WORLD PREMIERE OF “CONJUNCTION” AT THE LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL
The animated short Conjunction by Marta Magnuska qualified to participate in the Pardi di Domani competition at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival. This is the first ever Polish short animated film screened in this competition. The film is produced by Animoon and co-produced by the Latvian studio Atom Art.
Conjunction is a 7-minute-long stop motion animated film. The film examines the relationship between two characters who live together. A woman and man are in the room, a gecko sits in the terarrium, several flies are circling around the lamp. Gradually, we notice more and more relationships and analogies between their actions and the observed elements, as the rhythm of their universes accelerates. The microcosms shown seem to rhythmically interact with each other and belong to a higher, cosmic order. “The structure of Conjunction is open to interpretation. I try to tell a story about the interactions between the characters using the means of expression provided by charcoal drawing, editing, and sound instead of traditional narration” – adds Marta Magnuska, the director.
The film is produced by Piotr Szczepanowicz and Grzegorz Wacławek, with Karolina Barciszewska as the line producer. The Animoon team has several award-winning short films to its credit, including ACID RAIN, nominated for the prestigious Annie Awards, and the Impossible Figures and Other Stories trilogy, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, among others. Films produced by Animoon have won more than 100 awards to date – and the studio has recently won the Cartoon Movie 2022 Tribute Producer of the Year award. Conjunction was made with the financial support of the Polish Film Institute and the National Film Centre of Latvia.
Pardi di Domani is a competitive section of the Locarno festival dedicated to short and medium-length films. It is a place for expressive experimentation and innovative and formal approaches. Conjunction by Marta Magnuska is the first Polish animated film presented in the competition held since 1991. The 75th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will be held on 3–13 August 2022.
Marta Magnuska lives and works in Berlin. She's an animator, director, and illustrator. Marta graduated in editorial design and illustration from the Faculty of Graphics and Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź and from the Łódź Film School. Her earlier shorts, Foreign Body and The Other were screened at the most prestigious festivals in the world, including Cannes, Annecy IAFF, and Clermont Ferrand ISFF.