Fredrikstad Animation Festival is the oldest and largest of its kind in the Nordic region, dating back to 1994 and the festival Animerte Dager in Oslo, Norway. The annual festival will take place from 21 to 24 October 2021in the town of Fredrikstad, outside of Oslo.
One of the cornerstones of the festival is the Nordic-Baltic animated short film competition, with the awarding of the prize known as the Golden Gunnar. Fredrikstad Animation Festival is also one of the nine animation film festivals that nominate films for the prestigious European animation award Cartoon d’Or. The festival is a professional arena for the animation industry as well as being an important event for students of and educational institutions within animation, graphic design and digital media production. Each year, top animation industry professionals hold seminars and lectures, and the festival has previously hosted guests from famous studios such as Pixar, Disney and Aardman.
Masterclasses are back for 2021. A total of 135 films, 24 speakers, and 20 events and seminars will be presented to the visitors of this year´s festival. There is something to look forward to for everyone!
The master class of the Fredrikstad Animation Festival showcases three creative professionals who have excelled in various ways in the animation, design and film industries. On Friday 22 October, Hey Duggie creator Grant Orchard will give the audience an insight into how he came up with the idea, design and premise of the series. Brazilian artist Bee Grandinetti is an award-winning animator, designer and director and will focus in her master class on developing projects and sharing her experiences from working with the professional part of the industry. The series of seminars is rounded off by multimedia artist Uri Kranot, who talks about how he and his partner Michelle Kranot develop their award-winning films for various platforms such as short films, VR and installations.
More information about the program and the artists can be found here.
The festival will take place in various venues in the center of Fredrikstad. The municipal cinema of Fredrikstad is the main festival venue, where most of the screenings and seminars take place. The cinema is a multiplex cinema with six screens, equipped with the most advanced cinema technology. It has been awarded Norwegian Cinema of the year several times. TÆPS is a popular local bar in the centre of Fredrikstad. It’s a great place to grab a drink or burger throughout the festival. The library opened on 28 January, 1926. It has since been a cultural hub as a public library, exhibition space and concert hall. The “VR Exhibited” programme will be available for festival attendees and the library will also host the Character Workshop. Gamlebyen, a well-preserved and vibrant fortress town, is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. The Gamlebyen Kulturhus was established in the summer of 2014 and consists of a hall with a stage and café. Just a short free ferry ride from the town centre.
If you want to join the festival virtually from home click here to find more information.
