Animist Tallinn—International Animation Festival
Text Stewart Johnson Photo Andrei Chertkov
If you have ever wondered about how easy or difficult it is to create animation, you can get all your answers at this multiday festival. From puppetry to cartoons, illustration to the very concept that creates it all, the Animist Tallinn International Animation Festival presents every step of the process, including behind the scenes. Behind the scenes? Wouldn’t everything that isn’t on the screen be behind the scene? We mean behind even that scene, in the minds of animators themselves.
Essentially a five-day festival of short, animated films, Animist Tallinn offers audiences an incredibly diverse, and very international, selection of entries. Many are competing for awards, many just want you to watch them. Topics and themes covered range from humor and comedy to drama and existentialism. Why are we here? Are animations more than just shadows of ourselves on a screen? Are our lives unscripted?
There will also be talks and lectures by various individuals. The second day of Animist Tallinn will feature a talk by Dr. Michael Atkins on how animation reflects the way we present ourselves to each other. The third day will see Lea Vidakovich talking about how space in puppetry expands so much farther than what you actually see. The final day will have a discussion with Bryan Parcival from the Rhode Island School of Design, whose graduates are responsible for well-known animations such as “The Last Airbender”, and “Family Guy”.
Tickets can be purchased here for individual film showings and talks, or festival passes can be purchased here. All films will be shown in their original languages, with English subtitles. Animist Tallinn will take place at Artis, and the Estonian Academy of Arts.
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