zagreb Film, Croatia
- Margareth, directed by Vivien Hárshegyi, produced by Bella Szederkényi, CUB Animation, Hungary
- Mrs. Monster, directed by Sofiya Kruglikova, produced by Maja Zupanc, Invida, Slovenia
- Of Words and Waves, directed by Valène De Valck, produced by Bastien Martin, Camera-etc, Belgium
- Telegrams to the Tree, directed by Julia Benedyktowicz, produced by Dominika Krysiewicz, Animoon, Poland
- The Dog, directed by Mariia Ozirna, produced by Oleg Nosov, Bosonfilm, Ukraine
- The Molepire, directed by Marek Čermák, produced by Karolína Fránková, Films & Chips, Czech Republic
- The Shoebox, directed by Cristina Pîrvu, produced by Helga Fodorean and Susana António, Safe Frame/COLA Animation, Romania/Portugal
For more information about the selected projects, visit the CEE Animation website.
Rise & Shine is financially supported by several esteemed organizations, including the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, City of Zagreb, Zagreb Tourist Board, Croatian Directors´ Guild, Acción Cultural Española, AC/E, Animateka International Animated Film Festival, Slovene Animated Film Association - DSAF, Czech Film Fund, Audiovisual Producers´ Association, and the Ministry of Culture Czech Republic.