THE SUCCESSES OF POLISH ANIMATED FILM-MAKERS AT THE FESTIVAL BALKANIMA!

Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi and Marta Pajek won awards at the festival in Serbia, which has just ended.

Balkanima is a European Animated Film Festival, which is held annually in Belgrade. Animated films from all over Europe are presented at the festival. In the main competition of this year's edition of the festival, two Polish animated films were awarded: "Locus" by Anita Kwiatkowska Naqvi and "Impossible Figures and Other Stories II" by Marta Pajek.

The animated film "Locus" won the Grand Prix at the festival. The film - produced by WJ Team-  contains many meanings of the eponymous word "locus." It is both a term defining two separate spaces, in which the child and the mother who travels to meet him are located, and the reference to genetic relationship between them. The protagonists, sculpted in ice, ask also about "locus of control," that is, who is responsible for the events in the film: the woman herself, or "the others," totally unaware of the fact.

Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi graduated from psychology at the University of Warsaw and animation at Lodz Film School. In her films, she experiments with traditional animation techniques, creating tiny intimate worlds.  In addition to directing animated films, she works in compositing and special effects.

The winner of the special mention, "Impossible Figures and Other Stories II," directed by Marta Pajek, is the second part of the triptych based on the idea of impossible figures, that is, figures which can be drawn, but whose existence in reality is impossible. The animated series by the author is a statement on the role of women defined in three dimensions - starting from the most intimate one - such as home and family to the wider social context. The third part of the triptych "Impossible Figures and Other Stories" with the working title "Strip-tease" was given production props from Polish Film Institute. The production starts in autumn. The producer of the triptych by Marta Pajek is the animated film studio Animoon from Warsaw. 

Marta Pajek is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, where she completed her studies at Jerzy Kucia's Animated Film Studio. Her films, among others, "Next Door" and "Sleepincord" were shown at numerous festivals in Poland and abroad. Her works were also exhibited in contemporary art galleries.

You can read more information on the organiser's website.