Podpora Animateki

To whom it may concern — drastic cut of support for Animateka Festival
We, M.S. Bastian / Isabelle L. have been invited to Animateka-Festival as artist-in-residence in 2005. In our career as international working artist, the Animateka-Festival Project was a very important landmark. We have been and still are very impressed by the team that managed Animateka - how much energy and manpower was put in this festival with a small budget (even at that time).
Their energy and motivation was also a reason for us to come, and I am sure i'm speaking for many other artists too, who are working all over the world to come to you, to Slovenia. The Animateka-Festival is well known in Switzerland.
And with Animateka-Festival your country became even better known in Switzerland. We know from many other friends who made even holidays in your country in combination with the Animateka-Festival. As you know, Switzerland is a very important economic partner of Slovenia (if we have the right information, Novartis is one of the biggest foreign employer in Slovenia). When we had our exhibition, Switzerland, especially the Swiss embassy in Ljubljana made also a financial support for our project. It was helpful for such kind of cultural projects in your country. It was a great respect as well for the work done by everyone at Animateka Festival.
Don't cut money support when a project is growing so fast and strong like Animateka Festival!
The money invested in Animateka festival is best public relation. Image campaigns by advertising agencies are much more expensive and less effective!
Let me tell you this: Animateka Festival is too good to let the Festival die!!!
Best regards from Switzerland,
M.S. Bastian / Isabelle L.
 
Dear Director of Slovene Film Fund
Dear Minister of Culture of Slovenia,
As the Hungarian member of the Association International du Film d' Animation (ASIFA) and as an animation director I hope the Slovenian government to reconsider their decision to cut funding for the ANIMATEKA International Animation Festival.
The Hungarian community of animation respects so much the efforts of the ANIMATIKA organizers.
Animateka is one of the best international animation festival in Eastern Europe, and well known in all of our Hungarian animation studios. In every year many animation professionals and students from our country could attend the festival, and the lovely city, Ljubljana. The collaboration between our neighbouring countries is very important in the development of our region, and my definite opinion is, that ANIMATEKA did it's best for this in every year.
On behalf of ASIFA-Hungary, I would like to ask for your kind consideration and cooperation to ANIMATEKA.
Best regards,
Tamás Patrovits
director of animation
Studio Reanimation
President of ASIFA-Hungary
President of Professsional and Interest Association of Hungarian Makers odf ANimated Films
Novus Art School

SUPPORT TO ANIMATEKA FILM FESTIVAL
FROM: 25 FPS - INTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
ZAGREB, CROATIA
Animateka is one of the few exceptional European film festivals which has established its profile as a professional and relevant film manifestation in only 4 editions. It is also one of the rare festivals professionally dedicated to animated film, especially in this part of the Europe, which makes it an important place for all the curators, programmers, authors, professionals and film lovers.
All the festival organizers who are dealing with "non-commercial" short films know how much work, effort and love needs to be invested in an organization of a professional festival: producing the materials, catalogues, translations, dealing with expensive priority post services, inviting relevant guests, organizing the projections, people, hotels.... It's all done on a volunteer bases (as for the paychecks for the organizers of such an event!) but there are some things which if not funded are lowering the quality of the festival and make it impossible to obtain a level of professionalism.
In that case and in such conditions it is impossible to grow and develop as a relevant film manifestation in a "world film festival market" which is oversaturated with bad festivals. Animateka already has a reputation of a professional festival, and lowering the standards would be a move of catastrophic proportions.
That's why the decision of The Slovene Film Fund — to drastically cut the support and reduce it for 16,500 euros!!! — will echo in the European festival community as the worst possible measure. As a measure of politics which can't recognize its important cultural priorities and which is not rewarding quality but punishes the efforts by cutting the funding.
Appalled and revolted by this decision, we are completely supporting Animateka and wish that there is a way to obtain a level of cultural dialogue between the ruling structures and cultural professionals who are successfully doing their job to make Animateka one of the few relevant animated film festivals in Europe.
With regards,
25 FPS
 
Tokyo, May 24, 2008
Dear Director of Slovene Film Fund,
Dear Minister of Culture of Slovenia,
I am writing on behalf of Association Internationale du Film d'Animation (ASIFA) to support ANIMATEKA International Animation Film Festival, held in Ljubljana.
As you may know, animation art is recognized as one of the most essential media in the latest computer age today, and it has become an international trend that, in many different countries, the Ministry of Culture as well as the Ministry of Industry started to support animation art energetically.
Under such context, ANIMATEKA International Animation Film Festival has been serving as a very important manifestation, dedicating to activate and develop animation art, not only of your Country, but also internationally. We also acknowledge that the existence of ANIMATEKA is essential for raising young talented animation artists worldwide, and thus, ASIFA supports this Festival to be held continuously in future.
We sincerely hope that ANIMATEKA will receive more and more financial support so that this invaluable Festival will be able to contribute more for our animation field.
We ASIFA, affiliated with UNESCO, is the only non-profit international association of professional animation people, established in 1960, and today, our members are composed of about 40 National/Regional Groups and about 4,000 important animation people from all over the world.
On behalf of ASIFA, I would like to ask for your kind consideration and continued cooperation to ANIMATEKA.
Sincerely yours,

Sayoko Kinoshita
President of ASIFA
President of ASIFA-Japan
Founder and Festival Director of HIROSHIMA International Animation Festival
President of Studio Lotus, Inc. /International Animation Library (IAL)
Special Advisor to Japan Society for Animation Studies (JSAS)
 
Dear Director of the Slovenian Film Fund and Director for Media at the Ministry of Culture
Mr. Igor Prodnik
Dear Minister of Culture Mr. Dr. Vasko Simoniti !
Dear Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Mr. Janez Janša !
My name is Thomas Renoldner, I am an international animation specialist (member of ASIFA - Association International du Film d'Animation since 1992), and Teacher for Animation at the Vienna Academy for Fine Arts, the Vienna Art School and the Vienna School for Audio Engineering.
Since twenty years I am also active as filmmaker and theorist in the field of animated films.
Since the International Animated Film Festival ANIMATEKAFESTIVAL was founded, I am a collaborator, supporter and guest of the festival, and that for several reasons:

- The Festival offers one of the most interesting Film Selections among the European and International Animated Film Festivals.
Instead of travelling to the world 'most famous' animation festival in  Annecy, (where I also have to pay a lot for travel and hotel) I prefer to visit Ljubljana, because I can expect to see a high-profiled programme of international films and because I can expect to meet some of the most fascinating international filmmakers in person.
I prefer the comfortable and friendly atmosphere of the festival to a crowdy and stressful big event.
- The unique concept of the Festival concerning the Selection for the European Competition, namely to focus on the production from Central and East Europe is another outstanding and clever characteristic of the festival. In my opinion all the European Countries from the outspoken region, who already had the benefit of being specially promoted by ANIMATEKAFESTIVAL, will expect that this fruitful tradition will be continued and improved.
- Also in the spirit of the European Union, namely to integrate the new EU countries, Animateka-festival plays, at least when film production is concerned, an important and positive role.
- Finally, the partnership between Slovenia and Austria was always strengthened by ANIMATEKA FESTIVAL, and the Kinodvor always was a good showcase for the actual Austrian animation production, as we could be sure to find an interested and well-informed audience.
So, as only very positive things can be said about ANIMATEKAFESTIVAL, I trust that you will do your best to demonstrate the international animation scene, that Slovenia wants to continue and expand its important role in supporting contemporary film production.
I would be most thankful, because I would like to continue visiting a well-organised animation festival, a few hours from my hometown Vienna, where nothing comparable exists.
Best regards
Mag. Thomas Renoldner
ASIFA Board Member
 
Dear Igor and the Animateka team,
Having participated as guests at Animateka we have really enjoyed the richness and the quality of the festival program and really admired the acclaim your festival has gained throughout the international animation community in only 4 years of its existance.
Being festival organizers ourselvs, we surely know how much work, enthousiasm and professional knowledge you have to invest for such an admirable result.
We are also aware how "an abrupt decrease in the budget might endanger not only further festival development but also its very existance. Unreasonable, not-planned financial cuts cannot be used as a relevant measure anywhere in the world (and especially Europe) where there is consistent, long-term film and festival policy which cares about the future of film, culture and cultural diversity.
We sincerly hope the situation will change for the better and that we'll be able to continue our collaboration in bringing the best of the animation world to our contries.
You have our full support.
  
Olinka Vištica, Vanja KaluÄ‘erčić, Dana Budisavljević
HULAHOP Film & Art Production
Producers of the World Festival of Animated Film - ANIMAFEST ZAGREB
 
Podpisani protestiram proti onemogocanju Mednarodnega festivala animiranega filma Animateka in pozivam ustrezna telesa odlocanja, zlasti pa Ministrstvo za kulturo RS, da omogocijo festivalu nadaljevanje izjemno uspesnega dela in izredno pomembnega poslanstva.
Rastko Mocnik, sociolog iz Ljubljane
 
podpora Animateki
 
Ali je moja hčerka ustvarila svojo zadnjo risanko pri sedmih letih???  
Upam, da ne. Animateka vsako leto uvaja otroke v medij, ki je v Sloveniji močno zapostavljen. Že samo zaradi te vloge je zadostno financiranje tega festivala nujno potrebno.
Irena Woelle
 
PROTEST FOR ANIMATEKA
Dear Sirs
With this letter I am joining all the people who understand an importance
of animation as one of the most universal international media.
ANIMATEKA international animation film festival, through years, has grown to be very important and one of the most loved gathering of animators from all around the world.
The decision of the Slovenian authorities to, instead of raising, cut finances to it
means either that they do not understand the position of Animateka and therefore Slovenia in the world culture, or they deliberately, for some strange reasons, want to send such a signal to the world.
I am sending this letter of protest with a hope that some solution to the problem might be found.
With respect and hope
Rastko Ciric
Animation film director
Professor of animation at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade
Leader of the Digital Art Group of the PhD interdisciplinary studies at the University of Arts, Belgrade
 
podpora
Podpiram mednarodni festival Animateka in obsojam novo brezumno in spolitizirano divjanje vodstva Filmskega sklada po slovenski kulturni pokrajini. Po treh letih bi počasi tudi že bil čas, da gospod Vasko Simoniti končno dojame svojo funkcijo, t.j. funkcijo ministra za kulturo in preneha s podpiranjem sistematičega uničevanja vsega, kar diši po filmu. V nasprotnem primeru bi bilo dostojanstveno, da javnosti in predvsem sebi prizna, da tej funkciji preprosto ni dorasel, in končno odstopi.
Jan Cvitkovič
 
When a festival closes its doors, it can be because several and different reasons, but this closing is always a failure, sometimes a failure of the organisation, but sometimes due to another reasons. I think that in these last five years, ANIMATEKA has won a well-deserved prestige between the professionals related to the animation, and it is not good for anybody the fact that this young but promising festival (it is already more than a promise: it is a splendid reality) could close its doors because a lack of funds. From here, I want to express my solidarity to the whole team of the festival and to wish that this sad new was only a stupid nightmare. Neither the organization, nor the filmmakers and, above all, the Slovenian audience deserve it.
I hope at last everything will be solved. With all my solidarity,
KIMUAK - Txema Muñoz
Euskadiko Filmategia-Filmoteca Vasca
Avda. Sancho el Sabio, 17 - trasera
20010 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain
Tel.: +34 943 115 511 / +34 639 775 104
Fax: +34 943 469 998

Absolutno podpiram festival Animateka in vaš upravičen revolt proti popolnoma nerazumni odločitvi FS RS, za katero se sicer bojim, da je še en korak na poti k uničenju vseh pozitivnih pojavov na področju kinematografije v zadnjem desetletju, ki niso po meri, okusu in pripadnosti sedanim "upraviteljem" tega področja.
Vseeno upam, da bo Animateka obstala in zdržala skozi to - upam, da zgolj - prehodno in nesrečno obdobje razgradnje slovenske kinematografije.
Zoran Pistotnik
 
podpora
Drage in dragi vsi, ki poganjate Animateko,
zaslužite si polno podporo za dosedanje delo. Animateka s Kino Otokom vnaša v Slovenijo veliko kreativnosti, svežine in pre potrebnega diskurza o filmski kulturi in umetnosti. Glede na kvaliteto in odprtost bi si seveda zaslužili dodatno in izdatno podporo Filmskega sklada in ostalih, kar jih pač še je, virov financiranja. V temačnih filmskih časih toliko bolj. Finančni razrez sklada je seveda žaljiv. Verjamem pa, da vam bo uspelo. Kar ne ubija - krepi.
Srečno Animateka!
Jedrt Jež Furlan

Spoštovani gospod Prassel!
Kot urednik Otroških in mladinskih programov TV Slovenija si že leta prizadevam obuditi in razviti umetnost animacije. Festival Animateka je postal pomemben člen za predstavitev, promocijo in premislek izvirne animacije pri nas, zato sem ogorčen nad potezo Filmskega sklada Slovenije. Upam, da bo odziv stroke in ljubiteljev animacije prisilil državne uradnike, da odločitev o drastičnem zmanjšanju sofinanciranja spremenijo.
Želim vam veliko uspeha in vas lepo pozdravljam
Milan Dekleva, Urednik OMP TVS
 

Animateka festival letter of protest

Mr. Janez Janša
Prime Minister
of the Republic of Slovenia
I am writing to express my concern about the situation of Animateka International Animation Film Festival. The Ljubljana-based animation film festival ANIMATEKA is one of the two international film festivals in Slovenia that received MEDIA support in 2007. The Slovene Film Fund decided to drastically cut their support for the 5th anniversary edition of the festival. Whereas last year the Film Fund co-financed the festival with an amount of 19.800 Euros, they have now decided to reduce their support to 3.250 Euros. This does not only mean a serious cut of Slovene public funding, this implies that Animateka has much smaller chances of obtaining the much needed European matching funds. Consequently the future of the festival is in serious danger.
Animateka is a festival that helps bring together people dealing with animation. The fact that this is a small festival is an advantage, for it lets it's participants get to know each other, and the contacts made during Animateka often result in international cooperation. The organization of the festival deserves a special mention and approval. Seldom can one find people who lead the festival, take care of screenings and guests with such commitment. Animateka has already established it's place in the worldwide calendar of film festivals in spite of the fact that it is a relatively new event. It has gained an indisputably good reputation among film directors worldwide. The results of a cultural work like this can usualy be seen after some years, the hard work of people organizing the festival is praiseworthy and deserves support.
The proposal of Slovenian Film Fund to so drastically cut its financial support overlooks, underestimates and denies the value and significance of the years-long work, endeavours and self-sacrifice of the Animateka festival team.
Therefore I respectfully ask that you do all that is necessary to reverse this unfair decision of the Slovene Film Fund.
Thank you very much in advance,
Sincerely,
Joanna Rusinek
independent animator

support Animateka animation film festival

Bucharest, 28th May 2008
Dear Sir,
  
I am addressing you in my quality of director of anim'est, the International Animation Film Festival of Bucharest, Romania, and as a representative of anim'est team, in order to support the Animateka International Animation Film Festival in Slovenia.
Animateka is one of the very few animation festivals in this part of Europe and it certainly promotes young directors and animators from Central and Eastern Europe. We believe that we are entitled to talk about it, because our country and our festival have been faced with a rather similar situation and we know how difficult it is for a young artist to get to be known and promoted abroad, without the necessary funds and especially the opportunities to show his work. We are strongly persuaded that the growing interest in animation in Central and Eastern Europe and the growing number of young animators having the possibility to continue their studies abroad are not mere coincidences.
Unfortunately enough, such an artistic manifestation needs funding and we say 'unfortunately' because, otherwise, the enthusiasm of Animateka organisers itself would be enough to make it move, to get people interested, to make artists come together and share ideas, to invite the audience of all ages come and see the movies. Fortunately enough, such a cultural manifestation does not need more funding than other artistic events which produce just as much joy and interest, benefits and cultural satisfaction.
One other important point one should not neglect is the fact that an animated festival addresses to all ages and what Animateka does, among so many other things, it contributes to cultivating the good taste in art of the young audience, as against the aggressive, commercial productions that the media generally promote on a large scale. Animateka is not a mere opportunity to show films on the big screen, it is a place of meeting, of exchanging ideas, a fruitful environment where the young Slovenian artists can meet great names and producers of the world animation, who can promote them abroad. And we should realistically admit that, in order to make this happen, money is needed, funds play a major role.
I am also addressing you as a European who has got to know Slovenia through this festival, thanks to the visit Animateka facilitated me last December. Yes, this animation festival is a messenger of your country abroad, yes, Ljubljana also means for me an animation film festival.
It is disappointing, if not simply outrageous, that the organisers of this festival have to fight against a public institution, instead of being able to work together to promote quality in art, as against commercial films. Here, we would also like to make a point on the support we have from the Romanian National Centre of Cinematography, who are now persuaded that this kind of festival deserves to be encouraged and supported and this is what we truly hope the Slovenian Fim Fund will do this year.
  
Sincerely,
Anim'est team
Mihai Mitrica

anim'est director

 
Spoštovani,

že vsa štiri leta tako ali drugače prisostvujem na festivalu Animateka. Rad bi izrazil vsakršno podporo, da se s festivalom nadaljuje.

Po mojem mnenju je to eden boljših festivalov pri nas, še posebaj pa je pomembna njegova vloga za razvoj animacije na slovenskem prostoru. Ta je bil še nedavno daleč za evropskimi državami; ne samo na področju izobraževanja, posledično se je še bolj kot to čutilo pomanjkanje slovenske produkcije kvalitetnih animacij. Se mi zdi, da je prav Animateka najbolj zaslužna za to, da je ponovno opomnila na to področje pri nas, povezala je enako misleče in s povezavo z svetovnimi animatorji vzpodbudila ustvarjanje animiranega filma.

Če se vrnem k izobrazbi, je veliko sodelovala s privatno šolo Famul Stuart ter privabljala akademike, in s tem že od prvega festivala še dodatno opominja na ustanovitev kvalitetne šole za animacijo. Na ta način bodo nedvomno talentirani animatorji lažje ostajali doma, začetniki pa bodo dobili možnost razvoja svojih potencialov.

V celoti podpiram nadaljevanje festivala in poudarjam nujnost njegovega obstanka.

Sam sem študent tretjega letnika oblikovanja na ALUO. V primeru, da vam bo šlo za nohte, se lahko povežete z nami. Brez dvoma nas je na akademiji veliko, ki nam festival veliko pomeni. Poleg tega pa bi moral kdo, če ne mi, poznati poceni, dobro in učinkovito oblikovanje ter oglaševanje. Toliko, da veste, da smo vam na voljo, ko se boste spopadali z obstojem festivala.

V upanju, da bom pozimi spet lahko obiskal festival, vas lepo pozdravljam,
Timon Leder

13th EDITION — GENZANO DI ROMA, ITALY
26 -30 November 2008

Genzano di Roma, 29 May 2008
To: Slovenian Film Fund

We were shocked and dismayed to learn about the severe funding difficulties that Animateka Festival is currently facing.
Since it began over four years ago, we have been able to observe the evolution of Animateka as a key festival of animated film in South-Eastern Europe, the importance of which is increasingly acknowledged all over Europe and in the rest of the world.
I Castelli Animati and Animateka FestivaIs have had a formal collaboration agreement since Animateka's first edition over four years ago which continues to this day and has involved both Festivals in granting much greater visibility to Slovenian films in Italy and vice-versa. We sincerely hope that this fruitful collaboration may continue for the fifth edition of Animateka and well into the future for the benefit of European animation in general.
Considering how Animateka Festival has grown and contributed increasingly to the promotion of Slovenian filmmakers abroad and to the diffusion of animated film which lacks representation in Slovenian cinemas, we find the proposal of Slovenian Film Fund to drastically cut its financial support quite disturbing.
Said proposal tends to overlook and underestimate the value and significance of years of commitment and endeavour and, even more important, the potential of the Festival to further these aims in the future.

Animation festivals rely heavily on the financial support of the kind erogated by the Slovenian Film Fund, without which the very existence of such festivals is seriously jeopardised.
While we remain hopeful and trust that the Slovenian Film Fund will reconsider, we feel that we must raise our voice in protest against the current proposal to decrease funding to Animateka Festival.

Luca Raffaelli, Artistic Director; Emanuela Marrocco, Director of Organisation
 
 

To:
Director Igor Prodnik - Slovenian Film Fund & Directorate for Media at the Ministry of Culture
Minister Dr. Vasko Simoniti - Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Prime Minister Janez Janša - Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia
 
Ref: Animateka Festival Linz, 29.05.2008
Dear Sirs,
may I introduce myself first, I am the director of Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz/Austria and since many years I am very interested and close to the Slovenian film and festival scene. The last weeks and month there were a lot of disturbing news coming from the Slovenian film community and especially referring the future of the very active and lively festival landscape.
After the announced financial cuts for the well known Isola Film Festival I've heard now that also Animateka Festival is in danger due to enormous financial cuts from the Slovenian Film Fund.
Crossing Europe was cooperating with both festivals the last years and there was an intensive exchange of program and manpower. Igor Prassel, the director of Animateka Festival was the curator of our European Animation Highlights for example, Koen van Daele, the director of Isola Film Festival was member of our international jury and Jurij Meden, former programmer of Kinodvor and collaborator for both festivals was for several years our program coordinator and up to now programm consultant. Because of this active networking a lot of Austrian film students, professionals and journalists were attending these festivals in Slovenia.
I have deep respect what both festivals Isola and Animateka built up in only a few years, with really small budgets (in comparison to other European festival with that the same output and size). This results were only possible because of enormous volunteer efforts, great enthusiasm, knowledge and networks.
Without the above mentioned festival initiatives there would be a great loss for the Slovenian and European festival landscape.
I kindly ask you to rethink the announced financial cuts for Animateka Festival and Isola Film Festival and hope you will guarantee a better future for both events.
Yours sincerely,

Christine Dollhofer
Festival Director

Podpora  mednarodnemu festivalu animiranega filma Animateka
Radi bi izrazili podporo Mednarodnemu festivalu animiranega filma Animateka pri protestu proti nepravični odločitvi Filmskega sklada Republike Slovenije v zvezi s financiranjem tega festivala, ki ni le pomemben za razvoj animiranega filma v Sloveniji, marveč je tudi vedno bolj prepoznaven v tujini, saj ima vsako leto več mednarodnih gostov. Poleg tega ima vsako leto večje število predvajanih animiranih filmov, večje število prodanih vstopnic ter še drugih aktivnosti, tako da je letošnji predlog financiranja Filmskega sklada, ki je skoraj desetkrat manjši od lanskega, popolnoma nelogičen in upravičeno lahko dvomimo v primerno usposobljenost strokovne komisije, ki je odločala o teh stvareh.
Filmski sklad RS pozivamo, da popravi krivično odločitev prej omenjene strokovne komisije.
Å tudentje 1. letnika Višje strokovne šole za film, Zlin, Češka:
Mitja Manček, OndÅ™ej Fleislebr, Marcel Legindi, Martin Müller, Tomáš Klein, Ivanna Drach, Šárka Holá, Michal Kopp, Kristýna Drozdová , Kristýna Menclová
 

Festival funding
To all those concerned:
I was extremely shocked — and dismayed — to hear about the decision of the Slovene Film Fund in reducing the funding of the Animateka animation festival.
Shocked, because over a very short time period the Animateka festival  has achieved a remarkable reputation and very high reputation within the international animation community — in terms of both professional  and cultural acclaim. At a time when animation festivals are proliferating all over the globe — many countries have several international festivals — due to growing public interest and the fact that new technologies are transforming and broadening the impact of animation in all fields, the competition between festivals has become quite significant, therefore the cultural ambition, organisational abilities, and hence reputation of a festival have become ever more crucial in attracting entries, and international visitors.
Animateka has impressed the international animation community by the quality of the programming, its discussion events, and the quality of its documentation. The latter is particularly important because it means that international delegates keep the catalogues as essential reference material — therefore the catalogue remains a permanent reminder of, and PR tool for, the festival.
However, probably the most important aspect of Animateka is what it offers that NO other international festival does: an opportunity to showcase production from Slovenia and other neighbouring states. Given the increase in international festivals mentioned above, this means it offers an opportunity for international festival programmers to discover films they could not see elsewhere, and increases the possibility of such films being shown at other festivals around the world. As new technological developments have increased the opportunities for young authors to produce independent work, festivals area vital platform for such work to be shown, and sow the seeds for subsequent commercial opportunities.
The statistics about Animateka should surely speak for themselves: a dramatic increase in local audience participation over each successive edition of the festival proves how vital the festival is to up and coming Slovenian creative talent, and the value of contacts with some of the top talent from around the rest of the world; an equally impressive rise in international visitor numbers. Furthermore, unlike most other international festivals, Animateka CONTINUES its work with local audiences and local animation talent
Once again, in fierce competition with all other festivals in Europe, Animateka's quality and success has been recognised and rewarded by the European Union's MEDIA subsidy programme. Since such funding DEPENDS on such financial support being matched by local sources, it seems almost unbelievable that the Slovene Film Fund should choose to effectively reject EU funding that directly benefits Slovenian audiences, and animation amateurs and professionals — and adds to the international reputation of Slovenian culture.
Finally, on an anecdotal note, but one that speaks to the dynamism and effectiveness of the Animateka festival team: at an international festival in Portugal, held in May, due to the initiative of the Animateka festival team — a reception was held at the Portugese festival, sponsored by the Slovenian embassy, to promote the festival and its championing of regional production, prior to a special programme of Animateka prize-winning films from Southern Europe. Not only was the event a great success, the Slovenian embassy also invited embassy officials from countries neighbouring Slovenia— who turned out in force: the first time they had ever attended the Portuguese event. So not only was the Portugal festival's ONLY reception to welcome its international delegates one that promoted Slovenia's animation festival (and Slovenian wine!), it actually proved the effectiveness of  the Slovenian embassy's ability to bring other international embassy officials to the Lisbon event. Plus the value of inter-European collaboration. I should also mention that as a programmer for a number of UK and international festivals, at the Animateka programme I saw a number of films that I have subsequently invited to the highly prestigious London Film Festival, and  to an international animation festival in the UK.
I would urge the Slovene Film Fund to reconsider its decision and to restore the level of funding that the Animateka festival fully deserves, and cannot function without; if Slovenia is ever to make its mark in the international animation arena, and develop an industry that relies on creative assets and intellectual property rights, it NEEDS this festival.
Yours sincerely,
Jayne Pilling, Director
British Animation Awards
mobile: 07506873364
c/oTh1ng 199 Wardour St .
London W1F 8JP
Tel: +44 (0)20 77346 459
Fax:+44 (0)20 74378 211

podpora Medn. fest. Animateka
Spoštovani gospod Igor Prassel!
Vaš festival podpiram z "glavo in srcem". Vi delate natančno to, kar je ena od ključnih misli, zahtev, predlogov (karkoli hočete!) Evropske unije, potem ko je nedavno sprejela svojo udarno strategijo na področju kulture — razvijate, vspodbujate, podpirate, skrbite ... za USTVARJALNOST. In to predvsem mladih.
Ne obupajte, vztrajajte. Slovenska kultura je z ANIMATEKO boljša, sodobnejša, zanimivejša in predvsem večpomenska!
Lep pozdrav,
Mitja Rotovnik